The Artsy Mom's Weight Loss

Restarting my diet.

2011-06-14T12:21:00.000-07:00

I was thinking about just deleting all of the past entries on this blog, I won't. When I do look at them, I feel so discouraged. I lost 45 lbs last summer and felt amazing. When I went on my trip last summer, I had so much confidence and felt like I could wear shorts and halters. That was really the first time in my life I had ever had that much confidence and the first time in my life that I felt like I could lose the rest of my weight. It was such a great feeling...

Then all hell broke loose...

I don't even know what happened, but I surely gained the weight back. (And then some.) I'm at the point where I hate myself for it. I can't stand how much weight I gained and really don't feel like I am worth anything right now. This is why I am restarting my diet.

Something has to be done and I can't keep putting it off. I'm currently trying low carb, just because that has helped me in the past lose it quickly and keep it off for a while. I kept the weight off that I lost last time I did low carb for 2 years. I think this will work for me and help me with my confidence again. I want to feel the way I did last year.

I was on/off dieting this past week, but went to a concert yesterday and decided to blow it. Today I am hardcore ON my diet.

I won't weigh myself daily, just weekly.
I won't get down on myself if I go over my carb limit
I will try to stay as close to 1200 calories as I possibly can
Even when I am tempted, I will eat well.

Hopefully, I can do it again. Wish me luck.

EA Sports Active workouts #1 and #2

2010-06-16T18:25:00.000-07:00

I was so busy yesterday I didn't get to blog, but I wanted to blog about my first exercise with EA Sports Active. I was very wary when I purchased it and didn't think it would really make me sweat and give me a good work out. After all, I tried Wii Fit and it's a good beginners workout, but I didn't think Wii Fit was good to really make use of your workout time. I finally had some time alone yesterday and had energy, so I got EA Sports Active out of my closet and went to work!

Having a animation of an actual person rather than a Mii is, first of all, very motivational. It's easier to see what you're supposed to do. The actual videos also help a lot with teaching you the right way to do exercises. If you do something wrong, the screen will tell you that you are doing something wrong. It tracks your movements through #1. The thigh band in which you put the Nunchuck in the pocket and #2. Through the Wii Remote. (I also have that Wii Motion Plus, which you really don't need for the game. But it does make it a lot easier for it to accurately track your motion.)

The exercises are very good. You can choose from low intesnity, medium intensity or high intensity. Currently, I am on medium. My favorite exercise is the running/walking. I've always wanted to learn the track and don't have the courage to run outside. lol So this is perfect. It tracks how fast you run and how much effort you're putting into it. If you don't do enough, it will tell you to restart.

It also combines aerobics, sports, cardio and strength training. It comes with a resistance band which is an OK band. I would rather buy a better one that actually feels like you're doing something, but I'm sure this one is OK for beginning. (I've seen weights for the Wii where you put the remote in the weight. I've also have seen better resistance bands for the EA Sports Active. They're pretty cheap at AJ Wright, TJ Maxx, Marshalls, etc...) I actually love the work outs on the "30 Day Challenge".

My leg muscles hurt and I can feel "the burn" as I work out. This is always a good sign for a work out. You don't want to push yourself too much, but you do want to feel it. I'm very satisfied with the work outs it gives me. Of course, I'll get to the gym and won't keep this as my primary workout, but it's good for now when I am just starting off. Yesterday it says I burned 164.4 calories and today, since it was a higher intensity, I burned 211.3. I know these are just estimates, as all calorie counts are, but I've heard from researching that it is usually 80% accurate. That's a pretty good percentage.

Late weigh in

2010-06-12T18:57:00.000-07:00

I missed a weigh in because I really didn't want to face the scale. I wasn't eating bad, I was eating on plan, however I just had gone to a restaurant or two last week. I ate salads, but I don't think they were as low in calorie as they could have been. It was a hard week. It's getting so much better, however. I weighed in today and I am down to 197.6. That's very good. That's the weight I was at before I started eating badly. I feel like I'm back on track and have the willpower and motivation again.

Today, however, we went to the carnival that is local to us. There were so many temptations there and I did very well. I just had a diet soda because the heat was so blazing hot I thought I was going to pass out while walking around!! Anyhow...this was one of my temptations...

That would be a DEEP FRIED OREO... Ok, so I have been dying to try these and I've heard so many great things about them. Not to mention, Olivia's dad, my mom and the kids wanted some... So over I went to the counter.

Ok.... Yes, I had one.... JUST ONE!! I figured that one frikkin yummy golden and chocolatey deep fried oreo wouldn't kill me. (Oh yes, I did feel the guilt as I had a bite...but the warm yummy goodness of this damn thing masked the guilt until I got home!!) lol :) I only had one...I swear. The kids, Olivia's dad and my mom ate the others. The guilt is still eating at me!! (But I know ONE won't kill me.)

I have faith that I will do well until my first deadline of June 21st. (Mini Road Trip haha) I'm very excited for that and to see what my weight ends up at. :)

My dress came that I want to wear on June 21st and I have to say it's beautiful. It fits beautifully right now, but I know I'll have to get it altered if I want to wear it after I lose more weight. I should have gotten the size 12, but I got the size 14 instead. *sigh* I don't know what came over me... Sometimes I forget that I am not a size 14 and huge anymore. It's hard to get used to the fact that I'm shrinking. :)

Happy Memorial Day!!!

2010-05-31T10:38:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone has a wonderful Memorial Day! We're staying local and having a small barbeque at our house with some family. Of course, I'm going to try to eat healthy, but I can't make any promises. I already had a bagel today, but I'm going to do my best. I'm just worried about gaining all my weight back. It's paranoia of a former fatty. After today things will go back to normal and I'll continue to lose a great amount of weight. :)

HAVE A GREAT MEMORIAL DAY!!

