WEEK 7!!

This week I lost 2 lbs for a total of 32 pounds lost!

My hubby lost 5 lbs for a total of 37 pounds lost!

Things I've Noted:

1. When I start to lose energy it can happen fast - so that's when I know I need to eat again quick!

2. Lack of sleep makes me get tired faster in between meals! I need my sleep!

3. My husband doesn't really snore so much anymore! (The nights are so much quieter)

I am feeling Good! I was talking to a friend this week who previously ran a 10K event last year. She asked me if I wanted to run it with her next year. I thought to myself "You know, I totally could do that!" I will have lost all my weight before then and I could train... why not??

[I am NOT a runner and have never liked running but I like the idea of having a goal to work towards. You see, I've been so big, I haven't even RUN or JOGGED in YEARS!! It's so hard on my knees and huge flapping tummy, not to mention that I've just not been in any kind of shape to do it.]

But as of right now, I'm over 30 pounds lighter and still losing... so I feel excited about having a goal like that. And I would love to run an event with a friend!!! I even asked my hubby and kids if they wanted to have a goal to run it with me. (no big responses yet... :)

We went to the tulip festival yesterday. We didn't get tired walking around but we did need to take our small meal break and drink lots of water. Oh, but it was beautiful! Here we are looking out over part of the flower field.

Overall, we are having many positive changes in our lives. We are enjoying life more than just surviving it... even though we still have some huge trials.

My Mantra for this week: Remember the JOY in the JOURNEY!

Can you say THIRTY?

So we weighed in yesterday and I lost 5 pounds

and my babe lost 4 pounds!!!

That brings my total weight loss to 30 pounds!!

Saweet!

Then, last night, our friends took us out to eat at Applebees. This is the FIRST time we have eaten food from any kind of restaurant since we started this change. I asked for their nutrition information which showed all the calories, carbs, fat & sodium of all their entrees. I ordered the "Weight Watchers Steak and Portobellos" dish. (330 calories, 3 fat, 38 carbs) It was perfect for my L&G with a 4 oz. steak and veggies. Oh... and it was SO good. I was expecting white mushrooms but they were darker and cut lengthwise so they almost looked like slugs! I quickly got that thought out of my head, though and truly enjoyed every bite! I had them not include the potatoes and just put on more broccoli.

My hubby ordered the "Asian Crunch Salad" (490 calories, 1 fat, 57 carbs) and ate only 2/3 of it. He enjoyed it and brought the rest home in a box.

It was so fun to get out and wonderful to be with friends.

I honestly don't feel like I look any thinner!! It kind of bugs me. Although... I got a new Cricut Expressions machine before my Utah trip and finally opened it and tried it out tonight. I had my daughter take my picture. When I looked at the pictures - for the first time I actually didn't cringe.

Maybe it's the angle, but I think my face does look a tad bit thinner. :)

Stud Man!!

Our weigh-in for the week is tomorrow but I had to take a picture of my man this morning before he left for work. When we started this lifestyle change, he wore a size 4X shirt. Today, he tried on this 2X shirt and it fits!!! BOOYA~ He's looking so good!

And Looky what else fits.... HIS WEDDING RING! He hasn't worn that for YEARS because it's been too tight on him. I am so happy for him. :)

This week, in honor of St. Patrick's day, I made LIME-COCONUT knox blox. I am not a fan of lime, so adding the coconut flavoring gave it a scrumptious twist. Yum!

This week I also cooked up some very lean ground beef mixed with some lean ground turkey and added some taco seasonings. My husband prefers hamburger to turkey so if I mix the two, he enjoys it better than just the ground turkey. Instead of just putting the meat on top of a lettuce leaf, I chopped up the lettuce & tomatoes & peppers very small and then mixed it all in. I loved eating it this way. I also added (not pictured) a couple tablespoons of salsa (watching the carbs, of course) for a delicious kick. I did the same dish for my hubby, but I only did 4 ounces of meat and added some CHEESE. I wanted all my 6 ounces of meat so I didn't add cheese to mine but that would have been delish too!

It's been a hard week for me, not physically or with eating the right foods - on that account I have NOT WAVERED one BIT - but just with my emotions and feeling down. I know the Adversary is trying to get me to slip back into my old ways of self-loathing and feeling sorrow for the past... BUT I also know the Lord is there uplifting me and showing me the way. I know I have to refuse to believe and dwell on the negative thoughts and turn to Him, even daily and sometimes hourly! I have to do my part. Whenever you are making positive changes in your life, you will always feel opposition! I guess when we stop feeling opposition is when we really should worry!!

