Week 19 Down!

Week 19 is celebrated with a 2 pound loss for me and a 1 pound loss for my man!

School got out last week, and we treated ourselves to a yummy family bbq. But before we could do that, the kids and I had to clear our back yard from from it's jungle theme to presentable.

BEFORE PICTURES:

(Okay, these are not really the before pics but the closest I could find ;)

AFTER PICTURES:

I normally am NOT a good landscaper, gardener, planter kind of person (anything living given to me usually dies) but we spent several HOURS out there and transformed that back yard and totally surprised my hubby when he got home. I was AMAZED that I could bend over and work for so long!!! In the past, I would not have lasted even 10 minutes! I even went out for another hour after lunch. I could actually enjoy this. There was a whole section of weeds half as tall as me, many overgrown bushes, and TONS of sticker weeds that pierced me through my gloves and towels... I have the pokes and scrapes all over my arms as souvenirs. But I got such a feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment, along with feeling SO SORE two days later. I was thinking of the song by Garth Brooks called "Friends in Low Places" and these new words to the chorus came to mind just today as I groaned from my upper leg and arm pains:

Cause I got aches in new places

Where I didn’t know

I could even move in such a way,

But I’ll be okay,

Now I may groan & moan & walk real stiff

Think I’ll slather on some ‘ol Ben Gay

Oh I got aches,

In new places!

We bbq'd some turkey sausage dogs, cheese hamberger patties (extra lean beef w/ low fat cheese chunks blended in), and Salmon. I used an AWESOME new recipe for the salmon you can find here.

This was really good salmon!!

We also had a watermelon fruit bowl filled with melon balls, cantaloupe balls & strawberries, fresh tossed salad, and homemade ice cream sandwiches made with choc. chip cookies. We were actually prepared for some guests to join us but alas, no one was available.

This week, I also tried a new Medifast meal: Melted Cheese Sandwich!

I mixed one Medifast soup packed (I used broccoli but you can use cream of chicken or tomato as well), with 1/4 t. baking powder, at little less of 1/4 cup egg beaters. After mixing, I poured onto a sprayed plate and microwaved it for 90 seconds.

I sliced it in half and toasted each half in the toaster.. watching it so that it doesn't burn.

Then I spread a wedge of Light Laughing Cow cheese on it and put the two slices together for my melted cheese sandwich! I made it again the next day with Cream of Chicken and Tomato soup and put 1/2 laughing cow cheese and 1/2 fat free cheddar cheese. My man and I loved them! They are a little dry, but yummy - and my hubby used some Walden Farms ketchup on his. (Note - the protein from this meal would need to be deducted from your lean and green.)

I also tried this Fettuccini Alfredo recipe using Shirataki (tofu) noodles.

I made it with chicken for my man and shrimp for myself.

Here is the Recipe:

7 ounces shrimp or 6 ounces cubed chicken

1 cup of Shirataki fettuccine noodles (rinse very well and boil for 3 minutes & rinse again)

2 T. fat free (or low fat) cream cheese

1 clove garlic, minced

1 T. parmesan cheese

1 t. fat free (or low fat) sour cream

Spray skillet w/ cooking spray & add shrimp (or chicken) & cook. Once shrimp turns pink, add garlic, cream cheese, parmesan & sour cream. Once the cream cheese is all melted, add the Shirataki Noodles and toss well. Cook for 5 minutes and serve.

This was good, but needed additional seasoning in my opinion. :)

Sam from Believe in Yourself gave a challenge to set a personal goal to meet by July 21st. I know it might set me up for disappointment but I would really LOVE to get UNDER 200 lbs by then!! (or at least by the end of July). That will be such a milestep for me and I would like to treat myself to something fun when I do reach that goal - maybe a gals night out, spa trip, ... anyone got any cool ideas?

Lastly - it has been a challenging week with opposition really hitting hard, especially with our teens. Could I possibly go in a coma until they grow out of this? My kids are good kids... it's just the contention that creeps in and we're trying to keep our home positive. It puts so much pressure on us as parents when we are tempted to be negative and down ourselves. So it really is a daily relying on the Lord and daily prayer that is sustaining us. And the Lord doesn't take away our trials or change people (drat!)... but He helps us endure longer and see the bigger picture.