My little 2 and a half year old diva!

2010-05-29T19:47:00.000-07:00

See my daughter in her beautiful sunglasses? Olivia was so obsessed with those today. She wore them as much as she could and kept walking around like she was THE most famous movie star ever. lol! She's my little diva. (The credit for her great picture goes to her Grandpa Joe. He's great with the camera.)

My yummy breakfast!

2010-05-29T07:34:00.001-07:00

This. Stuff. Is. Absolutely. Delicious. It's 70 cals in one glass, which isn't bad for a breakfast add in or to replace a snack. I had gotten a bunch of these practically for free when they were on sale and I matched up coupons. So good. My kids even like these, which is great to get in their serving of fruit each day. (Which is hard enough when they have temptations of chips and cheese doodles, which they always go for!)

Another thing I absolutely love is this... (I can't find a picture of it) Breakstones Cottage Doubles 100 Calorie! I found them at Walmart for 88 cents each and they were just delicious. I've had the non 100 cal doubles and it tasted too salty. But the 100 calorie ones are absolutely delicious. (And it is the same amount as the regular!)

That was pretty much my breakfast this morning. So delicious.

I was down to 198.6 yesterday. Today I'm back up to 199.1, but that's ok. Just a few ounces. That's normal fluctuation! Off to yard sales!!

Thursday Threes: If I Had Only Known...

2010-05-27T07:06:00.000-07:00

I'm sure everyone has regrets in life. I believe that life is too short to have too many regrets, but it's completely natural to wish you could go back and change something. Honestly, if we didn't make the mistakes we have made in our past, we wouldn't be the people we are today. I truly believe that we have to bypass many obstacles in life, and when we make mistakes, we learn from them.

The Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans is hosting "Thursday Threes: If I Had Only Known". It's basically about going back in your life and picking three times where you wish you made a different choice. It's not about having regrets, I believe it's about realizing that you could have done something different and that you could have righted that wrong. It could be a great part of actually closing a door in your life, if you have been dwelling on a choice or mistake that you made. (I feel like that about so much!)

What do you wish you could have done differently?

I wish that as a 13 year old, I understood that I actually had more of a choice about what High School I wanted to go to. At the point where I was choosing, I felt pressured into going to the private all girls High School that my family wanted me to go to. I remember not wanting to go and wishing that I could tell my mom I wanted to go to the public HS. I didn't dare. I didn't want to let her down and didn't want her to get mad. Little did I know, those four years of my life would be the worst that I have ever experienced. Filled with death threats, hatred, terrible words and the worst depression I had ever felt. I would have been offered more if I had gone to the other High School.

As a teenager, I wish that I hadn't wanted to be "cool" and wish I had "waited". I wanted the guy to like me, so I did what I did. This seems like a very common occurrence for a teenager, but I regret this deeply. This is probably the #1 regret in my life. I never realized, at that time in my life, that I should have waited. I just wanted to date the "cool guy" and thought that would really help me with that. I was very wrong. I wish I could go back and tell my teenage self that it wouldn't be worth it in the long run.

My goal, years ago, was to be a professional figure skater. I was really working at it until I hurt my ankle during an exhibition and couldn't continue. I always wanted to go back after my ankle healed, but after physical therapy and financial problems happening after that, I never got back into it. I regret that because figure skating was my life for so long. It was something that really de-stressed me and something I wish I could have finished and accomplished.

NEW LOOK OF MY WEIGHT LOSS BLOG!

2010-05-26T15:52:00.000-07:00

I just was getting so tired of the previous look. Formatting wasn't working for me when I tried to do custom HTML and it felt more like a mess of crap than a good layout. I love this one. It really fits me and I just feel like it's a much more clean cut look than previously. I enjoy it very much!

I haven't gotten to work out today. It's been just so hot outside. It was 98 degrees today. I wanted to walk, I couldn't even imagine walking in that heat. I still haven't had the chance to go to the gym, but I do plan on it. Maybe tonight I'll move the Wii into my room and try to get some workout done with that. I still have Wii Fit Plus, Dance Dance Revolution AND EA Sports (and the expansion pack). I'm actually excited to try Dance Dance Revolution. Everyone says that's so fun and such a great work out. :) It sounds like I can work out while not even realizing that I am.

Eating was great today. I've been doing great with fighting cravings. Last night I was so hungry and really stayed away from anything that was bad. Today I had just what I should have and I feel positive.

I'm going to start logging my food in here again so I can really track calories.

WEIGH IN WEDNESDAY

2010-05-26T09:54:00.000-07:00

Today, I am weighing in at 202.3. I am higher than I was before I started cheating, but I can get back there fairly easy!!!

Excited for the challenge and feeling great that I'm eating good!! Going to exercise today too.

New Challenge from the Sisterhood!!

2010-05-25T20:32:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited for a new challenge! Especially since I haven't been so good lately. My mood has been towards the depressed side and I am definitely an emotional eater. So I ended up being completely bad and eating a lot. Fortunately, I didn't gain that much. Just 5 lbs. That, I can lose easily... But I'm very glad for a new challenge from the Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans. :) It's the Shrinking Days of Summer challenge! It runs from May 26th to July 21st. That's 8 weeks of losing weight!! I'm excited and definitely will stay on the straight and narrow with a challenge. It will keep me motivated. :) So I'm weighing in tomorrow and going to start! I'm very excited!

New mini goal, reached previous mini goal!

