Day 28

How long does it take UPS to deliver a box? If it is a 5' tall, 37 lb. box containing a Rubbermaid Closet Organization system, it takes FORVER! Apparently my box that was put on a delivery truck at 6:29am Tuesday morning, is lost. Amazon has kindly sent a replacement, but I had to push for it. They wanted me to wait another week to see if UPStupid finds the box. You must be joking? Find it! They don't even want to talk to me about it. I started trying to think of how in the world they could have LOST this package and I suppose there are lots of places for a breakdown, but honestly! I wonder how much merchandise is lost (read 'stollen') just through shipping? I'm terribly afraid I would choke on the number. Thankfully, this is the first time this has happened to me, but I feel sorry for Amazon.com. They are out of pocket for two systems. I hope they can get some money back from UPStupid. (If you can't tell, I don't like UPS. Please use FedEx or USPS if you ever want your package to arrive.) So, that's been my afternoon; talking to UPStupid and Amazon.com about a missing shipment. Just what I wanted to do on my afternoon off. Well, not really, but I'm all about finding the happy in everything.

For the last couple of days I've been stuck in some terrible traffic and around some pretty bad drivers. I'm probably going to change my schedule again so that I can avoid these people. I really liked the 7-4 schedule, but sometimes I find it hard to get out of the office by 4. I'll just have to do better!

As day 28 is winding down, I can say that I'm happier than ever with MFF. I do want to stress that I'm still trying to figure out the best combination of foods for different days and am doing better at figuring it out. With snacks, added fruit and the meals, I figure I'm eating between 1,200 and 1,500 calories per day. Some days it is actually less than 1,200 calories! Before I started this I did a little calculating and found that to be gaining weight at my then weight of 270 lbs. and at the rate I was gaining, I had to have been consuming more than 4,000 calories per day. It was easy to see that most days were more like 5,000 calories. So, when I say I can eat VOLUMES of food, please understand that I know what I'm talking about.

One of the things I'll be doing this weekend, is going through my local grocery store (HEB) and looking for all of the food that is pre-packaged in a single portions and determining if it is something I can use in future. For example, I really love salsa and chips. You can buy salsa by the jar and a bag of chips, but then we run into the Nancy problem: Portion Size. (My what big portions you have!) So, I learned that a company called Sabra produces a single serve salsa and chips with total calories of 120! If I can't get that I'm going to look for just single serve chips that are okay for me to eat and get some salsa and create my own single portion setups that I can keep in the fridge. A snack of 120 calories of chips and salsa would be real satisfying sometimes. I know there are other options out there that I've just been missing. I love the MFF, but I also want to be able to function nicely when MFF isn't available. That means I need to be a bit more savvy. So, I'll be working on that this weekend. Don't get me wrong, I'll also be stocking up on MFF to cover Saturday-Tuesday!

Funny to think that we Americans have always had to be reminded to keep fit. The poster above is from WWII and even with all that was going on back then, I'm sure there were people just like me who got out of control. I really do think I have a duty to get and stay fit for my family, friends, coworkers and others around me. It's real easy to think of obesity as just MY problem, but it isn't. It affects all of the people around me. Just like their smoking, drinking and other bad behaviors affect me. Now, I'm not saying that everyone should look at this like I do, it just helps me to think of the people around me. That's just how I'm wired. Honestly though, can you guys quit smoking and drinking, please? Remember, I asked nicely!

Today is walk on the treadmill day! I have a new mild brace for my left knee (the one I shattered 15 years ago) and I'm hoping that will help reduce pain in the left leg. My left hip is not as sore today as it has been over the last week, so I don't want it to wake up and start hurting again. As I walk I'll think of all you out there working along with me to get and stay FIT! Until day 29, sweet dreams, Sweeties!

Update:  Walked 31minutes and 48 seconds tonight on the treadmill!  Happy, happy, happy...

Days 25 and 26

What is it with me lately that I skip a day of writing about what's going on around here! Yesterday I think it was...well...who knows what kept me occupied. Things are just always hoppin' here lately. The sad truth is that I am a hyper person who is easily distracted. So, my son, who is easily distracted, comes by his affliction honestly.

Before I get into anything else, just let me say this, My Fit Foods, just DO IT! This is the only way to eat. I LOVE IT! Food is finally what it's supposed to be. I'd write a list about what food has been to me, but I'll spare you that until later. I'm still identifying all the things I made food into besides what it is, nourishment.

I'm getting better at making the exercise regular. My goal is Monday/Wednesday/Friday 30 minutes of walking on the treadmill at 3 miles per hour. Well, goal one is that. I'm not there yet. For the moment I'm doing 20 minutes, but I'm getting there. This hip thing I'm dealing with is nasty and making me MAD, but it will be resolved. The weight is coming off! I can tell in my clothes and every day it is better.

This trip to healthy land is the last time I'm going to make the journey. That's because when I get there, I'm movin' in! In my faith we call our bodies temples. However, my temple was on the verge of being condemned! I want my temple to be a mansion!! All decorated with the healthiest skin, organs, hair, nails, teeth, joints...you name it!! My mansion/temple is going to be the envy of the other temple owners. Okay, so that's probably an exaggeration, but I have high aspirations!!

Yesterday and today were the two days back in the office after a couple of days off. You can only imagine what that was like. CRAZY!! I love taking off, but WOW the first couple of days back can be MURDER! Yet, here I am.  I successfully vanquished the email, solved problems and made nice as best I could. That's what I do, solve problems and make nice.

Now, the problem is to get myself to bed. I've determined that I need 9 hours of sleep each day to feel great and so, I'm going to go get those hours! Until the next blog, sweet dreams, Sweeties!