Sometimes I really do feel like a wimp... because how I feel inside is so different from what I show on the outside. I feel so much more tender, sensitive, loving, sentimental, and vulnerable that I ever show. I am working on being my true self more... I've just been burned so horribly in the past, but I know that my Savior can heal EVERY heartache and sorrow and THATS how I can do it. Wow, is this ever the journey full of discouraging lows yet sprinkled with the most Amazing highs!

And now... His Own Words

(I have to say that his transformation has been so emotional for me because I was so worried about my husband and I knew if we kept on our same path... I would eventually lose him.) My man finished his "post" so here are his words about his journey:

I have been meaning to post an entry for a long time. I have had many things I have wanted to share; unfortunately I did not record my thoughts along the way. I will try to recall some of them at this time.

I remember being 300lbs and miserable. I was overweight, on antidepressant pills to help with my stress and anxiety and was not really living. I was going through the motions to get through each day. I was a mess. I was a poor of an excuse for a father and a very non supportive husband. I would wake up at 4:30-5:00 am every day and would not be able to go back to sleep. Rather than sit around and stress myself out, I would get ready and leave for work. I would sleep in my car until it was time to go in. I was not performing well at work and was worried about being let go. I did not think I could get another job or would have any other way to support my family. When work started my goal was to get to lunch. I would work hard until lunch and then go back to my car for a nap. This isolated me from the other coworkers. After lunch was crunch time. It is always very busy in the afternoon so it would go by quickly. My supervisor would often receive complaints from my clients. I was always behind in my work, sometimes months behind.

It was the highlight of my day to leave work and to come home. I could finally escape the stress of my life and the day. I would come home and eat and eat and eat. I sat in my big black leather recliner and either watch TV or play video games. I did this until around 10:30-11:00 pm and then would go straight to bed.

What a nightmare for my wife. She had to handle all of the evening duties with the children and with the house. This was a house hold with 5 children and one adult. This was my life, or lack of one. I was so concerned about me, me and me that my family was not receiving the attention and support it so desperately needed. Ok, that’s enough of the negative. I can't take it anymore. It's time to move forward. Part of this lifestyle change is forgetting the past. It's finally time to move forward!

When Margene told me about this weight management program I could not wait to start. There was something about it that I latched on to. I felt as if this program was a direct answer to so many prayers. I was ready to go, ready for a change. This program is only a tool and only a piece of the lifestyle change we were going to make. I had no idea at the time just how much my life would change. We needed to wait until we received our tax return to start. I asked my wife several times a week, "Can we start now?"

This was not going to be another diet. Another diet where my wife works tirelessly in the kitchen making tasteless and unsavory meals that we have to force ourselves to eat. No, this was going to be different. This was not going to be a diet. For me the word diet belongs within the same category as those other four letter words. This time I (We) were going to make a lifestyle change. The goal was not to just lose weight, but to change our lives. Change the way we think, the way we interact and react to each other.

The day finally came. We had the food and were ready to start. We weighed and measured every part of our bodies we could think of. I first noticed a change after about 3 to 4 days. I noticed that I was not getting as tired, that I had more energy. Shortly after that I started sleeping all night. My daily schedule completely changed. One Saturday I got up and… worked on things that needed to be done in our home. This was the most productive day I've had for as long as I can remember. I stopped snoring. My respiratory issues stopped. My aches and pains went away. My desire to escape into TV and Video games stopped. I sold my beautiful black leather recliner. My desires to get away from the pressures of the day are gone. I stopped taking my anti depressant pills. I started performing better at work. I started spending more time with my family. I started taking more responsibility for my family. I am a better husband to my wife and a better father to my children.

After about 2 months, I encountered a problem. I had lost so much weight that my clothes no longer fit. My pants were falling off, my shirts were baggy and even my shoes seemed too big. It was difficult shopping for clothes. I had no idea what size I should be looking for. To date my pant size has gone from a 50 to a 40. My shirt size has gone from 4x to Large. I can shop in normal stores. No more "big and large" clothes. There are so many options to choose from, I cannot make up my mind what I want. I started playing basketball. I am attempting to get with some people to start playing soccer. Something I have not done in over 25 years. I now have a bicycle. I cannot make up my mind on what sport to do. I want to do them all. I want to water ski, snow ski, go hiking, run track, run a marathon, Play basketball, football, baseball. I want to do them all.

I am so grateful for my wife. She is my life and my inspiration. She is my forever companion, my best friend and my lover. I have known her and been with her since the summer of 1984. I look forward to spending the rest of eternity with her. I Love you Margene.

