Check it out!
http://www.changeofpaceforme.com/2010/06/beanitos-giveaway.html
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Monday, June 28, 2010
It's 99.9999% mental
This weight loss journey...it's 99.9999% mental. At least with me it is. My brain knows exactly what to do to get the weight, eat less, move more. Simple, right? No, not really. The mind games that I play with myself are taxing and exhausting, so why do I keep playing?
One of the big reasons that I want to get the weight off is better health. I'm on a lot of blood pressure medicine and I want OFF of it. Last week I had a doctor's appointment and I happened to mention that I was getting dizzy when I stand up. The appointment was over and I just offhandedly mentioned it. I need to learn not to do that. After a few blood pressure readings in various positions, the doctor determined that it was actually too low and that I was dehydrated. So, he took me off of one of the medicines! Yay, right?! He took me off of the diuretic. You'd think that this would make me happy, wouldn't you? It does, in the sense that it means my health is improving, but....
You see, now the scale is up. The scale is up almost 5 pounds! 5 pounds! Did you read that?? 5 pounds! Now, my head knows that this is water weight because i'm no longer getting rid of fluid because of the water pill. My head knows that I still have the same amount of fat loss as before he took me off the medicine. The problem is, this "gain" (you know, the one that's not really a gain) is really doing a number on my head game. I had almost reached a new mini-goal. Now i'm 5 pounds further away from it. The number on the scale feels like a kick to the stomach. The thing is, I can't let this derail me. I have to win the head games once and for all!
On a side note, I ran this weekend after weeks of being a slug! I went 2.5 miles, and it was fabulous. I've really missed the running time. However, if your doctor tells you that you are dehydrated, probably NOT the best idea to go running in 99 degree weather without hydrating first...i'm just saying.
One of the big reasons that I want to get the weight off is better health. I'm on a lot of blood pressure medicine and I want OFF of it. Last week I had a doctor's appointment and I happened to mention that I was getting dizzy when I stand up. The appointment was over and I just offhandedly mentioned it. I need to learn not to do that. After a few blood pressure readings in various positions, the doctor determined that it was actually too low and that I was dehydrated. So, he took me off of one of the medicines! Yay, right?! He took me off of the diuretic. You'd think that this would make me happy, wouldn't you? It does, in the sense that it means my health is improving, but....
You see, now the scale is up. The scale is up almost 5 pounds! 5 pounds! Did you read that?? 5 pounds! Now, my head knows that this is water weight because i'm no longer getting rid of fluid because of the water pill. My head knows that I still have the same amount of fat loss as before he took me off the medicine. The problem is, this "gain" (you know, the one that's not really a gain) is really doing a number on my head game. I had almost reached a new mini-goal. Now i'm 5 pounds further away from it. The number on the scale feels like a kick to the stomach. The thing is, I can't let this derail me. I have to win the head games once and for all!
On a side note, I ran this weekend after weeks of being a slug! I went 2.5 miles, and it was fabulous. I've really missed the running time. However, if your doctor tells you that you are dehydrated, probably NOT the best idea to go running in 99 degree weather without hydrating first...i'm just saying.
Friday, June 25, 2010
Deb's Challenge!!
Hey all :) This is going to be a super fast post because this week is crazy busy! I wanted to let everyone know about Deb's fabulous Freedom Challenge! It starts on July 4 and I'm in :) Check out her blog for all the details!
Hope all is well in bloggy world.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Recipe Review-Orange Chicken Stir Fry
Hi all! First off, I was to thank each of you for your sweet comments yesterday. I always hesitate to post things like that because I don't want to be a Debbie Downer. At the same time, this journey is important to me and I can only be successful if I'm honest with myself and with you. I'm really trying to get to the root of the problem here, and to do that I'm going to have to let that kind of stuff out. :) Thank you for your support and for reading.
