New Years Resolution..

Usually this time of year, I am making that New Year's Resolution that I am going to lose weight and get healthy and that last about a day until we decide to order pizza on New Years Day.  This year my New Years Resolution is to Keep Moving Forward.  That means keep doing what I am doing and making the changes that I am making a permanent part of my life.  I have started the changes over the last 2 months and I have seen results.  Now it is just a matter of realizing that this change is a constant marathon.  Even when I lose all the weight and I have ran the 5K that I made as a goal, I am still going to have to be vigilant about what I eat and how I fuel my body.  I know that putting on the weight is so much easier that taking it off. 

This journey is not about fitting in a dress or getting skinny for an event, but is about finding the healthy me and letting her out for rest of my life and never again allowing myself to fall back into the unhealthy lifestyle.  I deserve this change and I deserve to be able to be proud of myself.  I deserve to put my health first and foremost in my life.  I want to be able to go out and know that I am presenting the real me.  It is about letting go of of that overweight shell and allowing the healthy me shine. 

I am sure that on this marathon of life, there will be times that I stumble over and obstacle or find a road block in my path, but the important part is that I find away around the roadblock and get back up when I stumble.  I do not have to win this race by being the fastest to meet my goal, but instead winning for me will be the fact that I never give up and keep going for the rest of my life. 

So here is the food update, I had a smoothie for breakfast, a turkey sandwich for lunch.  I have not planned dinner yet. but I will make a healthy choice. 

Happy New Years Everyone!!!

Take Care tonight and stay safe...catch you in 2012!!!

Weigh in day

So I weighed in on Friday due to the the holidays again and lost another 4 pounds.  That is right a pound away from 60!!!  I am so happy, I am taking things one week at time and the goal is for the scale to go down every week. 

I am sorry I did not bog last night, but it was date night and F and I saw The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.  I have never read the book, but the movie was slow moving...I have to say I enjoy any movie with Daniel Craig. 

Yesterday, I had a smoothie from breakfast, a Kashi bar for lunch, and turkey for dinner.  Then I went out had had fun..

Today I had a turkey sandwich for breakfast.  Why?  Well one I did not have the fruit for the smoothie and no milk for cereal so I just tried to find something healthy!  C has a performance for a camp that she has been in, so I get to see my little girl dance which always makes me happy. Then we have plans to go out to dinner with friends, so I am planning on eating before the performance and just have a salad at dinner.

Time for me to get to work.

Talk to you later...

Thank you Honey!!

F and C got me a smoothie maker for Christmas and today was the first day I had to use it.  It made my smoothie in a quarter of the time and it was very well blended and the clean up is much easier.  Thank you honey.

So since I started with a smoothie, I decided to do an unprocessed food day. Strawberry banana smoothie for lunch,  salad for lunch.  Chicken breast and veggies for dinner. 

So work is busy, but I am home which is always a bonus. 

I am planning on doing a little clothes shopping this weekend.  I am also going to try and get a spa appointment.  I have to weigh in on Friday because of the New Years Holiday. 

Take Care...talk to you later

My jeans......

So I have a pair of jeans that used to be tight...now they are so baggy in the butt that they are sagging..it is not attractive.  I need to go shopping for some new clothes, but I do not want to buy a new wardrobe that often.

I had a pretty good day as far as food goes.  I had some turkey and stuffing for breakfast.  That really kept me full all day.  I had a salad and turkey and stuffing for dinner. An okay day not the best.  I am need to stop and buy some frozen strawberries for a smoothie tomorrow.  I am missing them


I found a really cool picture of what 5 punds of fat looks like and I am just thinking that if I take that picture and mulitply it by 11 that equals that fat I have loss.  It was a great visualization.

Take care all...

Day off...Wow I I don't remember what that is like.

I was off from work today though I am on call so I am not really off..but okay I digress.  Today was a weird day.  I slept in, so I was not really hungry until around noon.  I had a turkey sandwich and double fiber whole wheat bread.  Dinner was a cup of stuffing from yesterday and some turkey.  F and I are getting ready to go out tonight, so I am planning on making sure there is a Kashi bar in my purse just in case.