December 2009

May 2010

W.I.D.T.H.

I got posted on Jack Fit's blog. I have gotten such a hoot out of reading his blog and I sent a pic in for the W.I.D.T.H. (Why I Do This Here) with a note card saying why I want to make this change. See it HERE. (I am the 9th pic down) I love looking at all the other WIDTH entries he has sprinkled in there. It really hits home to read everyone's responses... very motivational for me!

Week 18 ~ Time for Some NEW...

Weigh In this morning revealed a 2 pound loss for EACH of us for last week. That brings my total loss in 18 weeks to 64 pounds, and my mans total loss in 18 weeks is 70 pounds!! Together we have lost 134 pounds - the equivalent of one of our teenagers (actually, more than one of our teens).

It is time for some NEW UNDIES. I’ve been pulling up my big underwear clear up to my bra line and it still slips down. Seriously... it’s been ridiculous! So today, I finally broke down and went and bought a few pairs just so I can be more comfortable. I wanted to wait until I lost more but ya know, when you need it - you need it. I found that I now fit into undies that are 4 sizes smaller! Cool. Wow, and how good it feels to wear underclothes that fit, I tell ya!

On my travels today, I thought I’d stop by a clothes store again, you know - for fun! I saw a cute dress first off and tried on size 22 = too loose; then size 18 = a tad too snug; so size 20 was just right. I remember the dress I wore on the way to my wedding was a size 20. Let’s see, that was 21 years ago. BOOYA!

I’ve been wearing my size 28 skirt to church and using safety pins to keep it from falling off me. I found a cute jean skit on the clearance rack and tried it on... it fit. What size was it? Size 18!! I haven’t worn a size 18 since BEFORE I had my kids. This is all so awesome. But why do I still FEEL like I’m so huge? Because, I still am huge, really... just not AS huge. Drat! I really want to be TINY Tiny tiny! All in time, I suppose...

Some L&G’s I made this week: Chicken Tender kabobs (so I didn’t have to cut them as small) that I just broiled in my oven. Yum (Rosemary Ranch)

Spaghetti Squash with teriyaki glazed chicken. This sounded better and faster than trying to fry up some ground turkey to imitate a spaghetti dish. Spaghetti squash reminds me of sweet potatoes! Yum.

Smokehouse Maple broiled salmon and sautéed mushrooms. Very delish! I am a big lover of salmon.

Last night, the mister and I went to the gym again. This time we did some weight lifting and worked on our arms and chest muscles. I have such huge lose fat upper arms... how do I get rid of those? Then we went on the elliptical. That machine nearly licked me and I had to push my way through just to get 10 minutes in. At least that is double my last time but it just kills my legs. I guess I really need to build up my strength and endurance. Then we walked on the treadmill for a mile or so. I walk on about 3.2 speed; then, towards the end, I pushed it to 4.5 and tried a little run/jog. I could only do it for seconds.... less than a minute. It wasted me! I see people weighing more than me who are running 1/2 marathons and I wonder why can’t I run? I feel impatient with myself and I’m thinking it’s going to be long and grueling to get myself in shape not to mention to become a runner. It would be a huge MIRACLE if I ever was able to run a 1/2 marathon. I’d also love to bike, and we even bought one for me at a yard sale. I need to be in better shape and lose way more weight. I tell ya, the mountain before me still seems undaunting!! But I am still determined!

Getting on schedule

My man and I have finally decided on a weekly schedule to get more work out time in. With 3 teens and a 10 year old, life is SO busy! So we have 2 nights a week that we'll go to the gym together and other days where we'll do our own thing. Last night we went to the gym after the kids were in bed and I walked a mile and then tried the elliptical machine. I was able to be on it for 5 minutes. When I was bigger, I could only handle like 30 seconds max! I am excited to build up my endurance for that and to eventually be on that machine for a whole work out!

I threw this meal together the other day. I sauteed some cabbage, tomatoes, and mushrooms in cooking spray and sprinkled them with "Mrs. Dash tomato, basil, & garlic". Then I threw in some pre-cooked chicken and sauteed a little longer and voila! It was a scrumptious lean and green! I am attempting to try more kinds of veggies and cabbage is one of them.

Some fun things I've noticed:

1. I am starting to get a lap again!!!! (I didn't have to rest my hymn book on my belly at church!). I like this!

2. I don't have to sit down as often when I'm shopping or standing for a period of time! I have to get used to the fact that I don't always have to search for a place to sit!

