March Recap - 10lb Goal: Shot to Hell

So this month didn't go quite as planned, now did it??

My goal for March was to lose 10 lbs. Instead I lost 5.3 lbs. (198.0 as of today). Boo.

First, I took a few days off for my birthday at the beginning of the month, which ruined that week. And then I was away for a week and ate horribly. Then I came home for a few days and went away again. It was a very busy, not so great month.

I worked out 16 out of 31 days. You can see on the calendar the days I was away and didn't work out.

Ok so anyway... how about in April I blow 10 lbs out of the water? I have no distractions, so I'll be able to do it. I should be able to do it even when life gets in the way, but I guess I'm not there yet.

Here is my new goal and proclamation to you all... By April 30, I will be at least 188 lbs. I better do this. I need to catch up with my goals. Any suggestions of what I should do?

Attitude of Gratitude: I have still lost 50 lbs and am not letting a semi-bad month get me down and make me want to give up like I might have in the past. Onward and downward.

Veggies with every meal. How'd that happen?

I realized that I am actually eating vegetables with every meal. It wasn't even a super conscious decision or anything, just that I want to now. It fills me up and I love eating 0 pt things. Gotta love a freebie!

When I'm "dieting", I am a very boring eater. My grocery list tends to always be the same, and my meals and snack are always the same, just rotated. That's why I don't post pictures too often; you guys would get so bored!

Breakfast is pretty much a smoothie every day. The fruits and yogurt flavor changes every once in awhile, but I always have a handful of spinach in it. The recipe is 2 fruits, a cup of spinach, 1/3 cup or small carton of yogurt and a cup of ice. (The pts change depending on how much yogurt you use. Always best to look it up and measure.) 



Banana, orange, vanilla yogurt, spinach

 

Banana, frozen berries, berry yogurt, spinach

Lunch is always some type of protein (either chicken, turkey or shrimp), with my favorite blend of zucchini and summer squash, cut up and cooked with Adobo seasoning.

Dinner is usually just some type of protein with some type of vegetable. Of course, sometimes I mix it up, especially if I am eating with family, but it's basically just protein and a veg. I've been staying away from potatoes and rice and pasta tho. Thumbs up for that!

Tilapia with Grey Poupon (gotta season it!)

Mesquite flavored chicken breast

My dessert (either during the day or at night) is always pudding with FF whipped cream. I love it. The SF, FF kind if only a pt so it's better than a boring fudgsicle or some other dessert with higher points. There are also lots of flavors. It's filling and satisfying!

Those are basically my meals, but it isn't all I eat. I snack during the day on Babybel Lite cheese, string cheese, celery with Laughing Cow cheese. Ok, just writing that out, I realized I like my cheese... Other snack foods include pretzels or a cup of dry cereal, like Cinnamon Cheerios.

Are there any staple foods that you always go for when eating healthy?

Attitude of Gratitude: I felt like I was getting sick off and on the last couple days, but am feeling perfectly fine now. Wondering if it is because I am healthier now...? Whatever the reason, I'll take it!

In honor of Dancing With The Stars...

... I did the DWTS Latin Cardio Dance workout DVD. It wasn't bad. I worked up a sweat, but it didn't get my heart rate up too much. I'll probably do it again tho, throw it into the rotation every so often.

It is good to be back to a somewhat normal routine. I'm able to work out and cook my own meals and stay on track. My parents will be back next week, but they have more trips planned and hopefully we will be moving soon, so things will be busy. I need to stay focused and motivated. I feel my motivation dipping a little bit, but I won't let it really.

I have a little thing that's bothering me today- foods that pretend to be healthy but aren't. Like Quaker Oatmeal Squares cereal, pictured here. I love this cereal, I could snack on it all day... which is why I don't buy it. However, I saw a commercial for it with Bob from the Biggest Loser and thought I'd get some and just make sure to measure it out and all that. So I get home and calculate out the points of it, and it is 6 pts for a cup! That is a lot! Yesterday, I ate some straight from the box and estimated it to be about 2 cups. Bad move, but it fit into my points for the day. But now I'm measuring them out and eating them as a treat because that is just too much for one little cup.

Attitude of Gratitude: We have a lot of food in the freezer, so other than produce, I don't have to buy any groceries.

Another week, another Weigh In

This week, since last Sunday, I lost 2 lbs. I'm 199.1. Yay for under 200!

