Update time!

Hi and I don't know how many people are looking at this blog, I guess I need to promote it.  I am so happy because I just weighed in at 249.5 this morning!!!! I am so excited!!! I am not going to update my ticker until I get my final weigh in for the week on Sunday and will let you know what that is.  For now, saying goodbye to the 250s and 260 is enough for me, I couldn't be happier!! I will never get that overweight again!! I think that being overweight and out of shape is unbearable and this new life is giving me more energy and stamina already.  I can spend 20 minutes on the same machine doing cardio at the gym where I could just barely do 10 minutes when I first started.  It doesn't take me too long to walk a fast mile either where I started with just a few laps at a time.  It is starting to make me feel better and I love it!! I spend between 30-45 minutes at the gym now and that includes rotating upper and lower body weights every other day.  I want to improve on all of that too as I go and to drop my calories in about another 2 months to 1500 to see how much further I can go down.  I won't stop until I reach 200 which is my goal.  I want to go lower than that but hey, 60 pounds off of me would be a great start!!!  Thanks for reading and I hope to see you again on my blog soon!!! xoxo

Discipline

It's funny how having the discipline to do this diet has changed me.  I never used to think that I had it in me.  I was always afraid to start dieting because I figured I would just binge on food or I would just say "oh what the heck, I can always start again tomorrow" but for some reason, this time is different.  I am finding that the discipline is what is helping me lose and be successful.  It is control that I am feeling.  It is a sense of purpose combined with the self esteem that comes from knowing that I am working on the art of self-mastery.  I am so happy for this diet and so happy that I am showing myself that I can do it.  I have the discipline to see it through to the end and to be a person that is a healthy eater after my diet and forever.

A new recipe? how droll.....stop the coach!!

Lianna's Chinese Chicken Salad

1 oz canned Chicken - 30 cals
1 1/2 C prepack coleslaw (cabbage and carrots all shredded) - 25 cals
3 black olives sliced - 25 cals
1/4 red bell pepper finely chopped - mostly free
2 Tbls fat free sesame dressing - 90 cals

all total - 170 calories!!  Mix all ingredients and toss in dressing.  Soooo yummy!!  I had it with a Healthy Choice Cafe Steamer for lunch today called Chicken Fresca which was chicken and veg's in a lite cream sauce for only 230 calories!! And it was sooo good and very filling!  My lunch today was tons of food and satisfaction for 400 calories.  Can your lunch do that? hehe - see you soon!! :)

After 2 whole weeks....7.5lbs lost!

I am so excited!!  What a great feeling it is to lose weight and know that you are making yourself healthier everyday by the good choices you make.  I have been having fun playing the "counting" game and seeing how much I can really eat for the 1800 calories I give myself and I have been pleasantly surprised!  I really feel full and have not suffered for the lack of food.  I am in awe that I have been able to do this and that I haven't given up yet.  I don't plan on ever giving up.  It is just too important to me and feeling good will be a good payoff when I am done.  I am so happy that there is gum to chew..LOL - I can't tell you how many times that gum has given me the satisfaction that I really want.  It is easy to chew and helps you want to drink water.  I have found that Extra has some really good new flavors and a lot of them are fruity - me likey a lot.  I also love to eat my grahams and milk as a treat, that has saved me too.  I usually save 2 full sheets of graham crackers and 8 oz of milk as my last calories of the day and to be eaten and enjoyed after my babies are sound asleep and off to dreamland.  I need a little break and a treat after a day of dieting and that does the trick just perfectly.  I am going to be out of town this week from Thursday through Sunday so I am going to have to be creative about my choices while on the road.  I don't think it is anything that a little planning can't resolve.  We are driving to Steamboat Springs Colorado and it is a  6 hour journey from Salt Lake.  I plan on loading up a snack/lunch/treat box with healthy stuff for me and my kids.  I think it will make the trip nicer for us and it will mean less temptation from the gas stations we will inevitably visit with their wide variety of high calorie snacks and sweets that always seem fun to eat on a trip.  I used to be notorious for that kind of stuff...sunflower seeds, bubble gum, lots of candy bars and of course something sour like sweetarts, nerds or sprees...LOL.  Now, my snacks will include a bag of cut up apples and some carrots along with some celery.  I will also take my snack packs and some premade turkey sandwichs made especially for calorie counting.  These are all good things for sharing with Sean and the boys as well.  Yay for preparation and making sure you can keep with your diet, regardless of the situation.
             I made it to the gym for a workout 3 times this week.  Each time I tried to spend at least 30 minutes in actually working out.  I usually go to the eliptical machines for 10 or 15 and the stationary bikes for the same then I finish up by trying to or coming close to walking a mile.  I also did some good gardening that took up a lot of calories.  I tried to park a ways away from places I went to also so I could get some exercise in that way too.  I kind of feel like the gym is too boring to be going to 5 times a week for just work out stuff.  I like going to the gym with Camo for his swimming classes and not feeling like my workout is waiting on top of that and not to mention the time that it all takes.  I am going to try doing some work on my mini trampoline as well because I have heard that is good for cardio activity.  I want to make the workout and exercise as fun and not boring as I can.
            Anyways,  this is it for today.  I am so happy for my weight loss so far and I am here to support and help anyone who wants to try it with me, good luck if you do!!  I am here to share that experience with you.  I hope you all have a good week and I will be blogging all throughout this week to add my thoughts and anything I can think of that helps.  See you on the scales!!!!