3. When hugging my man, we can get so much closer without our huge bellies in the way. I have missed that so much! I love being inside his hug!

One other thing I am noticing too, is different pains in my body. I think that as weight comes off, my body has to adjust to the difference of pressures and I find some aches in new places. I used to get very bad lower back pain, but now I get pains in my shoulder blade area, and even in my elbow joints. Yet I am excited for all these changes. I love these positive changes in our bodies and in our lives. I feel SO blessed to finally be having some success with weight loss... it is so humbling and brings me to tears often when I ponder the positive affect it has on our lives and in how we feel.

Week 17 - PIZZA!!

Today marks the end of week 17 with our lifestyle change and I lost 1 pound last week while my guy lost 2 pounds. Okay, that was my slowest week ever on this plan.... BUT it's STILL GOOD! (My goal was to lose 4 pounds, so I'm trying not to feel dis-heartened - AND I drank water like a maniac last week - but it's still a loss so that's good).

I was doing some comparing with past pictures and this is what I came up with:

These are embarrassing pictures, I tell ya, and just looking at our faces, I KNOW how horrible we felt. But the pics from today look SO much better. I can even see that I have somewhat of a neck now! I missed that! We still have a ways to go and we are determined to get there.

Look at the Dec. 2009 of my man... he was so miserable and just trying to endure life at that time. I am SO thankful that he is feeling better now. He has had a dramatic change in his life with this and he is currently writing about his experience which I will post when he finishes. (It's taking him weeks to write this).

Last week, we tried a pizza recipe that I found first on "Break free from Obesity blog", and then again on "Escape From Obesity blog".

This is Cauliflower Pizza!!

The Crust is made from 1 cup of mashed cauliflower, 1/2 cup egg beaters, and 1/2 cup low fat shredded cheese. You spread it out on a pan or pie tin that is sprayed VERY GOOD with cooking spray and pop in the oven at 450 degrees for 15-20 min. until the edges are crisp and dark. The first batch I did, the pie tins were smaller so the "crust" was thicker. The next time I just spread it out on a cookie sheet.

After the crust is done, let it cool a little, then flip them over and dress your pizza. I used 1/4 cup peppers, 1/4 cup mushrooms, and 1/4 cup meatless crumbles. The second time, I added a few spoons of tomato sauce with itallian seasonings (which has less calories than using pizza sauce).

Then you sprinkle the top with another 1/2 cup low fat cheese and bake at 350 until cheese is all melted... about 5 minutes or so.

The picture below shows the finished pizzas (without any tomato sauce even). My 10 year old son tasted it and loved it and wanted us to make some for him. They were SOOO good!

A couple days later, I tried it again making my "crust" even thinner and using the tomato sauce as part of my veggie and it was the most delish L&G I've had SO far. I realize that I have to be VERY careful when portioning out the cheese and all the ingredients as going over here and there will really add up the calories on this meal.

So for Medifast eaters it goes like this:

Veggies = 1/4 cup green peppers, 1/4 cup mushrooms, 1 cup cauliflower (and possible few spoonfuls of tomato sauce w/Italian seasoning).

Lean meat = 1/2 cup Egg beaters, 1 cup low fat cheese, 1/4 cup meatless crumbles

My goals for this week are to get my body MOVING more. At the gym, going for walks, lifting weights, etc. I really need to get in a set routine. And I need to be careful not to get relaxed about adding extra calories in my L&G meals. My hubby told me that our meals seem to be getting bigger and bigger as I "guess" on measurements of the veggies. No more! They are good enough meals without needing to overstuff ourselves with them!

Sharing with my Family

This is me and my siblings in 1969 (Believe it or not, we all look a lot different today!) I am the baby of the family.

On memorial day, I sent this blog address to my siblings for the first time (I have 6 siblings & their spouses). I am finally ready to share our journey with them.

Growing up I felt that I was viewed in a negative way, so I hid my true, sensitive self behind a huge wall - even with my siblings, because I couldn't risk being hurt and that was my defense mechanism. It's not that my siblings & their spouses are mean, they are actually outstanding people! It's just that I am so sensitive - more than they know - and I've worked so hard to overcome and not let negative things bring me down.

I appreciate SO MUCH the positive support I've received from my siblings so far. It is very healing for me. I would rather be viewed as the real me and not as a negative image of past events. This is another strength in helping me put the past behind me like I talked about in a previous post called "Sunday Musings".