Day 24

Back to the normal routine, is how I would describe today. I awoke this morning at 6am, mainly because I had set an alarm on my cell phone to wake me up while I was away and forgot to disengage it.  Oops! So, I was awake whether I wanted to be or not. The morning was mainly about watching the boys groom the yard, which they did, beautifully. I took some video of how we've updated the front seating area and added a place to eat comfortably. It is really working well. Also, I was lucky enough to capture some video of a hummingbird taking advantage of the Compact Spicy Jatropha plant (Jatropha integerrima 'Compacta') and the special feeder put up just for them.  Enjoy the video!

  

The day is hot (at 4:48pm it is 99F degrees), but lovely on the front porch. I'm eating well and on plan with My Fit Foods in the fridge. Day 60 is when I will try on my black dress and see if I made it to my first goal point. I'm really tempted to go in and try the dress on now, but then I think it will either disappoint me or make me cocky. I'd hate to start thinking I can reach my goals in half the time because it will be sad when I don't make my benchmarks. So, I will wait for the right time, keep walking and eating as right as possible. Just remember, I'm not a machine! (That's what I tell myself when my nail art looks less than perfect!)

I sent away today for the packet of information that allows me, as a parent, to provide my child with driver training in the State of Texas. Apparently, this much harder than it used to be. My son will be 15 on his next birthday and it's time to start learning to be a safe Texas driver. Is there such a thing? Not in this town! People here drive CRAZY. Don't believe me? Hop on over to YouTube to my channel (you can search for Nancy Hemati) and watch any of my 'Commute' videos.  You'll see what I mean!

It's been a lovely day off of work and now it's time to do laundry and get ready for the rest of the week. Go look for someone like My Fit Foods (myfitfoods.com) in your area. They are wonderful and have really changed my life and how I think about food.  Until tomorrow, sweet dreams, Sweeties!

Day 21, 22 and 23

Apparently I cannot find time to write a blog posting when I visit my sister. Today is actually number 23 of the 365 days of this journey to better health. On Day 21 I was enjoying a day of shopping and visiting with my best girlfriend and sister, Gena. Honestly, I don't know what I'd do without her. She and I are about 8 years apart, so we have had times in our lives when we weren't as close as we are today. That is as it probably is with most sisters. The whole weekend was just a big round of visiting, shopping and seeing the sights. I LOVED it, but was ready for home, too.

We used My Fit Foods while in Dallas (where my sister lives) and it was just as convenient and delicious as it is here in Austin. We also had lunch on Saturday at P.F. Chang's (I love that place) and really enjoyed the meal. I got lots of exercise walking and such and feel great! I can't wait until Gena comes to visit me next month!

I continue to have some pain in my hip. I stretch and stretch, but nothing seems to make it go away. The pain makes me walk funny and is causing my knee on that leg, ache. It is sad, but I'm quite a klutz and have been all my life. (My father always introduced me as his daughter who, "trips over puffs of smoke and blades of grass." I grew up surrounded by comedians.) Therefore, I've suffered several injuries to the leg attached to the currently achey hip. I shattered the patella on my left knee in 1990 and broke the left ankle in 2004 (actually, I broke both ankles in 2004...at the same time. Don't try this as it is really boring.) and now this hip. I'm concerned now that I may have awoken something in my hip that is not just an injury, but something else. So, yes, I'll go see a doctor about it. Regardless of what is going on, I will continue to work toward health. I'm thinking that there may be arthritis going on here. I hope not, but I'm just at a loss as to why it doesn't seem to be getting any better.

Tomorrow, day 24, I will be off work so that I can help my son get ready for school. He'll be attending a virtual high school and needs to complete an online orientation. The same for my husband. As learning coaches, we have to learn how it all works. We are very excited about the school and are looking forward to making it a GREAT experience for our son.

So, that's about it for now. Everything is going along well and I feel so much better, even with a painful hip. Thanks for checking in! I'm looking forward to tomorrow and what it will bring! Until then, sweet dreams, Sweeties!

Day 13

The days are clicking by! There are points in my life when I want the time to slow down and then there are moments like this. I'm doing well and I want to experience the results of my work. I want to slow down, but I want results quickly. This time around I'm working to learn to enjoy the journey and not be constantly looking ahead to my goal points. It's hard not to want to see results, but I don't want to miss the more subtle results indicators that come from cleaning up my habits.

One thing that I knew would happen and I've just been waiting for, is that clean feeling. That's the only way I know to explain it. It is a distinctive feeling I get when sugar cravings are gone and nutritionally my body is getting what it needs. The last time I lost weight it took me more than 2 weeks to feel this way, but I can honestly say that today, day 13, I feel clean. I'm not craving salt or sugar (I've been controlling salt intake over the last 13 days, as well as sugar), my portion sizes are where they should be, I'm eating a diet balanced with good carbs, protein and the right fats and best of all, I'm satisfied...truly satisfied! Maybe it's because I want my health back so much, but honestly, I have to be done with eating bad food, big portions and empty calories. At my age, this is getting harder to deal with and I have things I want to do! The fat is just in the way.

After a week of telling you about My Fit Foods (MFF) I can say that this will be how I eat for as long as MFF will let me. I don't have any desire to cook as long as I don't have to. Okay, I'll scramble myself an egg now and then, but putting meals together, no...I'm not doing it. I love my family and they know that I do. I don't have to cook big meals for them anymore for them to know I love them. In fact, it's killing the whole family, me doing that, so I HAVE to stop it right now! So, thank you, MFF! I LOVE YOU!! Go to their website and read up on them at myfitfoods.com.