I was a little eh about it sinced last Monday the scale showed 198.6 so I gained from there. I don't know, I'm confused. But still happy.

From Thursday to last night, I was out of town for my grandma's funeral, so I didn't eat so well. I didn't go crazy, but I didn't track anything and didn't really think about it.

But I am back now and back on track! There are no distractions coming up so I will be 100% gung ho and on plan! And now I'm going to get caught up on all of your blogs :)

Attitude of Gratitude: I saw a lot of family members this weekend that told me I looked really good and were asking what I was doing. It's always nice when people notice and to get compliments!

Even my fingers are shrinking!

I literally can't wear my rings anymore because they are falling off. And now I can finally wear some of my old rings that my fingers had gotten too big for. Yay!

It was so sad when I tried on my favorite rings (back then, ~50 lbs ago) and they didn't fit. Like at all. Especially when I was dating my ex and he asked why I didn't wear my ring anymore.

So now I have to get my rings resized! Have any of you noticed your fingers getting smaller? I can't remember which blog, but awhile ago I read that someone had lost so much weight, even her shoes didn't fit anymore! I kinda hope (and doubt) that doesn't happen to me for the whole financial aspect, but pretty cool when you see everything getting smaller.

Attitude of Gratitude: I bought myself a very pretty blue topaz ring (like the one in the pic) this past summer and got the warranty, so now I can get it resized for free.

Zumba virgin no longer!

First, thanks everyone for the advice on my last post. It's at least nice to know some of you have gone thru the same thing. I probably won't speak up right now since I only see her on weekends and hopefully after this next one, it won't be as often. She doesn't take criticism well and would just get defensive and not change anything. I've already told her I'm not eating anything bad, and its almost like she tries harder. (For example, she doesn't even like peanut butter, yet the other day we were grocery shopping and she put a huge bag of Reese's cups in the cart, which are my favorites... we were with my parents and I put them back on the shelf and said, "What are you, trying to kill me?" Like joke, joke, but Ugh!) Maybe we did tend to bond and hang out over food, so I need to think about that. Also, I typically only hang out with her with my parents, and they are very supportive.

In happier news, I tried Zumba for the first time yesterday. I ordered the 4 DVD set and was surprised that it was half in Spanish with the girl translating in English. Good thing I took Spanish in school! That guy is caliente!

First, I did the Beginner DVD which is just learning the moves. It wasn't really a workout, so I did the Advanced one with the actual dance stuff next. I was kind of bummed that there wasn't an intermediate DVD. It goes from just showing you the moves to throwing you into "salsa rapido" and all that. It was hard! Probably because I am so not coordinated.

So my initial review right now is that I like it, but am going to have to get used to it and practice the harder moves. It is a really good workout tho, and the time goes by fast. And today my calves are sore so it was effective.

I know a lot of you do Zumba, so what did you think of it when you first started? Was it immediately easy for you? Do you do the DVDs or a gym class?

Attitude of Gratitude: I bought a pair of size 14 jeans and they look really good! Some of my size 16's are getting too big to wear now. (Altho, I don't fit into all 14's and some 16's still do fit well. I'm in between.)

Sabotage - I'm venting here

Have you ever had someone in your life who seems to want the worst for you? Even if they don't make it obvious? I am honestly starting to feel like my sister is so competitive with me and wants so much to be better than me that she literally doesn't want good things to happen to me. When I broke up with my ex and was feeling all down, she just talked and talked about her (now ex) boyfriend and what they were doing and saying. It's like when I am down, she makes a big point of being happy. When I say anything about being bad at something, she says how good she is.

And now I'm seeing it with my weight loss. I've lost 50 lbs in the last 7 months. It's noticeable. Yet she hasn't said one word about it. Instead, she constantly talks about food and tries to get me to eat the fattiest things.

Every time she comes home, she suggests dinners, lunches, snacks, appetizers for us all to eat that are so high calorie. I'm telling you; she eats like every meal is her last. She turns her nose up to Bagel Thins because they are "thin" or "diet food". Every time we are together, and have to eat together, I literally see it as a weight loss challenge.

It's really sad, but I think she would like it if I stayed fat. I feel like she is trying to sabotage me. She's always been the skinny one who can eat tons of food all the time (and does) and never gains weight. I've been the funny one, the one with better grades in college, the one who has better conversations with my parents, more funny childhood memories, who's had more friends than her, whatever. That sounds very shitty to say, I know. But what she's always had going for her is being thinner and therefore, prettier. She knows it; she wears the tightest, skimpiest clothes regardless of where we are going. A halter top and hooker boots just to go to the grocery store, sure. So what if I get thin too?