F was home all day, so it was a really laid back day.  I can not wait to try out the smoothie maker that F got me for Christmas.  I am planning on picking some fruit up at the store tomorrow so I can try it out.

Talk to you later...take care.

Christmas dinner is done and Yeah the worse of the holidays is over..

So the morning started early with presents to open.  Christmas has been a great day.  I made F and C breakfast of eggs, bacon and toast.  I had a banana and celery.  Yeah not a typical breakfast I know... Lunch was some stuffing, I had to taste it to make sure the seasoning was right. I made it very low fat, skipping the butter in the recipe all together, so I decided to make it lunch rather than extra calories...Dinner was turkey, some mashed potatoes (mine without the added butter) a little stuffing, and Turkey.  I made one small plate and that was it no seconds and no over loaded plate.  I could not even finish the whole plate.  I left some stuffing and turkey still on the plate. I do not feel stuffed and tired.  I have fed my body and it told me when it had enough.  There is going to be tons of leftovers, but that should keep the family fed for the next week between the ham and turkey and all the side dishes. 

I am technically off tomorrow, but I am on call so that means I am never off..my goal the rest of the week is just to do what I have been doing and add in some exercise.

I hope every one had a Merry Christmas!!

Talk to you later...Take care and be healthy!

Christmas Eve....I just want to make it through the holidays..

So today is Christmas Eve and I am just trying to make it through the holidays.  I started out the day having a nice smoothie.  Lunch is a kashi bar and some V-8 juice. F and C are heading out to pick up the Christmas Eve dinner for them..a ham.  Plans for tomorrow are turkey and ham, mashed potatoes, stuffing, green beans, and rolls...I will be making them as healthy as possible.  Then it is just a matter of making the right choices..

I am home next week and have monday off, so that should be a nice week, but wee will see..

I am so happy to have blown away my Christmas goal by losing 55 pounds by Christmas.   Yesterday, we went to a Warm Drink party and it was fun hanging out with friends. 

So Merry Christmas and Frohe Weihnachten. 

Talk to you later...

Weigh in a day early

Due to Christmas Eve being tomorrow, I had to weigh in a day early....I lost 3.5 pounds this week and that added to the 51.5 total from last week means I have lost 55 pounds before Christmas.  Merry Christmas to me.  I just have to make through Christmas and I should be through the major temptations of the season. 

I just had my breakfast which was a wonderful Strawberry Banana Smoothie.  C and F are both home today, but I am still working so yuck..

I will update later...

Talk to you later...

Every day I get a little healthier..

At least that is I keep telling myself as I resist the urge to open the cookie container and sample my baking.  One cookie would lead to two and so on.., so instead I have a some vegetables.  It is a good choice for me, but not always an easy one to make.  

This morning started off with some Kashi cereal and some V-8 Juice,  lunch was salad, and dinner was a microwaved Sweet and Sour Weight watcher meal.  F is home and it is great to have him home. So we are going out on the town tonight.   Tomorrow, the plan is to go to a Warm Drink Party and I will be making Gluhwein...Though I do not think that I will be partaking, but we will see.

So my blog is going to be short because I need to get ready...

Take care and talk to me later..

Husband is home to save me from the cookies

So the best news of the day is that F is home!!  Yeah someone to eat all of these Christmas cookies!!  This morning I had an avocado around noon.  Yeah that is right around noon, because I was dealing with yeaterday's work fall out and getting something else done and lost track of the time.  The something else was dealing with the Staples screw up of my Christmas gift for my nephew.  I ended the first phone call with a promise from the supervisor that she was going to take care of it and call me as soon as she had more information.  Then I picked up C and came home to more work waitng for F to get home.  At 6:00, I had still not heard from the Staples person, so I called back and was literally on hold for one person or another for 40 minutes, while I was on the phone F got here and I missed the first hug and stuff because I was telling the person that they were going to rectify this immediately.  After another 1/2 hour on the phone with the supervisor, being told there was nothing they could do but cancel order or deliver it after the new year.  I cancelled the order, ordered the same thing somewhere else paid an extra $5 for shipping and it will get there Friday or Saturday.  Then I called Staples back to because it was the Visa Gift card vendor who told me he could not do anything, nor could he call Staples do get them to pay for the expediated shipping, because he did not have there phone number... Anyway, Staples apologized and gave me a $50 gift certificate for staples as compensation.  I finally had a microwave dinner from Weight watchers around 8:30.