This will have been a tough week for me when it's all over! As you recall, I had a business dinner earlier in the week (Tuesday) and now I have another one Friday night! When I eat out, I'll provide a photo of my plate so everyone can see what I end up eating. This should help keep me honest. I like to make sure I know I'm not fooling anyone! I hope the group of people I'm taking will not be interested in a place that serves nothing but fried food! I've pretty much felt like I could eat anywhere except a fried food place. Fried food is just bad...really bad. I'm afraid of fried food. Fried food is now my kryptonite!!

I'm off to enjoy the evening. Until tomorrow, sweet dreams, Sweeties!!

Day 11

Lovely day and one where I had to eat out with people from the office. I think I did okay, not perfect, but better than I would have had I not been conscious of what I was doing. Here is what I had the entire day:

MFF Sausage Links and Kale (really good!  I'll eat this again for a breakfast! and only 250 calories!!)
A Medium Banana
1 Package of Pistachio Nuts (in the shells)
MFF BBQ Chicken (probably won't have this again. Not bad, but I'm not in love with chicken.)
Small Orange
6 oz. Non-Fat Greek Yogurt
Cover 2 Hickory Burger (no fries, no cole slaw, no nothing else!) It was just the sandwich and was quite enough. I am still full 3 hours after having eaten this burger!

All in all, I did okay. The MFF breakfast was a 'small' portion and it was okay with the banana. The lunch portion was a medium and more than enough, but just not a great taste for me. I thought the Nugget Nation meal was much better so I'll have that instead next time.

Anyway, I will always have issues with eating out, but I also know that I can get around those issues by just making the best decision that I can. Salad is sometimes a good choice, but nowadays that put so much extra 'stuff' on salads, they are hardly a slim choice. Today, I chose a burger as it like it would be a smaller meal than some of the hefty salads I was observing being served. Also, the salads were either topped with fried chicken (I'm really trying now to get that 'fried' food taste out of my system) or were smothered in fatty dressing. I know, I know, put the dressing on the side.  Really? Do you want a dry salad? I don't really think so, so why even make the pretense of a salad with all that goop on it? So, I ordered a simple grilled beef burger with a little cheese, pickles, onions and hickory BBQ sauce (just a dab!). What I learned is that I could have what I wanted (I LOVE burgers) and just have that. I was really, honestly satisfied. And, I'll do even better tomorrow!

It's almost time for me to visit my sister again. This time it's my turn to travel to see her. We alternate months as we live a little over 200 miles apart. We're trying to do day trips to surrounding areas each time, but I'm not sure where we're going to this time. It doesn't even matter! All I care about is I have her with me for an ENTIRE weekend and we talk and have a GREAT time together. Everyone should have a Gena in their life like I do! No, she does NOT have time on her schedule for any other sisters.

There is actually a funny story about that. Earlier this month when she was here visiting me, we were in one of our favorite stores, Sephora. When we arrived the sales ladies immediately said, "We remember you!" and before we were out of there (over 2 hours later...I LOVE Sephora) they were asking us if we had any openings for new 'sisters'! Yes, WE'RE FUN! We are also incredibly the same in looks and such. When we're out together people always ask us, "Are you twins?" We used to just say yes, but then decided to say no and see how many people could guess which one of us is older. The funny thing is,  the women who get into this conversation with us will generally say, "No, I don't want to guess that!" but the men will fall right into the trap! They will end up looking from one of us to the other, back and fourth, with my sister Gena saying something like, "You better get this right, friend!" or some such nonsense. It is always so fun to see what they come up with. Yes, we're a mess!

Well, that's it for tonight. I'm looking forward to tomorrow! In the words of the great Joe Namath, "I can't wait till tomorrow, because I get better looking every day!"  Night, night, Sweeties!!

Day 9

Welcome to Sunday, or depending on when you're reading, farewell Sunday. I love Sunday! Sunday is 'family' day. For me, everyday is family day, but that's because I love my family! So, first let me say that I'm being quite unconventional today, but I'm having a good time, so no matter. I'll take you through the food first so that you can FINALLY see a My Fit Food meal, since I FINALLY took pictures.

Breakfast was the unconventional part. I ate at about 9am, which by the way, seems like a good time for me to eat breakfast. I decided to have the My Fit Foods Blazin' Cajun Shrimp! This was FANTASTIC!  It is getting the Nancy food rating of:

Remember, 4 faces means 'I could eat this every day!' The plate was beautiful (sorry, I was so hungry I forgot to take a picture, RATS!!). There was a skewer of medium shrimp on top of flavorful turkey dirty rice with two nice asparagus and two lemon wedges. So colorful and eye appealing. Tack on to that the fact that it tasted GREAT; really spicy; it's a WINNER!!

For lunch, I finally took pictures. I decided since today is my cheat meal for supper, I would keep it light at lunch and stay on the 'fish' theme. The meal I chose is the Salmon Roasted Vegetable Dinner. I would rate this one:

Here are some pictures:

The reason I give this 2 Nancy Faces, is because it was okay, but not great. Taste was good and it was very filling, but not exciting. I think the shrimp is the seafood winner so far.

This was also 'cheat meal' day and that means I had a burger for supper tonight:

Can you tell that my burger and fries (yes, I ate all but one little piece of the fries) were from Whataburger? Uh huh, it was tasty, but I'm so stuffed, I don't think I want to do the cheat meal every single week. Frankly, I'm enjoying the My Fit Foods so much I don't see a reason to really cheat. I talked with my husband about splitting a burger and he's all for doing that, but honestly, I think I'll leave the burgers to the boys and only have a cheat meal when I really want one. I reserve the right to have a 'cheat meal' any Sunday, but I really don't want one every Sunday.