Ok, on to the recipe review! I found the following recipe on Allrecipes.com. Since I'm a sucker for chinese food, especially orange chicken (you know, the kind that's usually battered and fried and has 1000 cals per serving?), I had to try this. Once again, I should have taken a picture, but forgot.
Orange Chicken Stir Fry
Ingredients:
1 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon grated orange zest
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 teaspoon salt
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon brown sugar
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into 1 inch cubes
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup bean sprouts (optional)
1 (6 ounce) package crispy chow mein noodles
Directions:
In a small bowl combine the orange juice, orange zest, soy sauce, salt, garlic and brown sugar. Mix well.
Heat oil in a large skillet or wok over medium high heat. When oil begins to bubble, add chicken. Saute until cooked through (no longer pink inside), about 7 to 10 minutes.
Add orange sauce mixture to chicken and cook until sauce begins to bubble. Add flour, a little bit at a time, until sauce has thickened to your liking. Add bean sprouts and cook for 1 minute; serve hot over chow mein noodles.
Nutritional Information
Amount Per Serving Calories: 524 Total Fat: 25.1g Cholesterol: 68mg
When I prepared this, I made a few changes. I used lo mein noodles instead of chow mein and I added ground ginger to the sauce. I also added onions and broccoli to the stir fry. This was good, but a little bland. If I were to make it again I'd add red chili pepper flakes for heat. I'd also add a lot more veggies for color, maybe some carrots, red peppers, green peppers, and even pea pods. I'd definitely cut the oil way down, maybe only 1 Tablespoon or none at all and use non-stick spray. I'd probably also put it over brown rice, or at least use less noodles.
Dh said it was "okay," but by the end of the night he had eaten all the leftovers. I liked it, it's a good basic recipe to start with :) Enjoy!
Ok, on to the recipe review! I found the following recipe on Allrecipes.com. Since I'm a sucker for chinese food, especially orange chicken (you know, the kind that's usually battered and fried and has 1000 cals per serving?), I had to try this. Once again, I should have taken a picture, but forgot.
Orange Chicken Stir Fry
Ingredients:
1 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon grated orange zest
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 teaspoon salt
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon brown sugar
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into 1 inch cubes
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup bean sprouts (optional)
1 (6 ounce) package crispy chow mein noodles
Directions:
In a small bowl combine the orange juice, orange zest, soy sauce, salt, garlic and brown sugar. Mix well.
Heat oil in a large skillet or wok over medium high heat. When oil begins to bubble, add chicken. Saute until cooked through (no longer pink inside), about 7 to 10 minutes.
Add orange sauce mixture to chicken and cook until sauce begins to bubble. Add flour, a little bit at a time, until sauce has thickened to your liking. Add bean sprouts and cook for 1 minute; serve hot over chow mein noodles.
Nutritional Information
Amount Per Serving Calories: 524 Total Fat: 25.1g Cholesterol: 68mg
When I prepared this, I made a few changes. I used lo mein noodles instead of chow mein and I added ground ginger to the sauce. I also added onions and broccoli to the stir fry. This was good, but a little bland. If I were to make it again I'd add red chili pepper flakes for heat. I'd also add a lot more veggies for color, maybe some carrots, red peppers, green peppers, and even pea pods. I'd definitely cut the oil way down, maybe only 1 Tablespoon or none at all and use non-stick spray. I'd probably also put it over brown rice, or at least use less noodles.
Dh said it was "okay," but by the end of the night he had eaten all the leftovers. I liked it, it's a good basic recipe to start with :) Enjoy!
Monday, June 21, 2010
The dreaded swim party...and what I learned.
Well, I posted a few posts back about freaking out because my son was invited to a swim party and I didn't want to wear a swim suit, but that it turned out to be a sprinkler party. He got another one and this invite was DEFINITELY for a swim party and I was definitely going to have to get in. My 5 year old has had swimming lessons, can't quite "swim" yet, so getting in was going to be required. Cue the panic. I tried on my suit about a million times, checking from all angles for the "worst case scenario." It was pretty bad, but, I have vowed not to let my weight stop my sons from having fun. So, I put on the suit, packed a bag and set off.