Now I am chilling with F watching all the shows I DVR'd for him...

Take care and talk to you later...

Work was horrible and I was exhausted

Yesterday was one of those days work wise where I wish I could just fast forward through the day.  I was on fix it duty, for someone elses issues.  It was one of those days when you look at it and say "What did we learn today so that it never happens again.

As far as my diet, it actually ended up being another almost unprocessed food day.  I was not very hungry in the morning, so I made a little fruit salad with apples, grapes, and some left over frozen peaches.  Lunch was salad of cucumbers, and green peppers.  Dinner it was just easiest to take some of the left over chicken breast, cut it up, and thrown it on top of green salad and cut up some avocado. It was very good.  I say almost unprocessed because I had my Coke Zero which is totally processed.

After making more cookies with C, it is a long story.  I put her to bed and then basically passed out on the couch only to wake up at 6:30 this morning...hence why yesterdays blog is being written now..

By the way, if I ever need more motivation to lose the weight and get healthy this article will do it...

http://www.lef.org/news/LefDailyNews.htm?NewsID=12025&Section=DISEASE&utm_source=DailyHealthBulletin&utm_medium=email&utm_term=Disease&utm_content=Body+Title&utm_campaign=DHB_111220

it is all about how obesity is linked to worse outcomes in breast cancer treament.  While I pray to avoid being diagnosed all together, if I ever was I would like to be as strong as possible to fight it.

F comes home later today, and I have another busy day ahead.

Talk to you later today...Take care

Unprocessed food day and I am done Christmas shopping...

So I started the morning off, with a fabulous Strawberry Banana Plain non fat yogurt smoothie.  Around lunch time, I was not really nugry so a made a cucumber salad and threw in some green peppers too.  It tasted so good.  I had not had any Coke Zero yet, so I thought might as well make this an unprocessed food day.  picked up an organic chicken breast and broiled it and had cauliflower to go with it.  It was really good. 

So after dinner, I went out to finish my christmas shopping.  I got C the Justin Bieber perfume, she wanted and bunch of harder chapter books.  I picked authors like Beverly Clearly, Judy Blume, and Carolyn Hennessey.  The first two I remember reading when I was her age and the third one does a Pandora series. The description seemed very cool.  She loves to read and has the most accelerated reader points of any one in her class.  I also got her a new wall calendar with Bunnies and their Friends, basically cats and dogs and other animals.  It is too cute.

I made an appointment with my PCP today for a physical, since I want to get a bunch of things checked or get referral for things.  The soonest I get an appointment in not until the end of January, so the tests will have to weight a month.  Oh well gives me time to lose more weight before I see her and impress her even more. 

On the weight loss note, more clothes not fitting to the point they may have to be put away.  i have this long black skirt.  I put it on today and kept having to pull it up because it would fall off my waist so much that the skirt would be dragging the ground.  Oh well,  I am sure F will be happy to see it go, he calls it my "I want to look Frumpy leave me alone skirt."



Well time to chill and then hide the stuff I bought somewhere that C will not find it, so I am thnking on top of the litter box or in her room in her closet. LOL Just kidding...

Talk to you later...Take care.

What kind of person makes Christmas cookies when she is not going to eat any???

The simple answer A MOM!!.  C wanted to make Christmas cookies , so we maded 2 dozen for home and another 2 dozen for school...I am pround to say not a drop of dough, or frosting and not even a crumb of cookie passed my lips...

For breakfast, I had Kashi cereal.  Then it was time to make the cookies.  Then we were watching Christmas shows.  I had a salad for lunch.  Dinner was baked chicken and vegetables.  Pretty boring but I guess I am happy with a little boring. 