I've thought that maybe I'm just bitter and jealous that she eats whatever she wants all day long and can still stay skinny and that I need to just do my own thing and not compare myself to her. But that's not it. I was really trying not to think so negatively about her, but I just feel like it's glaringly obvious now. Maybe that's what spending 8 days straight with her did to me. (Well beyond our typical relationship shelf life, if you know what I mean).

Oh well, what am I going to do? Nothing. Ignore her. Focus on myself. Stay motivated to lose weight for myself.

Attitude of Gratitude: I'm grateful that it's warm enough outside that I can finally take the dogs for a walk.

Under 200! Scale shocker

198.6

I stepped on the scale today and it read 198.6. I was thoroughly shocked. I weighed in yesterday (my usual Sunday WI) at 201.1. So I lost 2.5 lbs in a day? What?!

Also did you see yesterday's post where I wrote about all the horrible foods I ate this last week without working out once?

Ok, that's it. Bring on the pizza and donuts and candy and no more working out. ...KIDDING!

Funny how the scale can be so unpredictable, but I'm not complaining. And I guess since it's Monday, I won't update my tracker or WI page til next week.

Attitude of Gratitude: I'm under 199lbs. May I never see the 200s again. Unless later on I'm pregnant with a really big baby or something...

Back home & Weighed in

Thank you everyone who has been thinking of me this past week. I don't want to get into it too much, but I will say that my grandma passed away this week. Obviously, it's really difficult for our family. She was an amazing person, so funny and spunky and caring and lovable.

This past week was busy. We spent a lot of time in the hospital. I brought workout clothes, but didn't work out once. Go me, I know. I also ate pretty bad; lots of fast food meals, restaurant meals, bagels, donuts, muffins, cookies, ice cream, mini chocolates, jelly beans. Oh well, life happens. Actually, I didn't eat like I probably would have in the past. I ate very poorly many times, but like, I only had one donut for breakfast instead of 2-3 and I had 2 pieces of pizza instead of 4, that kinda thing.

So today I weighed myself and fully expected a gain, but am 201.1, which means I lost 0.4 lbs. How I didn't gain anything with the way I've been eating (and not working out) is beyond me. This will be a healthy week, altho we are going back for her funeral this weekend for four days. Hoping I can continue to lose this week.

Attitude of Gratitude: Our family has been lucky to have someone in our lives who makes saying goodbye to so hard.

Update

Just wanted to check in since I haven't posted in a few days. The trip is going ok, but as far as sticking to the eating well/ working out, it hasn't been like I'd planned. First, I have no time to work out, or I guess with being in the hospital all day, I don't make time. Oh well. (As you can see, I'm reallyyyy upset about it. Not.)

Also eating healthy isn't easy either since we tend to just grab what we can and I'm not in the mood to try to find healthy alternatives. If we are grabbing pizza for everyone, it is what it is. If we go to a deli or something, I do still order the healthiest stuff. Also lately, it's becoming obvious that meals are like the highlight of my dad and sister's day, which is getting so annoying. But I snack while I'm there. Maybe its boredom, maybe it emotional, or both. It actually hasn't been much, but I have been eating random jelly beans and stuff like that if its in the room.

I'm not being hard on myself or anything. Dealing with this is stressful and I want to be there for my family, so my weight loss isn't the first thing on my mind. (Altho it is still on my mind, and family members are all commenting on how I look good, which is nice.)

I'll be back on the normal plan when I get home, but right now I know its all about moderation and living healthy rather than being strict 24/7 and being "on a diet". And some things take precedent.

I hope you all are doing great. I'll be catching up on your blogs when I get back so don't think my comments are gone forever... I know you all miss me ;)

Attitude of Gratitude: I am lucky to have had the best grandma in the whole world.

Weigh Day

Road trip went well. Thanks for all your tips. I snacked on grapes in the car, had a Smart Ones breakfast at home and Subway for lunch. Dinner was chicken and asparagus, but I did have about 3 vodka drinks last night (with Crystal Lite, which is 0 cals, still a bad move tho). No more!

I weighed in yesterday morning before leaving for the good ole road trip because my grandma has a scale that apparently subtracts 10 lbs off what you really weigh because it's from like, 1950. While I'd love to just use that and say I lost 10 lbs this week, it's probably better not to fool myself!