So, I'm DYING to write a list, so here is my list for the day:

Top 10 Reasons to Use My Fit Foods to Feed Myself

1. They have a great selection.
2. The meals are really tasty!
3. They are portion controlled.  (This is a BIG deal as I can eat VOLUMES of food!)
4. I can choose between small, medium or large portions, which gives me some flexibility.
5. These meals are made out of REAL FOOD!!!!
6. Each meal is a healthy combination of protein, carbohydrates and fats.
7. They seem to be low in sodium.
8. There is a HUGE selection of meals to choose from!
9. My Fit Foods is easily accessible in my area at several locations, including grocery store kiosks.
10. I DIDN'T HAVE TO PREP IT, PLAN IT, OR COOK IT!!!!!!!

I have lost more than 100 lbs. in my life, 2 other times. The first time I was on Opti-fast, which was very bad for me and caused all kinds of problems. I won't go into that story, but it was BAD...really BAD. The second time, I counted calories, but I never really got over the portions issue and when push came to shove, life got hard or I was pinched for what to eat I just ate whatever. Yes, because I'm lame. With My Fit Foods, I can have things that are really tasty and healthy in the fridge ready to go and if I'm out, guess what? They are right around the corner and I can pick-up what I want, just like at a fast-food place! NO EXCUSES NOW! So, I may have to eat My Fit Foods for the rest of my life, and you know what else? Yea!! They can cook for me forever if it keeps me healthy and fit. I may have to walk into the store, open my purse and say, "Take whatever you want, as long as I get to leave with all my meals prepared for me!" It may sound crazy, but this is me we're talking about and I think I deserve the best for myself. I think this is the best option for me. Yes, I may still prepare something now and then for myself, but you know what, I don't really think I will. Cooking as always been something I was good at, but it's really bad for me to do it, because I have NO WILLPOWER when it comes to good food. I want to eat...love to chew...love to taste...Yes, I'm LAME! Stupid!! Whatever you want to call me, I'm probably that, but I'm also, GREAT!!!!!!!

That's the extent of damage that I did to Sunday. Besides getting ready for the work week, I think I'll give myself a little spa night from 8-10pm! Until tomorrow, sleep well, Sweeties!!

Day 8

Hello, Sweeties!! A new day and a new week for me to tear up!!! I was a slow riser this morning and so had to grocery shop with all the other late Saturday risers. What a mad house! But I did do something I've been wanting to do for over a week now. I bought meals from My Fit Foods, to cover my next three days, instead of the items I put on the list last night. I'll include information about how these worked as I blog along over the next few days.

I at my first My Fit Food meal for lunch after the grocery store. Unfortunately, I was so hungry (not having had any breakfast this morning) that I failed to take a picture of it. That's okay, because My Fit Foods can be found at myfitfoods.com and you can see a picture of what I had there! So, my very first meal was the Texas Fit BBQ. I must say that it was delicious! With My Fit Foods, you can choose small, medium or large portions. I selected the small, because I wanted to see if the small one would fill me up. Take into consideration that I was really hungry, having had no breakfast when I ate the meal for my lunch today, at the end of the meal, I was satisfied and I would go even further and say, full. So, I'm preparing a rating scale for the My Fit Foods.  I'll be using my little drawing of myself as the scale. Here is the key to the rating system:  1 icon=okay; 2=average; 3=great!; 4=I want this every day!! Here is the icon:

So, the Texas Fit BBQ (small portion) I had today for lunch would rate as:  

Next time, I'll have a picture of the meal for you!

Last week I promised benchmarking pictures of me. This has got to be one of the hardest things I'll do in the blog; provide pictures of myself. As time goes by, it should get easier, but for now, please know that I didn't like taking or looking at these images. If nothing else, they do help me stay on track, because it is SO BAD right now. Here is my benchmark (I'm weighing in at about 280 lbs. here):

Yep, this is me. The plan is to get me to what I call, "I can think weight," which is about 100 lbs. less. Once I'm at 180 lbs. I will start the next phase, which is the fight, and I do mean FIGHT, to get another 30 lbs off me. at 150 lbs. (and by that time 55 years old) I'll be satisfied...I think...but maybe not. I know how I want to feel and look and I won't really be happy until I'm there.  Whenever that is and however long it takes to get there, I don't want to forget what it felt like and looked like being here. I'm so ashamed of myself! However did I let this happen? Thinking! That's my problem.  I think stupid things (see my "Out of Control" blog posting from July 12, 2013) all the time! To put it simply, I make s**t up, all the time, that simply is NOT true! Yet, I lamely go along believing it. What a mess I can be! But thankfully, I'm wise to my stupid thinking and I'm going to do things this time to stop that madness. 

I'm ready for a bit of rest and fun now. I'll take a walk today and see if I can help the sciatica thing go away. I do believe that losing weight has got to help. Thanks for checking in on me. Have a lovely Saturday, Sweeties!!

Day 7

Day 7, which means I've been focused on this properly for one week. That's 1/52 of the time where I will blog daily about the experience. A fraction of time, but so much work to do. Today was an odd eating day. I can't say I was actually hungry, but I ate what I wanted. Here is what I ate:

Breakfast - Leftover vegetable/beef hash and two pieces of toast

Snack - Half of a 130 calorie package of Pistachio Nuts

Lunch - Egg Salad Sandwich w/10 chips and a caffein-free Diet Coke

Snack - Handfull of Cheese Nips

Dinner - 2 pieces of pork BBQ Jerky and a 160 calorie cheese sandwich

The only reason I know the calorie count of the nuts is because I looked at the package and the Cheese Sandwich is something I eat a lot of, so I know the calorie count by heart.