I still have Christmas shopping to do, so tomorrow is babysitter night and I go shopping and hopefully finish quickly.  I hate malls this time of year. 

The coming week at work is going to be super busy, we have a lot a things that we are doing this week.  Most of  requirements that take affect in January that we are trying ot get in before the holidays.  I have to remember that I need to eat. 

Talk to you later...

Check off the Christmas gft to myself-Weigh in day

So as you may or may not remember, a couple of weeks ago I said that  my goal was to lose 50 pounds by Christmas as a gift to myself and YES I have made my goal.  I lost 9.5 pounds this week!!!! I knew I was retaining water last week. 

So I have to tell you I saw a new doctor today to go over my weight loss progress, I see a doctor once a month.  I LOVE THE NEW DOCTOR!!! The first great MD experience I have had since I started this journey.  First she complimented me on my fabulous progress and then we talked about hormones and maybe I should get my thyroid checked again.  I have had my thyroid check several times and it always come back normal.  She asked if I have ever been told that I have cysts on my ovaries.  I told that on several occassions I have had been told that.  She said that I may have Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, which affects hormones and weight.  She said that I should try to follow up with my OB/GYN and see about being put on Metformin, which will help with the hormones that cause the cysts and will also help with weight loss because it affects insulin production.  Wow, I am so impressed, a physician that talked to me and wants to find out how she can help with my long-term weight loss.  I will make an appointment with my regular MD to discuss both issues and then probably my OB/GYN to discuss the cysts on my ovaries.   I would really like to be able to have another baby eventually. 

After the weigh in, I went to have my new contact lens checked.  I bought C a dress for church on Christmas. I left the mall as quick as possible and then stopped at Office Depot and got printer paper.  Then it was off to the grocery store and I got fresh fruits and veggies and lots of good stuff for dinner this week.

I had Kashi cereal this morning, before I left for the day.  It is time to have some lunch.  It will probably be a salad for lunch.

Total weight loss so far 51.5 pounds...OMG I am so proud of myself...I am so glad I decided it was time to make a change...

Take care and talk to you later.

Christmas is coming and the Goose is getting fat...but I will not

Everywhere you look there are temptations during the Christmas season, whether it is cookies, candies, alcoholic drinks, or even just the holiday meal yet again.  I am even tempting myself by making cookies with C.  She enjoys making cookies for Santa and I am not going to change this tradition just because I am dieting.  Resisting these temptations only make me stronger inside. 

Today was a good food day as I managed to get all my meals in and they tasted good,  For breakfast, I made a strawberry-banana non fat yogurt smoothie.  It was so good and hit the spot this morning.  It did not have as much fiber as Kashi cereal but it was made with good things that make my body stronger.  Lunch was a salad with avocado, cucumbers, and cauliflowers.   Another wonderful lunch.
Dinner was a weight watcher sweet and sour chicken.

By the way, does anyone know a good recipe to bring to a party that is low in fat and tastes fabulous and is hearty enough that that it can soak up alcohol.  F and I along with C will be going to a warm drink party for the holiday season,  The hosts are making those warm drinks associated with the holidays like mulled wine, gluhwein, etc and ask that you bring a dish to share that will help soak up the alcohol so we all do not get to drunk..HELP!!  

Tomorrow is a weigh in day and I hoping for a big number, but whatever happens happens..

Well time to clean up the kitchen in  preparation for cookie making tomorrow.

Talk to you later.

Bad Food Day!!

It is not what you think, I did not go to McDonalds and order a buger with super sized fries and milk shake....in fact it is the opposite!!  I did not eat enough.  I was so busy working and being on Conference calls that it was 11:00 before I remembered to pour some cereal while I had my phone muted, praying that they did not ask for my input when my mouth was full of Kashi.  It was 5:00, when it hit me that I had not had lunch at all and I was not hungry either and I had to run to go pick up C from school.   At around 8:00 pm tonight, I finally had a weight watcher meal, Sweet and Sour Chicken and a salad.  I am full and even if I wasn't, it is too late now to eat anything because I try not to eat after 10:00 or two hours before I go bed because when you sleep your metaoblism slows.  So realistically I am  looking at the fact that I managed to eat about 800 calories today. 