Last night, my man went with our girls to an activity (I sent his L&G meal with him) so I was home with my boys and we all ate a Lean and Green meal: Teriyaki Chicken and veggies. SO good. I always feel so satisfied after my L&G meals.

My NEW TOTALLY FAVORITE TREAT (medifast meal) right now is: Peanut Butter balls.

I use 6 packets of my Medifast hot cocoa, mixed with 6 heaping T. of PB2 (powdered Peanut butter than is WAY low in calories and fat), and then 4 oz. sugar free Peanut Butter Syrup and 4 oz. water. I mix it all up and form them into 24 balls and freeze them. Then I put them in baggies - 4 balls a bag - each bag representing 1 medifast meal and I keep them in the fridge. I have at least one of these meals a day and I savor every little bite. They are SO good, especially being a fan of peanut butter and chocolate!

I am very motivated to NOT eat off plan and ruin my momentum. I have NEVER in my life lost weight like this and it is so exciting to see myself get thinner!!! I've never lost more than 20 pounds! Sometimes when I look in the mirror, I don't recognize that person! But it's me!

Where I do struggle is in feeling alone and longing for a good friend I can call and talk to. Someone who knows me and will laugh and cry with me (and vice versa). I wish I had a best friend (girlfriend) who valued me in return and enjoyed spending time with me (and not just vice versa) - that is the greatest longing of my heart and my biggest heartache. I am grateful that my man is my best friend and he has always been there for me. He may not 'get' all my emotions but he loves me. And he's getting skinnier with me... how cool is that?

Beautiful Blogger Award

I got my first award!! Thanks to Diane from "It's Time"!!

The rules that go along with this award are as follows:

1. Give this award to 7 bloggers.

2. Share 7 things about myself you do not know.

I would like to give this award to the following in random order:

1. Lynn - I don't know if you have a blog but you've been a great blog supporter, thank you!

2. Lindsay @ Healthy Stride

3. Jennifer @ Weight Loss Journey - Our Medifast Blog

4. Cara @ Cara's Weight Loss Journal

5. MaryFran @ A New Start - Losing Weight

6. Juli @ Juli's Journey

7. Heidi @ Believing In Me and Breaking Free

7 Things about me you don't know:

1. I've been a DJ for dances since I was 14. (Family Business) - and we're doing it again!

2. Both my husband and I are the youngest of large families (we pretend to be mature).

3. I have a bad habit of cracking my knuckles (since 2nd grade)

4. When I was young, my family raised and bred dachsunds - my favorite kind of dog!

5. 2 of my kids have Autism, and 1 of my kids has ADD (young motherhood was interesting)

6. I am a picture taker nut! I love taking pics of family & friends - I'm on my 6th digital camera!

7. I am a big fan of Little House on the Prairie. I loved Albert and even got a signed picture!

Week 16!!

Weigh in this morning showed me having lost 5 pounds, and my man lost 6 pounds! WOW!! I have lost 61 pounds so far! My man has lost 66 pounds! We thought we had a slow week (too much checking the scales), BUT we both made efforts to drink LOTS of water and were pleasantly surprised this morning!

We checked our BMI today. My STARTING BMI was 49.6 and today it's at 38.8. My man's STARTING BMI was 41.8 and today it's at 31.7. He is so close to getting under 30 BMI and then he will be officially downgraded from "Obese fat" to just "fat". My man is more than 1/2 way to his goal!!!

I have a new Favorite Snack/Meal this week. I had ordered some powdered peanut butter (PB2) from Bell Plantation and it's been on backorder for like 2 months, but it came last week! I LOVE PB2!! For 2 T of Peanut Butter, it's only 45 calories and 1.5 g. fat. Compare that to normal pb which is more like 200 calories! And it tastes great and doesn't have the preservatives and hydrogenated oils as even the low fat pb do. I am SOLD!

I have the chocolate kind too and I LOVE to dip my medifast pretzels in the chocolate PB2. I've also mixed it with the Medifast hot cocoa and formed peanut butter cup balls! Love 'em! I need to order more of this stuff immediately!

This week I made an egg scramble for one of our L & G meals. I used 1 cup of egg whites (in "real eggs" carton), chopped peppers & mushrooms & celery, and some low fast cheese and scrambled it all together. SO yummy!