So... I lost 2.0 lbs this week, putting me at 201.5. I'm ok with that. It looks like I'm a steady 2 lbs loss type of person these days if i work out and eat well.

Do you think I can still lose 10 lbs this month?

Challenge of going out of town

This weekend my sister and I are going to visit our grandma, who is sick. Our parents are there already, so we will be driving - a 10 hour car ride. Not fun. At all.

It's also going to be hard on the ole diet plan. Typically when we drive there, we just stop at McDonalds for breakfast and lunch because it's quick and easy. Maybe I can persuade my sis to stop at Subway instead. Otherwise, I'll have to research what I can have at McD's, maybe I'll get a Happy Meal. [I always look online for nutrition info because it can be really misleading.. like McD's oatmeal has the same calories as a cheeseburger and the same amount of fat as a Snickers bar!]

Then just being there will be a weight loss challenge. Here's why-

• It is going to be emotional and I will be tempted to just say eff it.
• My family drinks every evening (I will not)
• We will be in the hospital every day, and my mom has said the cafeteria food isn't too healthy
• I won't have my elliptical or workout DVDs, so I will probably have to work out outside (gasp!)
• We will be busy visiting my grandma and other family members, so I might not have time to workout at all
• I won't be able to blog as much, and probably won't be able to read/ comment on other blogs as often, but I'll try!

But, I'll be ok! Here's why -

• I am bringing grapes, carrots, celery and pre-portioned-out pretzels for the road trip snacking
• I will look up nutrition info for everything I eat out, or order the healthiest thing on the menu (hello, grilled chicken and veggies)
• I will still try to work out, probably walking /running if the weather is ok (thanks for the advice on that!) and possibly checking out a local gym there if I can
• I'll still blog as much as I can and read my faves when I have the time

My weigh in will be tomorrow instead of Sunday since I won't have my scale. Well, I'm off to run errands, including taking 8 pair of too big pants to Goodwill!

Attitude of Gratitude: I'm grateful that we're bringing our dogs so they don't have to stay in a kennel.

Retiring Fat Clothes... to Goodwill?

Uh... I tried on a pair of 14 jeans today... and they fit. What?! I was perplexed. Fucking ecstatic, but still perplexed. Right now I only have 2 size 16 jeans. One gets loose (from Old Navy.. don't those always get loose?) and another one that fits well, if not kind of tight when I sit down. So I don't know, I wouldn't say I'm a 14 now. Still happy that they fit tho. Which brings me to my point...

When I started gaining weight, I obviously started buying larger sizes. Sad to say, but buying bigger sizes was easier than losing weight. Stupid, but anyone who has struggled with weight has been there.

But I never got rid of my smaller clothes. Eventually it got to the point where I packed a huge duffel bag full of clothes that didn't fit me... because they would "someday."

If you laid out all my clothes, there'd be something to fit everyone. I have jeans from a size 8 to 20. And I have tops from medium to 1X. That's so embarrassing, and obviously I'm not proud of it.

The good thing is that now that I'm losing weight, I don't have to run out and buy new clothes, and I don't want to because hopefully they will just be too big soon anyway. I just dig out old stuff. It's cost effective.

Here's my little pickle. As I was gaining weight, I kept everything. So... as I am losing, I am still keeping the bigger clothes. I know I should get rid of them so I have no option of going back to those sizes, or at least it would add a financial incentive as well.

See, I get that. But I also kind of don't want to. I hate shopping (especially for fat clothes) and spending more money than I need to (especially on fat clothes), so my natural instinct is to keep them in the back of the closet, like I did the skinny clothes. Even as I write this, I know what you're all going to say - get rid of them! No going back! And... I will. I will! (This week the 18's and 20's are going bye bye)

But why do I doubt myself so much? Because I've always gone up and down and up down? I thought maybe when I get to my goal, I'd get rid of everything... but then why not now? Do I really want to wear a size 20 again? Do I really think I will gain the weight back that I've lost? I need to trust myself and know that from here on, I am only going to act in my own best interest, and therefore keep losing rather than gaining. It's the mental side of it all. Easier said than done, but I'm working on it!

What do you guys do? Donate everything once it stop fitting? Do you ever want to keep them?

Attitude of Gratitude: I got the best hour-long massage today with a gift certificate I got! I think as a reward, I might start getting massages for every 10 lbs I lose.