One thing I have realized is that I have got to get the sugar out from everywhere I find it. The granola bars are gone. I've given them away to people at work who looked hungry. I'll use Stevia to sweeten tea and such, but no other sweetener, if I can avoid it. I think it's better for me that way. Fruit tastes miles sweeter with the sugar out of my system. Also, I can tell I'm not as hungry as it has been.

I've been working on my grocery list for the week. A few things that I will be purchasing regularly are:

Zucchini Squash

Yellow Squash

Spaghetti Squash

Broccoli

Cauliflower

Red Peppers

Grape Tomatoes

I have a thing for squash at the moment. I also am enjoying a combination of vegetables and lean meat, chicken or fish cooked together like a 'hash'. It probably doesn't sound appetizing, but really it's great! Easy to prepare and tastes delicious. My latest combination was onions, celery and cauliflower, cooked with extra lean ground been. Then add a small amount of of low-fat cheese to melt and hold things together and add a little zip to the taste. I sprinkled it with a garlic herb mix and a little salt and pepper. Delicious. I'm a big fan of one-pot meals. I make a mean skillet pasta dish, but pasta is not a favorite of mine. If I'm having spaghetti, it will probably be squash!

I'm looking forward to the weekend and yes, I'll have my cheat meal on Sunday evening. Until Day 8, sleep well, my Sweeties!!

Day 6

What a great day! I may still be dealing with the effects of somewhat painful sciatic nerve pinch, but it was no less a great day. When it comes to the experience of a day, I am a firm believer that you get what you expect. I woke this morning with a great expectation of enjoyment and alas, I had just that!

Eating was a bit off today. I ate a larger breakfast than planned (I was trying to use something up and get it out of the house). I am changing my food purchase plan for next week. This will help me to not have to go through the experience I had this morning where I was faced with food that I either needed to eat or throw away. Throwing away food is just bad; really bad. I will avoid that at all costs, so I have to make sure these things are not in the house again. The rest of the meals and snacks were as planned. I'm still happy with the day. I'm not a machine, after all!

Against all temptation I have avoided, once again, the desire to take photographs of food. I will have to find something else to photograph for the blog. No telling what I'll come up with. I continue to work on a plan for exercise. I need that more than anything. Walking for now is good enough and gets me started.

Looking forward to the weekend. Until tomorrow, have a lovely evening, Sweeties!

Documenting Progress and Celebrating Success

The idea is to lose weight, increase energy and stamina and improve overall health. As I stated in an earlier blog there are several areas I'm specifically targeting: Eating, Exercise, Thinking, Skin and Teeth. Here is what I know so far:

1. Earlier this year I visited a Dermatologist. I have several skin conditions that are not nice, but they are now being treated appropriately and I can say I am definitely doing better in the skin department. I will never be 'cured' of my skin issues, but they are being properly treated now.
2. I have great teeth; strong and generally very healthy, but they aren't very white. I will be doing some whitening on my teeth later this year.
3. In the area of thinking I am consciously stopping my negative self-talk and working to think that I 'can' change instead of being defeated by I 'can't,' thinking. This will probably go on forever.
4. There will be a plan for exercise, but I'm still working on that. This is a most important area, along with #5.
5. Eating! What can I say? If eating were an Olympic event, I'd win GOLD for the US!! This is my first target. But the results of better eating habits and exercise are what I want to document along the way.

The scale is a very poor tool to use to document results. My body weight naturally fluctuates up to 5 lbs. in any given day! Plus, as I lose weight, I want to also build muscle. From reading I've learned that it is actually muscle that will improve my metabolism and help me keep my weight down forever. I've also learned that with less time investment each week doing strength training I will be able to lose faster and forever! That's for me!! The thing is, muscle weighs more than fat, so I can't use the scale to judge how well I've done. Yes, the scale will be helpful and I've weighed, but I won't weigh again until I believe I'm in my maintenance phase. Then I'll share what the actual numbers are, along with pictures to show the physical results.

So, what am I going to use to help me know I've been successful? Clothes! When I recently redecorated my closet I let go of a lot of clothes in smaller sizes, but I kept some. What I've done is broken the next year down into 6 progress segment (one every other month). Each segment is represented by a different clothing item or outfit that I will need to be able to fit into properly and wear. Here are the segments and the outfits I'll be working with:

1. September 2013- Black Dress (size 22/24)
2. November 2013- Jeans and Green Burn-Out top (size 20/22)
3. January 2014- Red Jacket (Size 20)
4. March 2014- Exercise Shorts/Skort and T-Shirt (Size 18/20)
5. May 2014- Work Polo Tops (there are two of these) and Jeans (Size 18)
6. July 2014- Black Pants and Peplum Top (Size 16/18)

I realize that these clothing items don't mean a THING to you, but trust me, they will help me see how well I've done. My goal is to try on the outfit on the last day of the month stated and take a picture of myself in the outfit. In order to log success, I have to wear the outfit out! Here is how I will celebrate success:

1. September 2013 - Trip to the Chanel Store for a new lipstick.
2. November 2013 - Somebody has to take me out on a date!
3. January 2014 - Extra weekend visit with my sister!!
4. March 2014 - I get a weekend trip to the beach, like Ft. Lauderdale!!
5. May 2014 - A pair of cowboy boots!
6. July 2014 - I get an iPad Mini! (Oh, boy! I really want one of these!!)

So, I have to work hard and at each 2 month interval I'll measure my success by putting on the applicable clothing item and if it fits appropriately, then I wear it out. When that's done, then I get to celebrate. If I can't fit into the item, then I reschedule the segment for another date. That will make the other segments move forward. I'll update the plan if/when that happens. I'm motivated not to let that happen. I really don't want to have to come on this blog on Day 80 (September 30 - End of Segment 1) and tell you that I didn't reach my goal. I want to write a GREAT BIG celebration blog showing how I look in my Little (okay at size 22/24 still really BIG) Black Dress!