2010-05-12T08:45:00.000-07:00

197.3. That's what my scale said this morning. :) I was so excited when I finally stepped on the scale and saw that progress. It made me so happy to know that whatever I am doing IS working. I got EA Sports Active the other day, but haven't used it yet. I also have Wii Fit Plus. It's probably just easier to do what I can from home for now. It's hard to get out to go to the gym. If I go when the kids are asleep, I'll be going at 8pm... That's just not worth it. I'd probably be up all night. I'll do what I can (for now) and see what happens in two weeks or so. If I find that it's probably more beneficial to go to the gym, I probably just will. I'll take it one day at a time. Right now, my new mini goal is 180. I'm not too far away and I know I'll make it!! I have so much faith. I can't stop now.

Weeeee for Wii Fit!

2010-05-06T14:33:00.000-07:00

I finally hooked my Wii up to my TV and started Wii Fit again today. It was a little helpful when I stepped on the balance board and saw that since June of last year, I have lost 57 pounds. I never really noticed that because of the fact that I was so back and forth on my diet, losing and gaining, losing and gaining... It really made my self esteem get lower. Seeing that today on my screen and seeing how 200 used to be my "mini goal"... It made me so happy. I'm 200.3 right now and I feel like 199 is within my reach. (Except that my mom and I went out for lunch, and I ate half of a cheeseburger... But don't fret! lol I'm sure I'll get back on plan as of now and eat great.)

I'm very happy and feel very refreshed that I got some exercising done today. Alayna exercised with me and I was very happy with that! We had so much fun together. My mom even got in on the action. LOL.

Reebok Easy Tones & Doing great!

2010-05-05T11:47:00.000-07:00

I should be getting a pair of Reebok Easy Tones in the next few days and I am excited to review them. I love my Shape Ups, but from what I gather, by researching, they work completely different muscles because of their design. I absolutely love my Shape Ups and have seen a real difference from them, but on the other hand, I'm excited to try the Easy Tones to see how much of a difference they make or what they add to my walking routine. I figure I will alternate which pair I use per day. :) Of course, I got the white and pink pair!

Everyone that I have seen today, told me that I look great. I agree. I see a big difference, even though I am stuck at another plateau. Hopefully, by Sunday I can bypass that plateau and be down into the 100's. :) I'm thinking of incorporating another weight loss program into my day... I currently just walk and when I hook my Wii up again, I will be using Wii Fit. That said, does anyone know of any great programs that I can incorporate? Maybe EA Active? Your Shape? Something else? If anyone know of anything that is tried and true, let me know in my comments. :)

I'm so glad that I feel comfortable enough to wear a pair of shorts and a nice t-shirt now... I can't wait until I drop more weight!! I feel by my mini goal date, June 21st, I will shed a lot more!

Train wreck weekend with dieting.

2010-05-03T16:49:00.000-07:00

This weekend was a train wreck with dieting. I ended up having terrible terrible things to eat. Of course, it made me very upset that I had a cheeseburger when I went out to eat, but I figured I really needed one. I don't like to cheat at all. It makes me feel so guilty and so sad!! I didn't gain much from it, just a pound, so I didn't do any real damage.

Over the weekend, a friend of mine got the Reebok Easy Tones and she says they're amazing. I have had a pair of Shape Ups for almost a year and love them, but I don't feel like I get the work out I need with them. I'm on the fence whether or not I should get the Easy Tones as well. She is swearing by them that they're great sneakers. I hate getting something before researching! lol I'll have to do some further research to see if they would be beneficial for me.

21 Day Challenge

2010-04-29T21:35:00.000-07:00

I am joining this challenge from ShrinkingJeans.net! It's called the 21 Day challenge. If you would like to learn more about it, please click here. :) The basis is, they say it usually takes 21 days to form a new habit. So I'm going to choose some new "habits" I want to learn every day and stay true to them! The first habit is: Drinking 8 bottles of water a day. (OR more!) That is something that I always mean to do, and I know it will help my weight loss, but I haven't done it. I usually drink Crystal Light. I need to incorporate water into my diet. I know once I start, it will become a habit for me. I have more than enough water here...it's just starting it. That's the issue!!

I also want to exercise at least 20-30 minutes a day. I've been so lazy and exercising was the farthest thing from my mind... Now that I bought a pedometer app on my iPhone that works very well, I would love to actually use it and walk in the great weather. :) I'm so excited to try it!!

Eating healthy is so great and I love keeping to my 1200 calories ( most ) of the time; however I really have been eating weight watchers ice cream bars once I hit my daily calorie goal... It pushes it over by a hundred calories or so. I know that isn't bad, but it makes me feel bad about myself!! Eating those makes me crave even worse ice cream snacks that are NOT low calorie... I want to try not to eat that every day.

I am SO close to being in "ONEderland". I'm 203.6. I can't wait until I hit 199 because I will just be so excited and actually feel like I am closer to my goal of 150. :) By June 21st, I'd love to be 195 or even 180. I lose weight at a pretty quick rate, when I'm eating good. So I may be able to accomplish that!! I'm going to hope and pray!

Over Stall & Chili Cheese Burrito Recipe

2010-04-22T10:41:00.000-07:00

I really have been concentrating on getting over my stall, so I haven't been doing too much. I mostly just tried to vary my diet and keep up with my Alli more than I was previously. I am happy to say that I am over my stall and lost a pound!! Now I feel more comfortable to make more of my own foods, now that I got off that almost 2 week long same weight!! I am so happy and feel successful, once again. I have a great feeling I will get into the 100's coming up pretty soon.

For lunch today, I made this GREAT meal. It was a Chili Cheese Burrito! I got a few cans of Hormel Turkey Chili for free a few weeks ago at Stop and Shop and had some Flat Out tortillas I got for $1, so why not try it!

Hormel (or any) turkey chili
Fat Free cream cheese OR Fat Free Sour Cream
Flat Out (or any 100 cal or under) tortilla
Fat Free shredded cheddar cheese

- IF USING CREAM CHEESE - Soften 2oz FF cream cheese in the microwave for 20 seconds. Spread onto tortilla.