How much harder is running than using the elliptical?

I think you all should just tell me rather than me going outside and actually finding out for myself. Sound good? Oh, wait, what? It sounds lazy? Oh ok... well, tell me anyway.

See, I like the elliptical because I can sweat and burn calories and do an hour at a level 4-5, at a good pace, no problem. But next week, I'll be out of town visiting my grandma in the hospital. I might be able to sign up for a temporary gym membership, but I'm sure the only way I'll be able to work out is if I run.

I used to run in high school, but then in college I started doing the elliptical and haven't really run since. Unless you want to count random running after the dog type stuff.. which you probably don't.

I see people running the neighborhood a lot and the only thought that crosses my mind is, Does that person know how freakin cold it is? Ugh. Maybe next week I'll be one of those people.

Attitude of Gratitude: My Coach purse had some tears in it, so I took it back to the store and got to exchange it. The sales lady even gave me a 25% off coupon, so I got an even more expensive bag and a cute coin purse and a $1 back in change. I'd say that's a good deal!

Melting off the inches

I tried a new workout DVD today, Dance Off the Inches: Salsa. It was ok, but I don't think anyone will melt off any inches with this one. It was very low cardio. So much so that I ended up doing the Biggest Loser bootcamp and the elliptical afterwards. Zumba DVDs are in the mail so hopefully those are fun and a good workout.

I whipped out the camera today, but just for meals, not every single thing. I track everything in my food tracker journal every day tho.

Breakfast was an egg bacon sandwich, using a Sandwich Thin (3 pts), egg beaters (1 pt), Laughing Cow cheese (1 pt) and Oscar Meyer precooked bacon (2 pts) for a total of 7 pts. That's a little more than I usually eat for breakfast, but it was good.

Lunch was my shrimp veggie medley with zucchini and summer squash, cooked with Adobo. There are 13 mini shrimp in there for 1 pt. One point! Love how low cal this is. Go fish!

Dinner was a one-serving meatloaf, made from this Fiber One recipe for 6 pts. I looked up Fiber One recipes because I have a bunch of it in the pantry and wanted to try using it in creative way (since it is basically rabbit food). It was good. How cute is this little thing?

I love fat free, sugar free pudding with Cool Whip Free for dessert during the day or evening for 1 pt. This is chocolate, but I think my fave is still cheesecake flavor.

Attitude of Gratitude: I got a pedicure today and my toes are pretty bright pink! Perfect for Spring. Love it :)

The Versatile Blogger Award :)

Dawn, from A New Dawn for Me, gave me this award, so now I will share with you all 7 things you didn't know about me. Thanks Dawn for giving me an award and for your kind words. You're one of my faves!

1. I never really had a favorite sport or hobby as a kid; instead, I tried everything for at least one season. I've done basketball, volleyball, jazz dance, tap dance, ballet, gymnastics, swimming, diving, scuba diving, sewing, I think that's it.
2. I love reading self-help books and trying to better myself, fix my issues and grow and learn all the time.
3. I'm a true blue American, but have lived in 5 countries, and 4 US states because of my dad's corporate job.
4. I'm moving to North Carolina soon and am so extremely excited about it.
5. I love animals and am really good at teaching them tricks.
6. I am not a morning person. If I didn't have any reason not to, I'd probably stay up til 3am and wake up at noon.
7. I love reality TV. By most standards, I have extremely poor taste in TV shows, but hey, so does most of America, it seems. Gotta go watch The Bachelor now!

I have A LOT of favorite blogs I read, but to pass on the award, here are some new bloggers you all should check out...

Baby Weight and Beyond - A nice, encouraging blogger who is doing great on her journey!
The Total Player -A new male blogger who is working to lose weight and get in better shape, and knows a lot about fitness. It's cool to get a guy's perspective!
Biggie to Smalls - A cool, young blogger who is determined to lose weight!
Struggling - A new blogger who might be "struggling" but probably won't be for long!
Project Skinny Jeans - A cool blogger who is just recently starting out and is fun and motivating!

Attitude of Gratitude: I got a blogger award :)

Not So Great Weigh Day

I gained 0.2 lbs this week. I expected a gain since I kind of took the weekend off. I didn't go overboard or anything, but I did have high calorie foods.. stuff I never have when on a diet. It was also my TOM so let's throw that excuse in there.