We got there a tad late, and, as always, I was the heaviest one there. (Does anyone else do this? Look around to see if you're the heaviest? I ALWAYS do this). Then, I look in the bag. I forgot my t-shirt to swim in. I thought I was going to cry. There was no choice, though, the skinny, cute moms were already in the pool. When I looked around, I noticed everyone had a suit with either a skirt or shorts. Not me, mine was the most revealing! ACK! With no other choice, I just got in. I spent the whole time embarrassed and wishing it was over. The joy I felt at losing 30lbs was gone and replaced by lots of self loathing. That horribly mean inner voice of mine was on a rampage and I'm almost positive the whole experience is what led to some seriously poor eating choices. Why is it that when I feel bad about my weight I think a piece of cake will make me feel better?The good news is, my son had a good time :)
I did learn a lesson from all this. Even the skinny cute moms felt self-conscious. They were all covering what they perceived to be trouble spots. Even my good friend who is super cute, super skinny, and a runner was worried. I was not alone, although it felt like it. I'm pretty sure that nobody really cared what I looked like, and, if they did, it was fleeting. Somewhere along this path I'm going to have to learn to love myself for who I am and not what I look like or what the scale says. Now, any tips on how to do just that?
Friday, June 18, 2010
Failing to plan is planning to fail
Whew..what a couple of weeks. It's going to settle down, right? It has to! On the car accident front, we got a new car!!!!!! I am in *love* with it. We just happened in to the right dealership at the right time and got a really good deal on a car I never thought we could afford. They ended up selling it to us at a loss just to move it. It's awesome :) I'm SO glad that car shopping and car sharing are both over!
This week also marks the end of my little one's swimming lessons. They've done really well, but it has sure been hectic! I have to pick them up from school run home, feed them, get them in their suits and back across town at the pool in about 1.5 hours. It's been challenging and my eating has taken a beating. I failed to plan the meals this week which pretty much meant that I planned to fail. We have eaten out WAY too much. WAY too much, and we're not talking healthy eating out either. It makes me feel really guilty that my kids have eaten a lot of crap lately. Mommy guilt is a terrible thing! I'm vowing that we're eating IN every day next week and we're eating healthy, too.
As for me, I've tried to make the best choices possible, but, in reality, when you're eating Wendy's, pizza, etc. every night, it adds up. The scale is up, I feel icky. The other thing that I've noticed is that I eat more at night when I eat junk like that for dinner. Eating junk makes me crave more junk, which is no good. The good news is, I can fix this. I know how and knowing is half the battle! :)
This week also marks the end of my little one's swimming lessons. They've done really well, but it has sure been hectic! I have to pick them up from school run home, feed them, get them in their suits and back across town at the pool in about 1.5 hours. It's been challenging and my eating has taken a beating. I failed to plan the meals this week which pretty much meant that I planned to fail. We have eaten out WAY too much. WAY too much, and we're not talking healthy eating out either. It makes me feel really guilty that my kids have eaten a lot of crap lately. Mommy guilt is a terrible thing! I'm vowing that we're eating IN every day next week and we're eating healthy, too.
As for me, I've tried to make the best choices possible, but, in reality, when you're eating Wendy's, pizza, etc. every night, it adds up. The scale is up, I feel icky. The other thing that I've noticed is that I eat more at night when I eat junk like that for dinner. Eating junk makes me crave more junk, which is no good. The good news is, I can fix this. I know how and knowing is half the battle! :)
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Quick Update and a Blog Award!!