- IF USING SOUR CREAM - Spread a little sour cream onto the middle of the tortilla. Just enough to coat the bottom middle.

- Heat up 1\2 cup of the turkey chili according to the can. When heated, spread over cream cheese / sour cream. To the middle of the tortilla.

- Add a sprinkling of FF shredded cheddar cheese. Unsure how much because I just sprinkle a tiny bit on.

It's a quick and easy recipe, took me 8 minutes to make. :) It's approx 290 cals. It would make a great dinner entree as well with a salad and extra veggie. :)

I can't stand the negativity.

2010-04-16T08:35:00.000-07:00

My mom is such a bitch sometimes. I strongly believe she needs to be medicated because she goes from one extreme to the other with me. I decided I wanted to weigh myself, and my mom comes past. She starts telling me; "You were never meant to be skinny. Just get over it. You'll always be fat -- Face the truth." What the fuck? Did I even ask her for her opinion? I honestly can't stand it anymore. It is to the point where Alayna, my 4 year old, is comforting me. She told me, "Don't listen to grandma, mommy. She is just in a mean mood, You'll be skinny and pretty like a princess." At least someone is supportive of me. It's pretty sad when it's my 4 year old and not my own mom. Sometimes, I wonder why she adopted me. All she does is put me down and make me feel like shit, so why did she even want me? I would have been better on the street. Sad, but that's how I feel at times. I just hate being here amongst all the negativity with my kids. It's just impossible to find a place to move that is decent and cheap.

I need to keep myself motivated.

Just a small update - STALLED!

2010-04-15T08:57:00.000-07:00

I was doing so great, got down to 205.5 and then stalled. I'm fluctuating from 205.5-206.5. How frustrating is that? I'm so close to 199, which is my first major goal, and now I just can't seem to get there. I'm doing everything short of binging to get my weight going again, I'm drinking a lot of water, eating a carb per day, etc... I remember, from when I was back on Atkins, that if I just binge a slight bit, it may help kick me back into gear... I just fear binging. If I do, I'll want to eat like that ALL the time. Maybe starting the Alli again would work as well. (I've forgotten to take it, this week. Feeling like shit from allergies didn't help any!)

I've been walking a bit...I walked to the park with my kids, walked around the park, walked in NYC on Sunday. (11 long blocks and 2 avenues) I really feel better and have energy. I love it love it! I'm really going to make it a point to get to the gym next week because I love the way I have so much energy. :)

Just a small update for now, I will update with a longer one later on!

Chicken, Bacon, Ranch wrap!

2010-04-07T18:03:00.000-07:00

My family decided to have some leftover turkey for dinner, so I decided to make something with meat that would be filling yet not too high in calories. I made a chicken, bacon, ranch wrap! I absolutely LOVE chicken, bacon and ranch sandwiches, so this is a healthier version. :) * I used Perdue Short Cuts Original chicken strips, so I don't know exactly how much to eat. A normal size would be approx 4oz of chicken. *

- 4-5 strips of chicken

- One slice of tomato cut up

- 1tbsp FF ranch dressing

- One slice turkey bacon

- Low carb wheat tortilla

- Bread crumbs

- Egg beaters

- Dip chicken strips in a small amount of egg beaters just to coat. Then dip into bread crumbs. (Don't coat too heavily.)

- Put into a pan sprayed with pam and brown chicken. (about 5 minutes)

- Put some lettuce, the cut up tomatoes and chicken onto the middle of the tortilla in a thin line.

- Cook one slice of turkey bacon in a frying pan sprayed with pam until it's crisp. Put the bacon on top of the chicken and veggies. Top with 1tbsp of FF ranch dressing and close tortilla!

Enjoy!!

It was SOO delicious. :)

Low Calorie Pizza - Nutrisystem Friendly

2010-04-06T17:32:00.000-07:00

NUTRISYSTEM FRIENDLY

If eating for dinner, two slices counts as 1 dinner entree.

If eating for lunch, one slice counts as an entree AND protein/dairy.

2/3 Cup Bisquick Heart Smart

1/4 Cup Egg Beaters

2 tbsp Water

Approx 15 slices of turkey pepperoni

One slice of pineapple (optional) cut up

Approx 1 cup FF mozzarella

No Salt Added Sauce

- Mix the bisquick, egg beaters and water in a mixing bowl. Mix until forms a doughy mixture. Put some bisquick on your hands and knead a little bit until it gets a non sticky dough. Spray your pizza pan/cookie sheet and start pressing the pizza dough into a thin crust. (You can also use a rolling pin. lol)

- Stick that in the oven for about 15 minutes on 450 degrees. Just until it starts to brown.

- Once it browns, take it out of the oven and spread the sauce (approx 2\3 cup) with the back of a ladle. Spread it from the middle outwards. Add cheese, pepperoni and pineapple. Stick in the oven for another 5 minutes until the cheese melts. Don't worry about the pepperoni crisping because the turkey pepperoni won't crisp as much as regular pepperoni will.

- CUT AND ENJOY!!

Serve with a veggie so you can get your NS veggie serving in!

How do I do NS with my own food?

2010-04-06T16:34:00.000-07:00

I have been asked this A LOT through e-mail and comments on this site and my other. It's a pretty easy answer! First, let me start with some background.

My oldest daughter was born in October of 2005. With her pregnancy I had pre-eclampsia AND gestational diabetes. I ended up gaining 70lbs because of everything that had gone on with me. Honestly, I did not over eat and couldn't figure out why I gained that weigh until I was told that there was a medical reason for it. When she was born, I did lose most of the weight. I had about 20-30 pregnancy related pounds still on me. I did try to lose weight, but was battling depression as well as the medical problems that my grandparents had. I had no time or desire to diet.