Friday I had pizza, cheesesticks, cookie cake and a couple drinks. I was full at the end of the night, especially from the drinks and I didn't like it. It felt wrong or something, like how I used to feel before when I didn't care about my weight.

Yesterday, I didn't eat too bad, other than having more cookie cake and having steak and sweet potato fries for dinner. I didn't drink and I ate in moderation. Well, I guess I did have a little too much of the cookie cake.

So then today, for my WI, I have to be honest, when I got on the scale this morning, it said 205.0. I knew I wasn't going to lose after eating poorly for 2 days and weighing in right after, but I was surprisingly really upset/ pissed/ frustrated by that number being so high. So I got up and worked out on the elliptical, showered, and stepped on the scale again just to double check, and it said 203.5. I got on and off like 3 times just to make sure and the number stayed, so that's the one I'm going with.

I learned a couple things this weekend that I'm happy about. 1) I don't enjoy eating past the point of being full. It makes me feel gross. 2) I love the feeling of losing weight at the end of the week. Even tho I was prepared for it, I don't like seeing a higher number come back on the scale.

Attitude of Gratitude: I ate what I wanted and what I've been craving, and learned that I am much more concerned with consistently losing weight than I am with eating anything that's going to keep me from doing that.

My achin' back

My back hurts. I feel so whiny today. My back has been hurting for awhile, but I stretch it out and have been hoping I'm just sore from working out. But today, I got on the elliptical and it was just painful. It hurts so much like on the lower right side of my back. I got off, stretched, tried to crack it, did this little rolling thing we have (its a hard styrofoam bar that you roll on, from a sporting goods store.. usually works really well). But nothing worked. I got back on the elliptical and it just ached, so after 20 minutes, I was just over it and got off. Even sitting on the couch (it's kinda deep) puts a strain on my back. I'm in my mid-20's, this shouldn't be an issue. Whyyyy.

Also on my period this week. Sorry if that's too much information... but that just makes it worse. My lower back usually gets sore around that TOM but this is on a different level. I wonder if I pulled something doing that P90X workout.

As far as that TOM, do you guys still lose weight? Or do you lose less than usual or gain? Or does it have no impact? I haven't really been giving it too much attention the past couple months to really have an answer to that myself.

Attitude of Gratitude: It's Friday, and this is going to be a great weekend! I hope you all enjoy yours too :)

Oh, the horror: Telling people your weight

I don't talk about my weight much with friends and family. Well, now I do (a little) since I'm on a fairly strict weight loss plan and people have noticed. But definitely not the actual number. No sirree bob.

Until today. My parents were talking about how much I've lost (I did tell them that much). And I asked if they wanted to know what I weigh and what I started at, but that if they told anyone I'd kill them. Half joking. ;)

The conversation went like this...

Me: Ok, so what do you think I weighed when I started? [When I first moved home in Aug.]
Mom: Oh, I don't know. 200?
Me: [An "are you serious?" look]
Mom: More?
Me: [Nods head]
Mom: 210?
Me: [Eyebrow raise]
Dad: More??
Mom: 230.
Me: [Eyebrow raise]
Mom: 250?
Me: [Nods head]
Dad: Hoooly shit!
Me: I know! [Slams head down on table]

So now they know. We talked a little bit about how they wouldn't have guessed I was that much, but that it was obviously due to how my life was and that I was unhappy. A lil bit ago, I wrote more about the "why", if you're interested.

My dad admitted that when I would come home every so often, he would notice that I kept gaining weight but didn't want to say anything. I told him he now has permission to call me out on it if it ever happens again. It was a little embarrassing, but I'm glad I told them because now they can help me stay on track and I can be accountable to them too. I told them I want to be down to 150, so if I don't get there, they'll know I gave up, and I don't want to do that, so there's no other choice but to make it happen.

In other news... along with 30 mins on the elliptical, my workout today was a 45 min P90X DVD- the Cardio X one. It was hard, but I did like it. I was able to get thru it with little swearing, which is nice. There are a bunch of different cardio-type exercises that are broken up into 30-90 seconds and don't require too much coordination. Overall I'm a fan. However, there were two exercises that I didn't do, where I just stood and stared at the TV with my mouth open. This is one of them... pretty sure I'd end up in the hospital if I tried this one. (You'll get the gist in 4 seconds)

Attitude of Gratitude: I'm grateful to have helpful, encouraging parents, especially since I am living with them right now, because your environment makes a huge difference.