I also made this taco salad with ground turkey and lean ground beef with some taco seasoning, low fat cheese on top - all on a bed of romaine lettuce and some cucumbers. Delicious.

This week I have connected with several other people's blogs on their weight loss journeys. I have LOVED looking through their blogs and connecting. It's been SO inspiring. Lindsay, from Utah, on her blog "Healthy Stride" has already lost well over 100 pounds and is training for a 1/2 marathon. THAT is where I hope to be in less than a year.

SO inspiring.

I also was given a "Beautiful Blogger" award from Diane at her awesome blog "It's Time" who herself is also a great inspiration. Thank you Diane - I am truly honored! I will have to blog about the award and follow the rules for receiving it and awarding it to 7 others. Now to choose...

Guess What?

Bad News: about a year and half ago, I went through my clothes and sold or gave away all my tops and dresses that were smaller because I had pretty much given up that I'd ever fit into them again. Now that I KNOW I will be smaller and I've lost some weight.... I don't have smaller clothes to go into. So....

I was out yesterday running an errand with my man when we were right next to a "Fashion Bug" and decided out of the blue to just go in and try some things on. I haven't shopped there for like over 20 years. I have been wearing size 4x - 5x blouses. I like my blouses loose so they don't show my bulges. But lately all my blouses are quite roomy... "tents" my hubby calls them.

So I tried on a ton of clothes and realized that I have lost 2-3 blouse sizes! I now wear 1x-2x. And I used to wear size 28 pants, and now I fit into 24, so I lost 2 pant sizes. That is pretty cool. Can't wait to get even lower! I walked out of there with this new outfit.

I am so excited to actually go clothes shopping with a friend someday! I have NEVER done that, even as a youth, and I've always wanted to. That is one thing on my "Skinny bucket list" - to have a clothes shopping spree with a friend!

UPDATE!! (May 28th, 2010)

Went through the closet quickly this morning and pulled out 34 tents (oops, I mean tops) that are size 4x-5x and that wasn't even all of them. I mean, I have to leave a few to actually wear until I can get some more clothes! I am NOT sentimental about getting rid of these tops either, even though a few of them have been in my closet for over 10 years! IDIOS old clothes and old size!

Week 15 and still going!

We have reached week 15 on our Quest to Change our Lives! It's been bumpy at times but we're STILL GOING! This week I lost 2 pounds and my man stayed the same. I just realized that I am the weight I was when I became pregnant with my first child which was 18 years ago. I haven't been this "skinny" for 18 years! That is huge to me! But I'm still too big have a ways to go.

My man found a suit at the Goodwill in Lincoln City when we were out at the beach and it fit him perfectly. He hasn't worn a suit for over 20 years! He looks SO fabulous! The picture does not do him justice! My man is SO HOT!!

We have lost a few inches since we started!!

My man: Me:

Neck 2" lost 1" lost

Bust 5" lost 1" lost

Waist 7.5" lost 7.5" lost

Hips 7" lost 7" lost

Thigh 1.5" lost 4" lost

Knee 2" lost 2.5" lost

Arm 3" lost 2.5" lost

I made this shrimp and fried yellow squash dish this week and used some fat free tartar sauce as my condiment. I prefer tartar sauce over cocktail sauce but my coach has an easy recipe for cocktail sauce I haven't tried yet.

This was a yummy meal. I broiled salmon in my oven and basted it with that mango orange bbq sauce that I've shown in a previous post. Then with the fried yellow squash it was quite satisfying!

My coach gave me the newest Medifast recipe book a few days ago and I tried my first recipe from it: Spicy Garlic Lime Shrimp. I used a red pepper since I didn't have a green one, and I used the spaghetti tofu noodles instead of angel hair because that's all I could find. It was pretty good and my man ate it too. Next time I think I'll use fresh shrimp instead of pre-cooked frozen shrimp. The noodles tasted totally like regular noodles.

I'm excited for these changes in our lives and I also feel a lot of opposition at times. I know the adversary does not want us making positive changes - he wants to keep us down. And sometimes I succumb to old feelings and past heartaches that bring me so much pain. But I work so hard to put those things behind me. That is my biggest battle and I fight it every day! I realized from a lesson today in church that patience is directly tied to our faith. Being patient in my heartaches and trials is being grateful for what the Lord has given me and serving Him and my family while KNOWING that all these things will work towards our good.

My Mantra for this week: Seek to do His will and Trust in Him.