Yes, I will be taking pictures of what I look like right now...this weekend. I dread this, but it has to be done and posted so I can get on with making it all better. I'll also take pictures of each clothing item/outfit on the goal segment months. I tried to take some pictures now, but clothes with nobody in them don't photograph very well. :)

The changes I'm making now are lifestyle changes. These don't happen over night, but the weight will come off and I will sleep better, feel more energetic and healthy. All this plan is supposed to do is keep me focused and motivated. I want to get into these clothes and I want to feel better; like I did when I lost the weight before. Then, I NEVER want to forget what it took to feel good. As I've said before, "Nothing tastes better than losing this weight feels."  Good night, Sweeties!

Day 5

I'd love to say that something really interesting happened today, but it didn't. Average day with rain and work. I ate on target and felt good about what I did. You'll be happy to learn that I didn't take one food picture today! I must be improving. :)

I'm working on another blog entry concerning how I'm going to track progress and reward myself. As you know, I'm trying to make the process this time more fun. It is still hard work changing your habits, but having to do this all over again is so upsetting that I have to do something to keep myself motivated enough to do it one LAST time. The last time I took off all the weight I said I wouldn't gain it back again. I was wrong, so I won't say that this time. What I will say is that I know that THIS time the key will be making sure I have a forever plan. I don't know what that looks like, but my initial thoughts are that it's simple and gets dreamed up all along the way.

I'm reading up on exercise while I'm getting the eating under control. As you read in my Day 4 blog, I'm changing one habit at a time here. Eating is first since that is my BIGGEST problem. So far, so good. I love to read and am really finding some good, thought provoking information. I'll share as I get ready to build my plan for exercising this old body. Yes, of course there has to be a plan! My personal philosophy is, "Build your plan; work your plan." If you don't have a plan how are you going to know what to do? How will you know you have been successful?? How will you remember what it took to be successful??? Yes, I'm building a plan. The other delay for exercise is getting this sciatic nerve thing squared away. One day I'm good; the next day I'm in pain again. I have a positive attitude about it. I WILL conquer the pain!! It may never totally go away and if that is the case, then I'll just learn to live with it. I believe that every ounce that comes off of me has to help it feel better.

So that's it for the update. Thanks for checking up on me. Stick around! No telling what tomorrow will bring! Sweet dreams, Sweeties!!

Day 4

Life marches on! Day 4 has come and gone. I better stop quick or this is going to turn into the rhyming blog from he**!! This was a really good day. I had energy and made a few new realizations about my work to create a healthy lifestyle. Since there are a 'few' realizations, that means a LIST! Yep!! Here we go:

Top 10 Things I Discovered on Day 4

10.  Cake is still out there! (See, I thought for sure it was gone forever!!)

  9.  I can change one thing at a time and that won't break anyone's rules.  (I can be ME! Who knew!?!)

  8.  Eating healthy is not hard, just different. (I keep trying to make it hard!)

  7.  Getting more exercise starts with one step. (Again, I try to make things that are simple, hard.)

  6.  Healthy lifestyle people think about other things than food. (Wow! I want to do that!!)

  5.  Thin people do not think about food when they are full. (There is other stuff to think about?)

  4.  Thin people could care less about food. (This is just mind boggling to me!)

  3.  Thin people may not be healthy. (It's not about thin, but it is...does that make sense? Comments?)

  2.  I do not want to be defined by my body image. (Fat or thin...does it have to define me?)

  1.  I'm in charge of me and I get to decide...everything! (POWER!!)

Now that I've enjoyed the heaven that is writing a list, I'm ready to share more about the day's successes and failures. I ate pretty much according to plan. I skipped the afternoon snack successfully by being super busy. I really don't think the granola bars are a good choice for me. They are nice tasting, but really make me want more sweets. I had my planned breakfast this morning:

Scrambled Egg w/1 sausage cut in half and cheese on toast.  Yummy!!

That was nice. No break room Avante Market for me today! Yea!! A victory!!! Lunch was exactly as I had planned with the tacos, just like yesterday. Dinner was the leftover spaghetti squash, this time with rotisserie chicken I had in the freezer, combined with leftover pasta sauce:

All in all, a great day. I think I'll know I'm getting better about food when I stop feeling like I have to take a picture of every plate of food I eat. Somehow at the moment I think I have to do that. I'll just call it working on my camera technique...it could use some work! :)

During my lunch break today, I worked on an idea for a way for me to sort of know how well I'm doing and set personal goals for myself. I decided that the scale is out until the very end. I have weighed myself at the beginning, but I won't be sharing what the weight loss amount is until I feel like I'm in the maintenance phase of my journey. At that point I'll do a blog dedicated to just the numbers and such. Anyway, I decided that I would set my goals and judge my performance by clothes that I already own that I cannot currently wear. For instance. I have a little black dress that is size 22/24. I cannot really fit into this dress properly. It is my first goal clothing item. I will set 6 goal points (one every other month) and then work to be able to wear the goal item by the goal date. Each goal clothing item will be successively smaller in size. I think I have what I need to get me at least down to a size XL. Currently I'm a 26/28. I'm writing a blog dedicated to just this idea and hope to have it up within the next few days. I'll include in the blog how it will work and what will happen as I reach success. Part of what is important to me this time around is to actually make the process FUN! I hope you'll enjoy that blog when it comes out.