Mantra for this week:

"I can do ALL THINGS through CHRIST which STRENGTHENETH me"

(Philippians 4:13)

Down...

I'm feeling a little down today. I'm not losing weight as fast as I'd like too, and I tried on a blouse today and still didn't like the way it fit. I've got such a big tummy to lose! I started a temp job at my son's high school again in a class w/ disabled students. Although the teacher likes me, I'm working with other aids that I feel do not like me and have complained about me. I always greet them cheerfully and try to be a positive uplift there (since everyone seems to hate their job) yet I am feeling a lack of friends again. Then my old friend issue comes into mind which is too heartbreaking for me to even think about.

I know I need to buck up but right now I wish I could crawl back into bed and cry myself to sleep... I'm not feeling very uplifting to anyone today. I'm sure I'll be better another day.

~ Feeling ALIVE after WEEK 5 ~

We have reached the end of our 5th week and here are the results:

Me - 4 pounds lighter; total loss now = 25 lbs

Hubby - 6 pounds lighter; total loss now = 28 lbs

This is so encouraging to us!!! When I pass the 30 pounds loss mark, it will physically manifest more weight than I've lost on all my other diet changes! So that will be another milestone for me. My hubby is feeling so much better. He said he would like to write his own feelings for me to post on here... so I will when he writes them down for me.

Because I am so big to begin with, I often still feel so huge and homely - BUT - at the same time I also talk to my husband and plan like I am already a thinner person - because that is where I am headed.

Here are a couple Lean and Greens from this last week:

First, I made SHRIMP for the first time on this plan!! This is the pre-cooked frozen shrimp from Costo. I just defrosted it and then steamed up some asparagus (my second time making this vegetable). I cooked the shrimp over the stove with some of my favorite sauce I use for salmon: Jakes's Orange Mango barbeque glaze. Then I also drizzled some over the asparagus as well. So delicious! I am anxious to try other ways in making shrimp too, because I loved being able to have 7 ounces of it!

Doesn't that look so good?

I also made this chicken salad. This is chicken is also from costco, "Sweet carmelized onion chicken burgers" that I posted below in a previous entry. I just warmed up the chicken burger on the stove and then cut it up into smaller chunks and put them on a bed of lettuce, cucumber and tomoto. I used this "Bolthouse" ranch dressing which has less fat/calories due to being made from yogurt. SO good! (my coach told me about the Bolthouse dressings).

This was the best salad I tasted yet

Here it is with about 2 T. of dressing added.

I still have other L&G ideas I want to try... I'm cautious because that is my favorite meal of the day and I want to make sure it's one I'm going to love!

Craving Orange Chicken!

Right before I started my TSFL change, I was totally addicted to Panda Express and their Orange Chicken. So once I was on this, I tried making a baked orange chicken from a recipe I found on line where you use a can of diet orange soda. It didn't really satisfy me, though.

Last night, I tried something new for my lean and green. First, I had 1 cup of cucumbers with 1/2 cup of pepper and added some of the Walden Farms Sugar free/fat free/calorie free Italian dressing for my salad. Then I had 6 oz. of chicken breast strips and dunked them in this "Wok with me" Shanghai Orange sauce. It was a delicious new idea to try (thanks to my coach). The sauce was pretty good and had a tiny little kick - but not too much for me.

I will be adding this idea to my list of favorite meals!

Hitting a MILESTONE

We hit a MILESTONE for our WEEK 4.

I lost 3 pounds for a total of 21 pounds lost!

My hubby lost 5 pounds for a total of 22 pounds lost!

We both have reached the milestone of losing 20 pounds!! This is where I usually stop losing or end up slowly fizzling out of my lifestyle change, or cheating and rationalizing that I'm not... BUT NOT THIS TIME - I'm just getting started baby!

Today was awesome because my husband was able to wear a jacket that didn't fit him before. He's been wearing this fleece vest for a warmth the last two winters because he outgrew all his coats and jackets. He also commented to me that it's much easier to tie his shoes. He used to have to hold his breath and lunge for it with gusto even get to his laces. Makes me realize how much we can take for granted. I wore a skirt today and it did seem a little loser around the waist. Hmmm... I could get used to this. I feel much better than I have but I am anxious to feel more thinner and to see some more noticeable differences in my appearance.

("Patience..." I tell myself).

I LOVE that I have a coach who has a sincere interest in my success. This is the BEST program for me.