My Mini Everest

Week 14 marked our first vacation since starting our lifestyle change. I am down 2 pounds - 54 pounds total and my man is down 5 more pounds for a total of 60 pounds!

In Pacific City this last week, we stayed right next to "Cape Kiwanda", or actually there are 3 peaks called "Cape Mears", "Cape Look out", and "Cape Kiwanda". I don't know which one was the largest one but I assumed it was Kiwanda and so that is what I refer to. I had to attempt to climb it myself after my hubby and most of my kids did. So the 3rd day, which was the most sunny and beautiful, I set out to climb this beast of a sand mountain. Any of you who have climbed a sand mountain know that for every 5 steps you take going up hill, you only advance about 1 step because you just sink in that sand and slide down with every step. There is no work out machine at the gym to simulate this and it is VERY tiring.

Here is my video journey:

(If it doesn't play then reload the page and try again)

After leaving our vacation house and trekking up part way:

Facing the steepest incline:

Almost to the top:

Finally making it there:

Here I am posing with my man at the top. My legs felt like rubber! What a feeling of accomplishment! I tell you, 4 months ago I could NEVER have done this and I doubt I would have even tried. This really was like a mini Mount Everest climb for me!

Later on that day, we enjoyed the north side of the beach. We took our water and medifast bars with us. It is SO important to eat every 2.5 to 3 hours when on this plan. I can be feeling great and then when my body needs to eat and if I wait, I can get weak and feel yucky very fast. It is so important to eat BEFORE you get to feeling yucky. Then, after eating a quick medifast meal, I feel good and full of energy again. Here I am with my bar and water having my little meal while on the beach. It was a perfect day!

I made salmon again the last night at the beach and I tried this "paradise Pineapple Teriyaki" sauce that I found at the local store. I grilled it on my George Foreman and added a little sauce to my mushrooms and peppers when I stir fried them (in pam spray). It was quite delish!!

At the Coast

We are taking a family vacation for a few days for the first time in 3 years. So we got a cool vacation house on the Oregon Coast, Pacific City - right on Cape Kiwanda to be precise and it is GEORGOUS! Here we are out on the deck. We can see the Pacific on both sides of Cape Kiwanda.

Our shadow family... see how tall and skinny we are!

Hot tubbing after dinner. I've never sat in a hot tub overlooking the ocean... it was like a dream and to share it with my family was the best! I am not ready to show a picture of us in our swimsuits because we still look so huge... BUT when I came out of my room in my swim suit and my kids saw me (they haven't even seen me in a swim suit like ever!) they all were "ooohhhing" and "aaahhing" saying I looked so much "thinner". That made my day!! Still along way to go, though.

I've planned out all our meals. The first night I had tator-tot casserole (a family favorite) with corn on the cob and salad.... for the kids.

And this is what me and my hubby had. I grilled this salmon on my George Forman adding some s/p and dill weed, and then included some steamed asparagus. My man had his mainstay favorite - morningstar sausages and salad. It was all yummy.

Here is our lunch the second day... Chicken noodle soup and crackers. We ate while we overlooked the ocean. Kids had sandwiches, left over corn, pretzels and pudding cups.

Okay, here is our second nights meal. We had diet soda with our meal. My guy is not a chicken fan so he preferred his MS sausages to my Chicken. This is that Ranch Chicken Kabob that I made before and posted... I was craving it again. I made it on my George Foreman and tried not to over cook it. It was still yummy and tender but not as good as doing it on the grill. I made a TON but couldn't eat all of it. See how much is on that plate. I was so excited to eat it, but my eyes were bigger than my mouth. This was another chance to practice portion control.

Just last night we trekked out to the north beach of Cape Kiwanda where we had the whole beach to ourselves. We explored the rocks and incoming tide. There was this hang glider above us that we enjoyed watching... he was within a stones throw and he was amazing to watch. This is the view from our deck when we got back to our house.

We will have to come back here when we're at our goal weight. It made a huge difference to be somewhat lighter... but scaling those STEEP dunes still wore us out and we were pretty sore. Cape Kiwanda itself was 550 steps (according to my man). But it felt good and we both want to be more active and do more hiking and exploring.

Is this all worth it?