Apparently I need to clear something up

I'm "taking the weekend off" for my birthday. BUT let me clarify this a little bit. When I say I'm taking the weekend off, I don't mean I'm going to fly off the deep end. When I say I'm going to eat whatever I want, I should also note that what I want to eat and/or the amount of it has changed.

I get that the smart diet thing is to have a small slice of cake and work it in. I get it - that's what I have been doing for everyone else's birthday. Honestly, I could care less about cake. I would rather just eat the foods I most miss and not worry about points. Actually if I did calculate it all out, I'm sure it would just wind up being the 49 weekly points we're supposed to use, but I never do. By no means am I going to "binge".

This is the plan -
Friday: Eat normal (read: healthy) all day, work out like normal (60 mins on elliptical and 30 min cardio DVD), and then for dinner, thin crust pizza (with olives and chicken for me) and have my "birthday cake" which is going to be a cookie cake, basically a Christmas type sugar cookie with a thin layer of frosting. But yeah, I'm not going to have a sliver and weigh it out and calculate the points. (I am also not eating the whole damn thing) Call it a mental health thing, if you will.

Saturday: Normal work out. Maybe we'll go out to the Mexican restaurant if my sister wants to, since she wanted to last weekend and we didn't because of my diet. If we went there, I'd eat chips and guacamole, and order the tacos, and take some home. Dinner is going to be steak and sweet potato fries. And probably leftover cookie cake.

I know everyone else is going to drink, and I'm leaning towards not drinking, or maybe just a couple. I could easily drink 20+ pts a night if I kept up with everyone... so no.

And that's it folks. It's planned out and controlled. And then I'll be back to the normal grind. I'll still have a weigh in, so you'll know how it goes. My goal for March is still 10 lbs.

Also, that fruit thing only looks depressing to me because it has a lonely little birthday candle on top. There are healthier "treat" type things other than fruit for a bday, I don't know, that's just me.

Attitude of Gratitude: I have such great followers that comment and let me have it if I sound like I'm going to throw my diet/ goals out the window. I do appreciate the concern/ help. Altho I'm glad I could clarify what I meant by taking a weekend off. :)

March Goals

Lose 10 lbs by March 31. I was going to make it a little less since I have steadily been losing and am anticipating it slowing down, but this month is a longer one, so I'll keep it at 10.

I'll probably be visiting my grandma this month, so I will stay on course during that trip, eating healthy and possibly working out if I can while I'm there.

I will continue to eat well, count points, write everything down, stay within points. Same old.

I will work out every day that I can. I will start incorporating different workout DVDs into the routine, along with the elliptical so my body doesn't get too used to the same thing.

I will drink tons (100+ oz) of water every day.

I will take a multivitamin and fish oil every day.

I will keep blogging about my progress and keep reading up on all of yours'. It's like my new hobby now!

Here's to a great month; for me and everyone else!

Attitude of Gratitude: I am really happy it is March already. Bring on the spring and bring on more positive changes!

Change of plans, somewhat

I had 2 sets of goals. One was to lose 10 lbs in Feb, which I did. (And thank you everyone for your congrats!) My other goal was to be under 200 lbs by my birthday. That means, as of today, I have to lose 3 lbs by Monday.

But here's the thing. This weekend is going to be my only chance to really celebrate my birthday. So I can either eat healthy and basically fear having cake, or I can just not put that pressure on myself, take a weekend off and know that I'll be below 200 by the next week. What do you think?

Does this look appetizing to you? (Just depressing, if you ask me)

I haven't talked much about this, but my grandma is in the hospital with cancer, and it's not looking very good. My parents were there with her for awhile, and came home last week to get some things done, but are thinking about going back on Monday. This will probably be the last weekend my parents will have to just relax and chill out for quite awhile. Our house is on the market and the next months are going to be busy for them.

So maybe I'll have my weigh in be Friday or Saturday morning instead of the usual Sunday. And then I'll take the weekend off and eat whatever I want. Yeah, there could be a happy medium, but I need a break. I'm tired of counting points and being so strict. Maybe a weekend diet vacation will renew me (says the junkie, lol). Altho on the other hand, I am still nervous about doing that just because I've made eating well such a habit. Two days won't kill me.

Attitude of Gratitude: I'm grateful for all the comments I've been getting from people who say I'm inspiring them. Who would have thought I'd be inspirational? I'm glad if I am tho :)