What a week. It started with the car accident and just went downhill. My poor little 5 year old had a fever of 104 all week with a yucky virus. Both DH and I missed a lot of work and it was tough trying to function as a one car family while trying to get everyone where they needed to be. My phone died for a day, then they totalled the car, Dh went out of town, we had birthday parties, work was nuts, etc, etc. In all honesty this past week or so has been the most stressful I've had in awhile. The good news is, while I got a tiny bit sloppy on eating, I did *not* binge. Only one time did I find myself saying, "aww, screw it, eat what you want, you deserve it!" I answered that voice with, "No, I deserve to take care of myself" and went on my way.
Weigh in today showed a small gain. I'm ok with that. Looking at my weigh-ins on my side bar, I really think that maybe my body just works that way. I lose some, lose some, gain some. Maybe it's just my loss pattern. I'm not sweating it. Speaking of sweating, I'm not sweating at all lately, no exercise still. There's no excuse for this.
In other news, Deb gave me the beautiful blogger award!!! Thanks Deb!!!
I *think* they way this works is that I tell you seven things that you didn't know about me and then award seven other bloggers. Here goes:
1. I am an advanced scuba diver.
2. I'm afraid of ET.
3. Although I'm a lawyer, I was once in a doctoral program for molecular developmental genetics.
4. I once visited 6 countries in 18 days.
5. I have never seen the original Star Wars.
6. I am emotionally allergic to mushrooms.
7. My DH and I met on the internet.
Phew, there they are, 7 facts, not very interesting ones, but facts nonetheless. ;)
On to the awards!!! The seven bloggers are:
Pam from The Rest of the Journey- Pam has been through a devastating experience. Her open, honest, and brave approach to healing is inspiring!
Jen from Jen's Losin' It-Jen has also suffered a tragedy recently and, like Pam, she's been very brave in working toward healing herself and her family.
Weight Watcher Wannabe -She posts amazing recipes and reviews of products! Plus, she has great ideas for healthy eating.
Lisa from No More Diet Drama-I really admire Lisa for her weight loss journey, she's in it not just to see the number on the scale go down, but to get to the root of the problem.
globalmom from Leaving Lap Band Land-She's got a great, practical approach to weight loss!
Jenny at Embracing A New Path-I'm new to her blog, but really enjoying catching up and following her journey!
Karen at Glass Slippers-She has her life *so* together, I'm in awe. Plus, she's studying for the bar exam!
Weigh in today showed a small gain. I'm ok with that. Looking at my weigh-ins on my side bar, I really think that maybe my body just works that way. I lose some, lose some, gain some. Maybe it's just my loss pattern. I'm not sweating it. Speaking of sweating, I'm not sweating at all lately, no exercise still. There's no excuse for this.
In other news, Deb gave me the beautiful blogger award!!! Thanks Deb!!!
I *think* they way this works is that I tell you seven things that you didn't know about me and then award seven other bloggers. Here goes:
1. I am an advanced scuba diver.
2. I'm afraid of ET.
3. Although I'm a lawyer, I was once in a doctoral program for molecular developmental genetics.
4. I once visited 6 countries in 18 days.
5. I have never seen the original Star Wars.
6. I am emotionally allergic to mushrooms.
7. My DH and I met on the internet.
Phew, there they are, 7 facts, not very interesting ones, but facts nonetheless. ;)
On to the awards!!! The seven bloggers are:
Pam from The Rest of the Journey- Pam has been through a devastating experience. Her open, honest, and brave approach to healing is inspiring!
Jen from Jen's Losin' It-Jen has also suffered a tragedy recently and, like Pam, she's been very brave in working toward healing herself and her family.
Weight Watcher Wannabe -She posts amazing recipes and reviews of products! Plus, she has great ideas for healthy eating.
Lisa from No More Diet Drama-I really admire Lisa for her weight loss journey, she's in it not just to see the number on the scale go down, but to get to the root of the problem.
globalmom from Leaving Lap Band Land-She's got a great, practical approach to weight loss!
Jenny at Embracing A New Path-I'm new to her blog, but really enjoying catching up and following her journey!
Karen at Glass Slippers-She has her life *so* together, I'm in awe. Plus, she's studying for the bar exam!
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