Anyway, that's what's what over here in what used to be 'Out-of-Control-Crazy-Land!' I'm feeling more in-control every day. I can't wait to see what tomorrow teaches me! until then, sleep well and have a lovely life, Sweeties!!

Day 3

Can we hear it for Day 3? Whoop, whoop!! Yep, this was a day, if ever there was one. Work was beautiful, as usual. Things are what you make of them, after all. Food wasn't bad. I'd love to say I stuck to the plan, but I dilly-dallied around this morning and had NO time to make my breakfast. So, I ate breakfast out of the Avanti Market in the break room at the office. (Cringe...) They have a product which is basically a sausage wrap that's about 450 calories. So, I had one. Extra 100 calories, but okay I wasn't hungry. Honestly, I have to stop doing that!

Lunch was what I had planned:  Bean and low-fat cheese tacos with cherry tomatoes and a piece of fruit (a peach).  I loved the lunch!  Was easy to prep, ready to pack in a jiffy and it was delicious. I added some Chalula Sauce to spice it up.

I ate my afternoon snack today and it was good, but sweet things make me want more sweets. Here's the snack that may have to be replaced in future days:

Really tasty but makes me crave more sugar. Right after eating it I found myself thinking, "You know, there is other GREAT stuff back there in the break room!" Then I had to tell myself to get a grip and stop being stupid. I opened an email and solved another problem which got me over the hump, but I don't want to have to be fighting the urge to raid the break room every day at 4pm!! We'll see what tomorrow brings.

Dinner was as I planned with an added twist of leftover mushrooms and asparagus. I microwaved the spaghetti squash and topped it with a half cup of bottled sauce, added a couple of spoonfuls of leftover sautéed mushrooms and 8 of the shrimps I made on Saturday (I froze the leftovers and popped them into the sauce).  I had a few of the asparagus leftover and added them to the bowl.  Here is what it looked like (right before I ate it up!!):

The sauce I used is a puttanesca variety with the black olives and capers...yummy!  You can see the yellow squash under the shrimp, mushrooms and sauce. It really was delicious. Leftover vegetables are always welcome on my plate. I'm trying to have as many veggies and fruits as I can.

I'm still fighting the sciatic nerve thing, but it is better. The more I move the better it is. Last night I stretched by doing a pedicure. When you are a big girl, like I currently am, it can be a challenge to do your toes! My finger and toe nails are actually kind of on the small side, so nail art is really only possible on my big toes so I painted them a neon pink by Sinful Colors called 24/7 and then painted a white daisy with a purple center on each big toe. The photograph doesn't do the pink justice:

Freshly pedicured, happy feet!

Post painting...the lighting in my bathroom made the color UGLY! Trust me, it's bright!!!

 So, that's what I've been up to on day 3. I must say that the blog is helping me keep focused and it also helped me have somewhere to go and something to do after dinner. Believe it or not, right after eating that great big bowl of squash, sauce, veggies and shrimp, what did I think..."I wonder what else is in the fridge?" I couldn't believe by stupid brain. I had to mentally say to myself, "You are NOT hungry! Go write your blog...dam-it!!" Rescued by a writing project. Only in my world! See you on day 4, Sweeties!!

Day 2

Hello! As I start this posting it is a bright, shining Sunday and I've been up since 7:30am. That is sleeping late for me! Usually my day starts at either 4 or 6am. It really depends on when my meetings start on any given business day, whether I'm traveling or not and what is on my plate for the day. Today, I have laundry and fun on my plate so sleeping late is okie-dokie! I'll write on this blog throughout the day and post it after I've eaten dinner tonight. So, in a way, this will be a kind of 'day-in-the-life' blog post.

I had the oatmeal breakfast I've planned for the upcoming week and to be honest, I think I have to change the plan. Although I love oatmeal, I think I need to have food in the morning that isn't sweet and I like my oatmeal a bit sweet.  Also, I was disappointed at the lettuce at the HEB yesterday, so I have no salad for my supper for the next few days. So, I'm modifying the plan for Monday-Wednesday to the following (I added calories and about what time I'm going to eat these, but don't get used to it!):

• Breakfast @7am - A scrambled egg sandwich topped with low-fat cheese, a little mayo and one link sausage (This is about 350 calories).
• Snack @10am - 1, 6 oz. Fage Fat-Free Greek Yogurt (140 calories)
• Lunch @1pm - Two bean and cheese tacos w/some kind of salad or vegetable and a piece of fruit (420 calories).
• Snack @4pm - 1 granola bar pack (180 calories)
• Dinner @7pm - Spaghetti squash topped with shrimp and sauce; a piece of fruit (242 calories)
• Snack @I-Don't-Know pm - Smoothy (240 calories)
• Total calories=1572 (w/out the smoothy=1332!  Not bad!!)

Last night (day 1) I didn't need the smoothy, so I'm hoping that continues. The fact that the smoothy has to be made might deter me a bit, since I can get where I run out of time in the evenings. When I have stuff that has to be done and need to get to bed, I don't even think about food! Weird, but true!! I like the yogurt and granola bar snacks, mainly because they are easy and again, portion controlled. The tacos were easy to pre-prep and the 6 tacos that I'll need for my lunch Monday-Wednesday are already prepared and in the frig! The salad will be an issue.  I don't see a problem with the spaghetti squash as that cooks in the microwave really quickly and the sauce is jared and the shrimp are prepped and in the freezer.  I will add 8 shrimp to each meal.

Today is my free meal day, but I'm sticking to plan except for dinner. I want my free meal to be dinner tonight. I haven't decided what I want, but I know that I don't want to prepare the meal myself; I want something different...I think...I don't know yet. As the blog moves along I'll figure it out.