We started this life-changing journey just 4 months ago, yet it seems like a lifetime, and we're still on our path. We have sacrificed our fast foods trips, big bowls of popcorn, heaping late night bowls of ice cream, overstuffing ourselves with large food portions, helping ourselves to seconds or thirds of desserts, and even just socializing with food or eating when we're down. Yet We felt sick and aweful most of the time, not to mention how embarrassed we were at how big we got.

We've traded all that in to make a choice to LIVE LONGER and be HEALTHIER and FEEL BETTER.

Has it been worth it so far?

YES!!

My man didn't need to see these picture to know that he already feels SO much better. This time he says he's NOT stopping. He's already made this lifestyle change and he's not going backwards. Goodbye lazyboy and hello Nike!

I can finally see a difference now that I put these pics together. I'm not stopping for ANYTHING. I found something that works and that I KNOW I can do. I'm so excited for our future. ANYONE can DO this!!

week 13 - and more kabobs!

Week 13 - I'm down 3 pounds for a total of 52 pounds gone.

I hit the 50 pound loss mark! WOO HOO! My man stayed the same this week so he is steady at 55 pounds gone. (He's had a very stressful week at work - and he says he's NOT discouraged about not losing any this week, he says it doesn't phase him and that he knew this would happen at times.)

In fact, My man had a "Father & Son" campout this last weekend, and as he was heading down to the beach, he actually heard from our younger son "Wait up, Dad." Those were sweet words since it has usually been the other way around.

Another fun thing with my youngest for me was the other day he was giving me a hug before school and he suddenly pulled away and said, "Mom, you are getting skinnier! I usually feel your tummy way more out to here!" I love those little affirmations when we don't always see it ourselves, ya know?

I made a TON of muffins this week and have tried different variation of the basic recipe (*See muffin recipe on side panel). I make them 1 meal per muffin now so they are bigger and fluffier.

Here is what I've tried:

1. Maple & Brown sugar Oatmeal + Chocolate pudding + Sugar free chocolate chip cookie doe Syrup. (yum)

2. Apple & Cinnamon Oatmeal + Vanilla pudding + Sugar free Caramel syrup.

3 Apple & Cinnamon Oatmeal + Chocolate pudding + Sugar free Peanut Butter syrup. (My hubby's FAVORITE - he loves peanut butter)

I'm not a huge fan of the regular Boca or Morningstar farms burgers, BUT I found one I really LOVED. This is the Morningstar Pizza style/flavor burger. It is a bit more calories and carbs than the regular, but not compared to the Boca speciality burgers which are WAY more.

My man had two of these burgers with his salad and I had two with these vegetables stir fried in the left over sauce from my pork kabobs (see recipe in previous post). This was SO delish! I couldn't find the Morningstar Pizza burgers (I also like their mushroom lovers) at Win-co or Fred Meyer but I did find them at Trader Joes.

And now for a NEW and FANTASTIC recipe I tried:

Rosemary Ranch Chicken Kabobs (found on line & had great reviews)

1/2 cup olive oil [I actually use only 1/2 of this and used the other 1/2 rice vinegar]

1/2 cup ranch (I used Bolthouse which is way lower fat & cal)

3 T. Worcestershire sauce

1 T. Minced fresh Rosemary

2 t. Salt

1 t. lemon juice

1 t. white vinegar

1/4 t. ground black pepper (or to taste)

1 T. white sugar (optional) - [I used a couple spenda packets]

5 skinless, boneless Chicken breat halves - cut into 1" cubes

In a medium bowl, stir together the olive oil, ranch dressing, worcestershire sauce, rosemary, salt, lemon juice, white vinegar, pepper, and sugar/spenda. Let stand for 5 minutes. Place chicken in the bowl and stir to coat with the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes [I marinated the chicken for a whole day]

Pre-heat grill for med-high heat. Thread chicken onto skewers and discard marinade. (If they are wooden skewers than soak them in water for 5-10 minutes beforehand) Lightly oil the grill grate and grill skewers for about 4-5 minutes per side (so about 10 minutes total).

Here they are all grilled and they were SO tender and juice and tasty. I like these even better than the pork kabobs I did (and I loved those). I didn't even baste them while cooking, but I did baste the veggie kabobs (I made extra marinade and kept it separate to baste and use as a dip)

I tried grilling these on a George Foreman grill, but I think I cooked them too long because although they were tasty, they weren't as tender. The next night, we did them on our outside grill and I did them 4-5 minutes then turned them, than another 4-5 minutes and they were SO YUMMY and TENDER. (okay, I get excited about food, especially my lean and greens)