When I got pregnant with my youngest in 2007, the pregnancy had less problems and ended up gaining only 20lbs; all of which I lost when she was born. However I still had the 20-30 on me from when Alayna was born that I never really worked to get off.

I tried Nutrisystem in 2008, after her birth. I had a pretty good job with Apple Computers back then, so I was able to afford the Nutrisystem plan. (Which is approx $399 per month) I did very well with that and was able to lose 35 lbs in two months. Unfortunately, after that I did lose my job and ended up going back to my bad eating because of my financial situation.

Recently, after crash dieting with WW and Atkins, I decided that I could do NS on my own with my own foods. There are plenty of recipe reference sites that Nutrisystem members have, there are the Nutrisystem message boards as well as following the Nutrisystem On Your Own nutritional stats.

MANY of the Lean Cuisine, Healthy Choice and Smart Ones entrees do fit in with the statistics. AS LONG AS YOU READ THE BOXES. Yes, it takes a little more time than just popping in a Nutrisystem entree, but I'd rather spend more time in the grocery store than more money on the food. If you get the LC, HC or SO entrees when they're on sale, you can save about $200 per month off what you'd spend on NS itself. (COUPONS TOO!! Don't forget them!!) You can also cook your own foods with fresh ingredients. The benefits of that are; You know what you're putting into your own food, I believe it's healthier because none of the ingredients are processed (or very little are) and you feel like you're doing more than just popping something in the microwave. It might be a little more effort, time and slightly a bit more money because of buying your own ingredients, but I believe that in the end it is well worth it.

Here are the NS approved stats for entrees:

Breakfast: 230-260 calories

1 fruit
1 dairy or protein
1 carb, or carb and protein combo, less than 130 cal

* The carb and protein replace you NS entree. I enjoy this because you have more versatility on what you eat/cook.

Lunch: 330-360 calories

1 salad with dressing
1 protein and carb for entree (Carb should be 70-100 cals ONLY! Protein at <100.)
1 extra lunch dairy or protein

Dinner: 360-420 cal

1 salad with dressing or fruit
1 protein, 1 carb, and extras for "entree" (keep carb at 100-120 cal, protein is generally 4 oz lean meat) dinner "entree" averages from 240-300 cal
2 servings of veggies
fat serving

Dessert: 100-130 calories

With dessert, sometimes I stretch it to 180-200 cals. Depends on how much I eat all day.

REMEMBER TO RECORD YOUR CALORIES EATEN ALL DAY!! Either in a book, on the NS website, or in a weight loss book itself. It will really help you to figure out how much you have eaten in a day.

I estimate my calories 1200 per day. For my weight and weight loss, it should be 1400-1500. I like to estimate low so if I go over a little per day, it won't depress me. I aim lower than it is.

As long as you stick as close to the NS plan as possible and as long as you eat within your calorie range and don't eat anything outrageous, you still will lose weight. Just be smart with what you eat.

I call it a modified NS plan. :) I'm satisfied because it is working for me.

HAPPY EASTER!!

2010-04-04T09:59:00.000-07:00

Easter is my excuse to eat semi not on plan. lol My mom is making all this good food like ham, turkey, potato salad, pierogies, etc... I will be back on plan tomorrow. No doubt about that!! I'm gonna feel terrible and fat by the end of the day. At least I feel like I look good in the dress I picked to wear for Easter.

Have a happy & blessed Easter -- to you and your family! Eat a lot...think about dieting later. ;)

GREAT NEWS!

2010-04-02T05:27:00.000-07:00

I lost 2 more pounds.

And I am officially almost back into the 100's. :) ONEderland, as they call it! I can't wait. Easter will hinder my weight loss, of course, but other than that, I'll get right back on track!! I'm going to be recording more of my weight loss starting today. I just feel that recording more of it and doing V-logs will really help with my progress and with the way I feel sometimes!

I have to run, the kids have a birthday party that we have to leave for at 11. I'll definitely post more later! For now....Hi Friday Followers! I promise this blog will get more enjoyable! You can read about me in the right (first) sidebar!)

Still doing good!

2010-03-31T16:18:00.000-07:00

I really don't have too much to update. I'm doing well and haven't exercised yet. Though, I did walk a little today. Not too much, but I had to go to the mall and parked at the end of the parking lot. So I walked to the mall and back to my car. LOL I really do have to go to the gym, I just have no time to as of yet! I will make time. :) Yesterday I did cook a little, I made Strawberry Shortcakes for breakfast for my kids and I. They were so delicious and 150 calories. :)

I also lost another pound!!

Healthy Bisquick Biscuits - 160 cals per biscuit.

2010-03-29T12:36:00.000-07:00

IMO -- this is great to use when you want to make a biscuit sandwich with egg and boca sausage. :) That's what I'm doing this morning! I decided to get up early and make some lovely bisquick biscuits.

1 1\2 cups bisquick heart smart mix
1\2 cup fat free milk

That's it!! All you do is mix until you make a nice healthy dough. When the dough is made, take out of the bowl, put it onto a flat surface sprinkled with bisquick and knead about 10 times.

Cut into 1\2 in thick circles with a cookie cutter or a glass and put on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake at 450 degrees for 7-8 minutes.

D - E - L - I - C - I - O - U - S!!! I'm really enjoying this cooking thing! lol I love it that I'm learning to cook and loving it. At least now I know WHAT ingredients are in my food!

Feeling hopefull and a little better.