Here is one of my lean and greens this week. It's the pre-cooked beef strips from Costco with... (act surprised now) sauteed peppers and mushrooms! So yummy. No, those are NOT real olives, just part of the plates decorations.

Tonight we tried a totally new L&G. I browned a pound of lean ground turkey and added some taco seasoning (watching the carbs), and 1/2 cup of canned tomatoes and let it simmer. Then I portioned out about 4 ounces (instead of 6) and then I put it on a couple lettuce leafs like so.

Then I added 2 ounces of low fat CHEESE!!

(cheese counts as the rest of my protein)

Then I topped it with some tomatoes and peppers and VOILA!!

My hubby ate it with a fork but I rolled them up like tacos. They were SOOO good. I think we'll have this again tomorrow.

My message for this week is:

BE STRONG and think of the END RESULT!!

Week 3!!!

Week 3 Results are in:

Me - down 4 pounds!! (for a total of 18 pounds so far)

My hubby - down 3 pounds!! (for a total of 16 pounds so far)

This week was truly a testing week as I flew out to Utah for 6 days to be with my sister and nieces for a baby shower. My husband got work off to run the household while I was gone.

I got some great tips for traveling from my coach:

* Always carry some extra bars in your purse.

* Double bag your medifast meal packets

in zip lock baggies and keep in your

backpack for quick access.

* Bring more food than you think you'll need.

* Be sure and eat every 3 hours

as hunger can be murder on your will power.

Here was the test: There was food everywhere! Yummy salads, taco soup with chips, rice krispy squares covered in chocolate, cute little cupcakes, chocolate dipped strawberries, cookies, brownies, and on and on.

Here I am even helping dip the strawberries in chocolate with my niece. It was fun!

What helped me NOT feel deprived or tempt myself to eat this food off my plan?

First, I kept my meals going, sometimes it was every two hours, and Second, I focussed on my family and visiting and NOT on the food. I laughed, I took a ton a pictures, I enjoyed visiting and I wasn't hungry because I was eating my meals and drinking lots of water. I even made my yummy little "Knox Blox" jell-o squares and had them in little baggies and if I needed a little inbetween snack, I'd suck on those yummy squares and it was all good. My nieces loved them too and we ended up making a bunch for the rest of the family. I will put the recipe for knox blox on the side bar of this blog. They are so low calorie and much firmer than Jell-o jigglers!

I am realizing that losing weight is really first a MENTAL and EMOTIONAL challenge. I could not do this if my mind wasn't ready. And I am finally truly SO ready to shed my weight. I feel so determined that I won't let temptations for other foods tempt me off my momentum and kick me out of my fat-burning ketosis! That would be a waste of 3 days not to mention the cost of 3 days of medifast food. It's NOT worth it. And I'm not so deprived. I still get my chocolate fix, brownies, shakes and my delicious lean and greens. And I get to FEEL so MUCH BETTER!!!

My 18 pound loss isn't too noticable outwardly yet... but, my brother did notice and asked if I'd lost weight!! So he could tell and he hasn't seen me in a long time.

Here is my second lean and Green meal while in Utah. Surprise...it's salmon!! My sister had some of this for me to have instead of the taco soup, chips and pasta salad that everyone else had. I sauteed by favorite again (peppers and mushrooms) and I was in heaven!

I am also realizing how much the Lord is helping me and wants me to have success. Honestly, it will take time even after I lose all this weight to feel like I measure up in my worth to others and myself. I have been heavy for so long and felt worthless compared to others who were more thin and fit. Only someone who is or was obese really knows the discrimination you feel and all the aches & pains you have 24/7. So much of it is unspoken and unknown. Sometimes if feels like others have an attitude of "If you don't like it, then just lose weight!" But I know my Heavenly Father has compassion on me and knows my struggles and wants me to feel His love and know my true worth! He sees beyond my size and He sees the real me, and I want to see that again too, and I know I will.

About drinking lots of water: I am having to go to the bathroom all the time because I'm drinking so much water. Seriously, it's almost too ridiculous! I went 3 times while at a friends house for dinner, 3 times while I shopped at Wal-mart, twice during the night, once on the plane, twice before the plane, etc. etc. BUT, I'm thinking that as my weight comes off, the pressure on my bladder will lesson and it will hold more (I've always had a weak bladder!). AND drinking lots of water HELPS with the weight loss. So, I may have to go potty a lot, but that's just another sacrifice to get this weight OFF!!!