~ 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!

Our SECOND week

We've been eating better and on TSFL plan for 2 weeks now. We are in the fat burning stage and I lost 5 pounds this week, and my husband lost 6 pounds! That brings us both to an even 14 pounds lost each!! No one can really tell I've lost 14 pounds yet but I can FEEL a difference! It's not a major difference but it's little things like:

* my back doesn't hurt as bad when I'm bending over

* I seem to be slightly more flexible in moving my body around

* my watch band doesn't seem as tight on my wrist

* I feel a little less tired.

I still have a long way to go but this is an awesome start!!

For snacks, I've found that I like to make "Knox Blox" which are firm squares of sugar free jello. I just have several little blocks of those and savor them in my mouth and it's a yummy treat in between a meal.

I am learning that I was eating WAY TOO BIG of portions before. I had conditioned my body and my stomach to think it needed more food than it does. Now, I am having to re-teach myself that smaller, healthy portions are good and I'm not going to starve.

You really have to be ready to make a change like this. You have to prepare your mind that you are going to do it! Our doctor suggested a good book for us to read and it has been really helpful. It's about preparing your mind before you even start a change (any diet change) and if you follow it, your lifestyle and eating change will be permanent. It's called The Beck Diet Solution and I would highly recommend it for anyone who is planning to make a diet change in their life (especially to lose weight!)

Here was my L&G meal tonight. So good!

I had this pre-cooked chicken burger from Costco,

1 cup of lettuce, 1/2 cup cucumbers, and a small tomato -

with Walden Farms Itallian dressing (sugar free, fat free,

and calorie free!)

I am all for QUICK - and these chicken burgers from

Costco taste great and we just heat them up on the skillet!

And look at that: Only 3 carbs & 140 calories per patty!

These patties come in the refrigerated section (not frozen). YUM!