2010-03-28T18:34:00.000-07:00

I still feel terrible because of the weigh in today, but then again I don't really know what else I was expecting. On my trip, we ate at the Cheesecake Factory, Ruby Tuesdays, McDonalds, Wendys and Cracker Barrel. The whole week after (my birthday week) I ate terribly as well. Was I expecting to just magically be back to my lowest weight again? I really should have had realistic expectations.

Today was a great day. Alayna really wanted berry pancakes, so I made her blackberry pancakes. (That's all we had in the house!) They were delicious. I used Bisquick Heart Smart and it was only about 280 cals. Nice and fluffy and just delicious!

Lunch, I had a bowl of regular chicken noodle soup (60 cals) and a tortellini meal from Healthy Choice. It wasn't too bad, but I wouldn't go crazy and buy it again! LOL Lunch was very filling, though.

Dinner, I ate Pineapple Chicken (healthy choice) and a big salad. I was going to go to the store and get something else, but I didn't feel good. (AF is here, so I have terrible cramps) I also had a cup of coffee after dinner to ease my cramps a bit. It worked a little, but not much.

I also took my 3 Alli's today. :) I hope that makes a big difference!! I need to drink more water.

So very down :(

2010-03-28T09:59:00.000-07:00

I told myself I would not weigh myself until my weekly weigh date on Sunday... I didn't even have a start weight since I was so fearful after knowing what probably happened on my trip and the week that I binged afterwards... I weighed today and found myself 5lbs above the weight I was before I left. :( Even though I dieted great this week. That means that I must have been 2-3lbs heavier.. :( It's so depressing..I worked so hard to lose all that weight.. :(

I do know that by next week I'll probably have lost the rest down to what I was, but it's so frustrating.

Blackberry Pancakes... I never knew they tasted so good! My daughter actually asked me for berry pancakes, and all we had were Blackberries... So I use them and they were absolutely delicious. Probably came out to about 280 cals for breakfast. :) And I had a 0 cal vitamin water.

:)

2010-03-23T18:37:00.000-07:00

I feel great. I can completely see the difference from eating shitty and eating healthy again. I'm not weighing myself until Monday because I don't want to get too obsessed on my weight. I just want to feel great after the week of going back to my unhealthy habits. :)

I ate about 1000 calories today, which is great. I do think I need to eat more because I am hungry right now. (And had a South Beach S'Mores bar)

I'll start recording more starting tomorrow :)

:) I'm back!!

2010-03-21T23:26:00.001-07:00

My vacation was great, although I did not eat healthy. I've been home for a week and I haven't gotten back into the swing of eating healthy. Although, starting today, I am going to start again. I gained just 1lb, thank GOD, so I'm not off from where I ended. I'm excited about starting again, I know i'll feel better, I just know I'm going to have to get over the terrible cravings... I'm having late night cravings right now.

Life without loss...lol

2010-03-08T12:31:00.000-08:00

Still the same weight since the other day, but I can't complain. At least I didn't gain anything! Even so, I still feel great about myself and can definitely see myself as thinner. I do need to get in some exercise, though. It's been so nice out and will be nice for the rest of the week. I would love to get to the gym or even just get out and walk this week or next. (Definitely next week, if not this week!!)

I am going to try to cook something tonight. I'm going to the grocery store soon to get all of the ingredients that I'm going to need to make that dinner. I'm actually excited to eat something good that I made myself and that is still low calorie and still fits in with my plan.

Since I felt so good about myself, I decided to go get my nails done and my hair done today. I just got my hair cut in some layers in the front, not a drastic hair change. I would love to actually get my hair cut short, but that really frightens me. I still think my face is so round and plump that when I cut my hair short, I still look FAT!! lol I'm going to wait until I lose about 10-15 more lbs to cut my hair short. Though I want to. I also have to find a good style.

Hopefully maybe I can get the kids outside and can walk a little. :)

So, I didn't get to walk today...

2010-03-06T17:52:00.000-08:00

...But I did shop. Is that considered exercise? I carried heavy packages and did walk to shop. lol Ok, so maybe not! I did have a great day. If you care about my shopping expedition, you can read about it here on my other blog!

For dinner, I ended up having Butternut Squash Ravioli, which is Lean Cuisine and just my absolute FAVORITE meal. It's so delicious. It was about 320 calories and I also had some of Alayna's popcorn. It was an 100 calorie bag and I probably had half of it. So that wasn't too bad. I still feel really good about myself and was so happy that I fit better in my jeans and wore a shirt that I really thought I looked thin in. :) I just wish I had gotten in some exercise today. Maybe tomorrow or Monday I can get in some exercise. :)

Tomorrow is my weigh in, and I hope I lose a few more ounces. I don't want to gain anything! LOL If I stay the same weight I wouldn't complain either.

Feeling awesome today.

2010-03-06T11:30:00.000-08:00

I'm feeling pretty good today and that makes me so happy. :) This morning I had to have a quick breakfast, so I had a cup of coffee and a Thomas Bagel Flat for 110 calories with just a little bit of FF Philadelphia cream cheese. That's all I had time for since Olivia's dad was coming to pick her up and as I was cleaning, the kids were messing up. lol

Alayna is at her friend's house for a few hours and Olivia is at her dad's until tomorrow, so I'm going to be getting some things done that I have to get done. I'm making lunch now, which is a 220 Calorie Smart Ones Chicken and Cheese Quesadilla, a glass of iced tea and possibly some yogurt. Then I have to go bring a box to Kinkos and maybe afterwards, if I have time, I will get out and walk to the store and back. I need to get some exercise in, and it is about 55 degrees and very sunny out. Very beautiful! I love this weather, not too hot, not too cold. :)

Lunch is ready! :D

10 more lbs gone FOREVER!