Top 10 healthy snacks I love to eat

1. 1/2 C Mountain High Vanilla yogurt and 1 C frozen berries (raspberries, blueberries and marionberries)
Total calories = 160
2. Nabisco Oreo 100 calorie snack packs - nuff said!!
3. 1 small gala apple - Total calories is just 70
4. 5 C air popped corn with no calorie butter spray - Total calories = 75
5. 2 sheets of graham crackers and 8 oz nonfat milk - Total calories = 210
6. Sliced cucumbers with chili lime salt (oh soooo good!!)  8 calories in a 1 C portion - thats nothing!
7. 1 C sliced fresh strawberries just 30 calories
8.  1 piece of whole wheat toast with no calories butter spray,  a teeny sprinkle of sugar and cinnamon - app 80 calories - mmmm
9. Nabisco 100 calorie snacks packs of cheezits and chex party mix (whatever its called)  that satisfies my need to crunch!!
10. any sort of low cal fruits that I can get on sale like a mango - again with chili lime salt (believe it or not) its the ultimate fruit and veggie booster!! Sooo good!  1 whole mango is 130 calories.

Enjoy and please add your own favorite low cal snacks to my list in the comments!

What I changed...

I decided to post the top 5 things that I changed for the better.  There are many more things I can change and will change but these are the top things that made a difference for me in my decision to go on a diet or I should actually say decision to change my health and eating forever.

1.  First, I stopped drinking soda everyday, completely.  I loved Sprite so much that I drank it every single day and up to 104oz on some days.  Can you believe that?? Boy, that is yet another answer to why I am fat.  Soda is simply horrible for your body.  It robs your body of much needed calcium,  adds no nutrition to your body whatsoever, and almost doubles your chances of having kidney problems.  It should be a no brainer but it was very hard to quit.  I did quit though and I am so happy I did.  Right now I drink mostly water and allow myself measured portions of milk so I can count the calories.  Water is healing and your body needs it in so many ways.  I know that drinking water is the best thing I can do to lose weight.

2.  I stopped eating butter.  Ouch, that hurt to give it up but I had to.  I found a no calorie spray called "I can't believe it's not butter" and that works great for a quick spray of buttery taste and especially on popcorn or toast.  It tastes great and does the trick.

3. I don't eat anymore sugary treats at all in any form.  I realize that I could possibly fold it into my daily calories but I have learned that sugar is bad for your body.  Your body doesn't  know how to metabolize it fast enough so it turns to fat.  I do allow myself to have a weight watcher brownie sundae once in a while but not much.  I look for foods that have natural sugar or no sugar.  I don't like fake sugar either so I skip that.  The good thing about it is that you lose the cravings as time goes by.  I don't think I will ever go back to eating them because of what I know.

4. I decided to stick with 1800 calories everyday.  I have read where you should take the weight you want to be at and multiple that by 10.  I hope someday to be back to that but I think it will take a while.  I don't care because I won't give up.  I haven't weaned Tyler yet so I think that 1800 is safe for me to continue nursing.  Years ago when I was on Jenny Craig, I started at 1700 calories per day and I lost 40 pounds.  This time around, I am much fatter so I don't think it will hurt to go with 1800.  I have lost 5 pounds so my body is obviously responding to it.  I will go down in daily calories as I get closer to my goal weight.

5. I eat a lot of salad.  Veggies are so good for us and there are many that you can eat without any guilt.  I found out that one cup of sliced cucumbers is only 8 calories!! lol.  There is also celery, romaine, red bell peppers and carrots that are low in calories among others.  I found a delicious fat free dressing and I just go from there.  I make a delicious salad with all my fav veggies and my dressing measured out and I go to town!  I even add a few calorie counted croutons sometimes and its fantastic.  I don't mind eating salad every day.  It's important to eat fresh fruits and veggies everyday in order to have a healthy weight loss.

These things have really helped me and I am searching everyday for more things I can do.  I have been working out at the gym 4 to 5 days a week and that is yet another big change for me.  I can't wait to get more weight off!  Thanks for reading!

Welcome to my weight loss journey!

Hi and thank you for stopping by!  I am a food-a-holic!! I have gained so much weight that I am just miserable and have finally reached my breaking point.  I can't go on this way, not being the mother of two beautiful and energetic boys....nu-uh, not going to happen.  They need me.  They need a Mom that can run and play with them.  They need me to feel good so I can care for them properly.  They need me and so I have to fix me.  My two sons are my life and my inspiration.  They are such joys to me and I love them like I never thought I could love anyone.  They are my life in every sense of the word.  This last year I was nursing and never thought that practical weight loss applied to me because nursing Moms aren't supposed to lose weight or count calories.  But you know something?  They aren't supposed to guzzle Sprite, eat chocolate donuts, devour chocolate or eat too much at every meal either!  I had a lingering question all that time...."gee...why am I so fat?" and now I know.  When you start to count calories, it opens your eyes!!  One example I will use is butter.  I was born loving butter and never stopped.  Who doesn't love butter?  It goes on everything from toast to veggies to popcorn and the more you have, the better the food tastes that you cake it on to.  I love butter.  I never once stopped to realize that butter on its own has a whopping 100 calories PER TABLESPOON....hit me over the head with a hammer why don't you.  I never knew that...ever.  That is just one of the answers to why I am fat and I found dozens more.  So...needless to say, I found my way to the thought of counting calories and striking down the walls I have built with food for self-medication and for comfort.  I changed radically!!! And so can anyone of you who are reading this blog.  I know I can lose weight now!  I changed my habits and changed my foods and counted my calories (1800 for me) for one week and off came 4lbs just like that!  I know it is a lifestyle change and that I will not be able to keep up the bad habits I had or I will risk all kinds of bad health not to mention harming my children's future by my lack of participation in it.  I am in this for the long haul and will not give up.  I am counting and losing and you can too!  Please hang in to this blog and follow me on my path to health and hopefully, I can make a difference in your life every bit as much as you will in mine by just being here.  Until next time!! See you on the scales!!! and may our healthy choices last a lifetime!!!  Stay tuned!