I got a snapshot of my snack that I'm eating while I'm writing this. Although it is almost noon, I'm having my snack instead of lunch. I'm not sure I'll need a full 'lunch' today since I really do want something special for dinner...just don't know what...hmmm..... While I'm thinking about that, here is my morning snack:

One thing that I've been thinking about is using a food service for my meals for awhile. There is a local company called My Fit Foods (myfitfoods.com) that I'm considering using for a few days to see first, if I like the foods and secondly if the cost fits into my budget.  It isn't cheap, but if you check out their website you'll see that everyone who eats just My Fit Foods, loses weight and has more energy.  Well, that's what I want, so maybe it is what I should do.  I don't know yet. I'm still researching. Since there are My Fit Foods kiosks in my local grocery stores, I may just go in and buy foods for one day to check it out and see what I think. I'll blog about it when I do it. It will definitely be after Wednesday of this week!

Okay, so much for the 'I might not eat lunch today' idea! My husband made me a picnic of one of my favorite foods (to get it out of the house), which is HOT DOGS!!  Yummy!!  Here is my little picnic eaten on the front porch, true picnic style!!  The Real Ale Hans' Pils beer is his!!

These are my favorite Nathan's Hot Dogs on HEB buns with HEB 2% Sharp Cheddar, Whataburger Mustard (our grocery store now carries this mustard and it's GREAT) and Best Maid Pickle Relish. I added a small serving of Tostitos and some black tea in my official Starbucks tumbler.  It was DELICIOUS!! Yes, okay, this should be my cheat meal, but it isn't. This is a 'get it out of the house' meal. There may be some more of this in my future. I don't think the boys are going to get any more hot dogs as I don't think I can buy them and not eat them. Hot Dogs may become my official cheat meal, but only time will tell. We're only on Day 2, you know!!

I've decided that my official cheat meal this week is a P. Terry's Hamburger Stand, Burger and Fries! I ordered the Chicken Burger and fries.  Here is what it looked like:

We again ate the meal picnic style, as a nice cool front came through and made it a real nice evening for eating alfresco.  I don't know the calorie count, but the chicken burger has to be less calories than the double burger the boys had!  Fries aren't my favorite kind of potato, but I had some anyway. Great cheat meal for the week. I can honestly say that I'm ready for what the next week will bring. For now, I'm off to fold laundry, give myself a pedicure, clean my make-up brushes and get ready for bed. When next you hear from me it will be Day 3 and I'm ready for it to give me all its got! See you later, Sweeties!

Day 1 of 365, to a Better ME!

Today is day 1 of 365, where I focus on exchanging my life for a more healthy variety; one that I truly desire. There are 5 areas where I want to improve: eating, exercise, thinking, skin and teeth. As you have read, I have allowed myself to go back to old habits and if I do not change them, they will deprive me of my life. Yes, I've done this before and was stupid enough to go back to old ways of eating and not exercising. I know that this time I have to change my thinking in order to make the improvements stick, for good. At the same time, I want to improve health and appearance of my skin and teeth. So, here goes!

One of the things I know will help me stay away from extra food is to blog daily. There could be reasons why a blog isn't published on a day, but with good planning it will be fine. Writing will occupy me sufficiently and give my hands something to do. Also, I've learned that I cannot watch 'food' videos. I used to watch cooking shows on PBS and loved watching videos on YouTube, but these just make me hungry and crave whatever is being cooked in the video. Put on top of that the fact that I really love food and like to cook and it's like personal sabotage to continue watching this programing. So they go!

I promise to share pictures of what I'm eating, what exercise I'm doing or whatever will help me share what I'm doing to improve. Here is what I had for dinner tonight:

I love shrimp and it is an excellent source of protein for a person who wants to lose weight. 

It was hard to do this the last time around and I'm scared that it will be even harder this time. It's better for me to admit that I'm scared. That way I can face my task head on, without being encumbered by my own stupid thinking. Remember, I have to change my thinking!

The next step is to start exercising. This will be walking in the beginning. I have a treadmill, which will help since the temperature here is over 100 degrees daily this time of the year. The only problem at the moment is my hip/lower back. When my sister visited me last week, I made a little mistake and thought I was suddenly 16 again.  The two of us were dancing around the bedroom to a really great song and somehow I did something to what is probably my sciatic nerve.  Now I have excruciating pain in my left hip that radiates down my leg into my calf.  In the prone position I'm fine. Sitting down, I'm pretty good, but when I try to stand up...YEOWWWWW!!  It's very painful.  For now, I'm doing stretches.  I know that actually cardio will help me more than anything, but I won't try that until after the weekend.  If I had kept up with my exercise and not put the weight back on I probably wouldn't have injured myself wiggling around the bedroom!  See!  STUPID!!!

Okay, so for day one it wasn't bad.  My breakfast/snack was all in one and was a piece of Banana Walnut Bread from Starbucks and some Black Tea (okay, not great, but not too horrible either...at least it was portion controlled!).  Lunch was two, bean and low-fat cheese tacos with cucumber, tomato and onion salad.  A snack at about 4pm was an orange and dinner was as you see above:  Mushrooms, Asparagus and Shrimp.  Oh, wait a minute!  My husband brought me an ice cream cone at about 1pm.  I almost forgot eating that!  See!!  I didn't even think about it.  I took it and ate it...like I was on auto-pilot or something.  STUPID!!!  For a first day, not bad and tomorrow will be better.  The food is my greatest challenge so don't be surprised when I'm focused on it.  Next, exercise!  I know I'll have a good plan worked out in no time.  Thanks for stopping by and checking in on me. I can't wait for day 2 with the hopes that I'll be less and less STUPID as time goes by!!  Good night, Sweeties!!