2010-03-06T06:17:00.000-08:00

I'm so happy. 10 more pounds are gone forever. I woke up this morning feeling positive, got some stuff done and then jumped on the scale. I was so happy when I saw a smaller number. I had to keep from doing a little dance! (hmm...how many calories would a little dance burn? ;) ) It made the days of frustration, at the beginning of the week, completely worth it. Now...if I can only stick to plan at the end of the week when I have plans... and tomorrow... EEK!! I am petrified suddenly!! I can do it.:)

I'm actually going to get out my Turbo Jam and The Fit tapes today and try to squeeze in some exercise. I should actually just go to the damn gym, but it just seems like so much effort. LOL Well, at least I got up earlier today. 9 am versus 12 pm. :D

Breakfast time!!

Keeping Motivated!

2010-03-05T19:59:00.000-08:00

Since I know that a few days next week are going to be very difficult with sticking to plan, I'm joining a new challenge to keep me motivated. I defiitely need motivation, especially when I feel no moral support around me outside of online. I'm joining the Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans: Spring Fling Challenge. The challenge ends on April 21st. My goal, by April 21st, is to lose 20lbs from now. It probably isn't possible, but I like to push myself. It will keep me motivated and make me want to work out, walk, and eat good. I may tweak this goal depending on how my weight loss is going.

Tonight's dinner was Pesto Bowtie Pasta and Chicken by Lean Cuisine. It was pretty delicious! I actually almost made a bowl of Healthy Choice chicken noodle soup too, but after my entree, I was stuffed and didn't even care about the soup. So I'm saving that for tomorrow. :) The dinner entree was 220 Calories.

I'm only at 720 for the day and had a half of a grapefruit at about 9pm, but other than that, I haven't eaten anything else. I know I'm still allowed to, but at 11pm, I don't think I should be eating anything else. I'll just count this as a very low cal day and move on to tomorrow. :)

I feel positive and a lot better about myself.

Now I know what REAL portions are supposed to be....

2010-03-05T11:57:00.000-08:00

I have been craving a cheeseburger for quite a while now and when I saw the Weight Watchers Smart Ones cheeseburgers at the grocery store, I had to pick them up. I got two boxes of the cheeseburgers and each box contains 2. It says on the box that one serving is one burger, and that is 200 calories. I expected it to be small, but it was about the size of a slider. It was very tasty and very filling, and THANK GOD it was filling. LOL Otherwise, I would have been starving after I ate it. (I also had a Dannon Light and Fit, which was yumm yumm. I had the Pomegranate Berry.)

My total lunch was 280 cals and breakfast was 220 cals, so that equals 500 calories so far for today. I'm doing good. :) Pics of the sandwich below!

Finally, weight loss.

2010-03-05T07:03:00.000-08:00

I hate it when I get stuck and can't lose that next few pounds. It frustrates me and makes me feel like crap, honestly. I've wanted to lose this weight for so long, I get depressed and terribly down when this happens to me. I know it's no reason to get discouraged and depressed, but to someone who dreams of being skinny, it seems like a great reason to be.

Finally, I lost 2 lbs. Yesterday I really did watch what I ate. I only ate what I had to, had one Special K Crunch Bar as a snack and some grapes. I just had to get myself moving again. I feel that now I can eat on plan again and eat everything I should be eating. I just had to get those 2lbs going... I was going to go insane if I didn't lose anything!

Off to get milk for breakfast. :) I love when I don't realize until the MORNING that I don't have any milk. lol

Breakfast - Day 10

2010-03-04T08:56:00.000-08:00

I'm trying to eat even less now. Let's see if being under 1200 calories would help me lose. :(

Breakfast:

Kashi Heart To Heart Cereal - 110 Cals
Yoplait Light Cherry Cobbler Yogurt - 100 Cals

TOTAL: 210 Cals

Diet frustrations.

2010-03-04T08:32:00.000-08:00

I ate out on Sunday, and even though I ate a salad, I think I still sabotaged myself. I've been the same weight all week and I feel like I'm never going to lose another pound again. This is when I usually get so frustrated and start eating bad again. Because I feel so hopeless. I've been staying on track up until today, but I have to say that last week was so much better than this. :( I feel so depressed and hopeless. I'm going to eat breakfast now, I slept most of the morning away because I feel like shit. :(

Day 5 :)

2010-02-27T18:25:00.000-08:00

I didn't record all of my food today on here because I had been on the run and used my iPhone program to do that. However, I did go over my daily calories today by 278. That is still OK since I give myself leeway with my allowing myself 1200 daily. It's nothing terrible, though it is discouraging to me. However, I have lost 6lbs overall and I did buy a 24 pack of Aquafina! So I will start drinking my water very soon. I actually feel like I will be able to do this and I am getting very happy because I have faith in myself.

Since I have to get up early tomorrow, I will be going to bed early today. That means I won't be hungry late at night when I am usually still up. :)

Day 4 - Breakfast - LOST 5 LBS ALL TOGEHTER!

2010-02-26T09:31:00.000-08:00

After this week, I will go back to only weighing myself every week. I do find that is the less stressful way to go, honestly. I just love seeing the weight come off this first week, because I have been wanting it for so long now. :) I'm finally down 5lbs. It makes me so happy and excited. I know it's 5lbs gone FOREVER!! I am never going back to the way things were.

In a few minutes I am finally going to make my daughter her breakfast and then get on doing a Turbo Jam tape. :) Get myself moving a little bit! I doubt I can really move at all in my room, being such a small space, and my kids are "camping out" in the living room. My youngest is still sleeping in her tent, so I can't do it in there. lol I need to hook my WiiFit up in my room. That would work better! (I'm also saving up for that new Wii exercise thing with the webcam. That is what I really want in life. :D)

Breakfast Today:

- (2) Light Maple Turkey Sausage Links - 86 cals

- (1) Thomas Bagel Thin - 110 cals

- FF Cream Cheese - 45 cals

- Coffee - 20 cals

- (1) Sargento Light Cheese stick - 70 cals

Total Breakfast Cals - 331 Cals

Lunch day 3

2010-02-25T10:17:00.000-08:00

I had Ravioli Florentine which was SO delicious for lunch. :) It had spinach and cheese inside along with fresh veggies in the sauce. If you get the chance to try it, please do! Great lunch entree! I'm also proud of myself. I felt like I needed to eat more because it was lunch and I can't just have one thing for lunch! However, I knew I wasn't hungry and knew I thought I needed it, but didn't need it. That's a huge obstacle to overcome for me!! (A serious overeater!)

Ravioli Florentine (HC) - 260 cals

Breakfast Day 3

2010-02-25T09:00:00.000-08:00

Breakfast was a big one for me since I was so hungry. I probably used half of my calories for the day for breakfast today. I can't promise that I won't go over my 1200 for the day, but I do have that buffer zone knowing that the ideal daily calories for my height, current weight and ideal weight is actually 1600. I will never go that high, but I know that there is that leeway. I also realized that now you can download Nutrisystem apps on the iPhone. A savior for me! I can still enter my grocery store foods on my iPhone and feel comfortable that I can count my calories that way. Thank you, Nutrisystem! :D

The weather is so shitty today. It's snowing like mad and I had to drive to the grocery store this morning. We're supposed to get 12 inches today and 12 tomorrow. I wasn't sure when the next time would be that I would get out of the house, so I went out and got tuna, some Special K crackers and so on. Yum. I needed fruits, veggies and other healthy stuff so I wouldn't binge on crap food. (Even though I am trying to phase out the crap food of our house all together so my family would be healthy as well.)

Breakfast today:

Eggo Nutrigrain Low Fat Waffles - 170 Cals for 2

Smart Balance Margarine - 45 cals (I didn't have enough to really = 45.)

Brown N Serve Light Maple Turkey Sausage - 130 cals for 3

Coffee - (Free since it was black)

Cals - 340

Day 2 - One post all day!

2010-02-24T18:45:00.000-08:00

I had to weigh myself today. I mean, come on! lol I think a lot of people want to weigh in the day after they start to see if they're "doing something right". I lost 3lbs. It's just from radically reducing my caloric intake, but I'm happy. It's a start. I really should drink more water because I know I can lose some water weight too. :)

Today was way too busy, I didn't get to list everything I ate anywhere. I need a smaller notebook to keep my information in. Just so I can have it at hand at any given moment. Basically, this was my day.

Breakfast:

- Small bowl of Kashi (120 cals)

- Coffee (20 cals)

- Bagel thin (110 cals)

- Cream cheese FF (3o cals)

- Banana (??)

Approx: 280 cals

Lunch:

- LC Mac and Cheese (290 cals)

- Salad w/ LF bleu cheese crumbles (70 cals)

Approx: 360 cals

Dinner:

- Beef something LC lol (290 cals)

- HC Chicken Soup (100 cals)

Approx: 390 cals

1030 cals for the day. (APPROX)

Lunch 02/23/10 Day 1

2010-02-23T15:44:00.000-08:00

I woke up at 1pm today, had breakfast then and had to run errands. So I hate a late lunch at 5pm. I didn't have any snacks. I kept to the Nutrisystem nutrition facts for lunch, but added a carb since I need to lose close to 100lbs. I had always periodically had a carb with my program because it keeps me fuller longer. I only have it occasionally when I have an entree that I may want one with. (Such as Italian) I need to get bottles of water and haven't had any yet, though Crystal Light does count as a water serving.

Lunch:

- Smart Ones Ziti Entree
Cals - 320

-Thomas LF Bagel Thin

Cals - 110

- FF Cream Cheese

Cals - 30 (Though I know I didn't have enough to qualify as 30, Still counting it.)

- Crystal Light Iced Tea

Cals - 5 (Also water serving)

Total Lunch Cals: 465 Cals

Total Cals Today: 755 Cals

Total Left For Today: 445 Cals

I can defintiely keep to 445 cals for dinner. I probably won't have a dessert tonight because I won't be hungry and I don't want to eat after 9 or 10 pm. :)

Starting my diet... Day 1...

2010-02-23T10:49:00.000-08:00

As I said on my sidebar, I have been battling with weight all of my life. The thinnest I had ever been, was when I started college. Before I got pregnant with DD#1. I had been on the Atkins diet, and I deprived myself everything white, counted carbs like a maniac, went to the gym for TWO hours a day every single blessed day and even worked out at home. I was a fitness MANIAC. It was good, because I felt great and thought I looked great, but the fact of the matter was, I was unhappy doing all of that. When I started college, I couldn't maintain it with classes and homework, gained the Freshman 15 and then got pregnant that February. (0f 2004) Flash forward to 2010, another daughter later, I lost some weight on Nutrisystem, but gained it all back. I need to start again because I feel unhappy, I'm very unhappy with the weight I have gained, and I feel like I won't be able to catch up with my kids. I don't look fat, but I always feared getting overly obese. After all, obesity runs in my family. I'm going to start before I get to that place. The bad food willl always be there for occasional cheats (not that I'm planning any) or they will be there in moderation when I have reached my goal weight.

Breakfast:

- Kashi Honey Cinnamon Oatmeal

Cals - 150

- Coffee w/ Milk (Fat free, over the moon)

Cals - 10

- Yoplait Light - Blueberry Pie

Cals - 100

- 2 sugar cubes (in coffee)

Cals - 30

* I couldn't find any splenda. I need to get some of that at the store today.

BREAKFAST CALS - 290