So why is that bad?  Because if you eat less than you should your body has the potential to go into starvation mode, which means it hold on to the fat and begins to breakdown muscle for food.  I do not want to lose muscle, I want to lose the fat.  So it was one day and my body will probably not go into starvation mode over one day, but I do not want to start a bad trend with my body either.  I have worked very hard to establish healthy habits over the last almost 2 months and now is not the time to mess with that schedule.

So my goal for tomorrow is to make the time in my day for me.  That means eating regularly and feeding my body the good nutrition that it needs to do the job I need it to of letting go of the fat. 

Have a good night...Talk to you later...

My pants are baggy!!!

Yeah that is right my pants are baggy...I am loving it...Okay that was my little celebration for today.  Today was my typical work from home day...Kashi cereal eaten at 11:00am because I had back to back Conference calls.  I had banana and some V-8 Juice around 4:00pm after picking up C from school.  Dinner was at 8:00 and I had baked chicken breast, cauliflower mash and some cucumber.  C is now in bed and I am doing a little more work and then going to bed early...Maybe if I can sleep which is always an issue.

So here is my story of the day, my husband cousin D is visiting her family in Europe. One of her flights was late and she missed her connection and her, her husband and her 3 kids were at the Delta counter trying to find alternative ways to get there.  I saw her post on facebook and commented on it, so she for whatever reason could not make the international call to let her parents know what was going on and asked for me to call her.  She gave me their number and I was calling to tell them to call her on her cell phone. This is F's aunt and uncle and I have only ever met his aunt like once when I was in Germany.  So here I am calling these people trying to use my limited vocabulary to tell them who I am, my mind goes blank as soon as I answer the phone, so I am trying to explain who I am and why I am calling.  I think I said I was F's wife like 6 times.  Luckily D's father speaks pretty good english so I was able to get the point across.  Hopefully, these two member's of my husband;s family do not think that I am total idiot.  I tell F the story and he laughs and says you should have called my parents and had them call them.  Oh well it all worked out and D got to talk to her mother.  I hope she makes it there before Christmas...

Well time to work..

Talk to you later.

Can I get more hours in the day...wait NO!! I would just work more.

So I have to say my body seemed to love the no processed foods yesterday, but I missed my Coke Zero and Kashi.  Anyway, this morning was filled with getting C to school and then coming home and went straight to work.  Around 10:30 after my first conference call I realized I had not eaten yet.  So a bowl of Kashi Honey Sunshine.  It tasted so good.  The more work and it seemed everytime I made progress on one project # more got thrown my way.  It was just craziness.  Around 3:00, I had a Kashi Protein bar and then more work was done.  I told C, I would pick her up at 4:00 from after care and when I looked up It was 4:30, so it was a rush to the school to get her.  She had not finished her homework, so it was dinner for C and homework, then rushing to get to dance class on time.  After 2 hours at dance, it was rushing home so that C could get ready for bed.  She finally was tucked in at 9:00 and then it was time for me to eat.  I decided to go easy and quick and had some of my roasted potatoes, broccoli, and non-fat cheddar dish. Then, yeah you guessed it!!, More work.  Just craziness....

I did watch the Biggest Loser Finale while I ate, whch for some reason in the past always made me feel self conscious.  Like Bob could some how see through the TV and see my munching on my McDonalds as he preached eating healthy and exercising.  Tonight though I knew I was on my way and while I made not lose the weight as quick as those contestants, I do not have a personal trainer riding me every day.  it is just me, myself and I in this battle.   I was very proud of the three finalists and they did a great job, but it reminds me of the fact of life that itis easier for men to lose weight than it is for women.  Those damn hormones!!

I promise I will not work all night....

Talk to you later...

Processed Food free day...I actually feel really good

I want to try to have one day a week where I do not eat any pre-processed foods.  So today was that day this week.  The first hurdle was not having any Coke Zero.  I don't drink coffee usually so Coke Zero is my source for caffeine but it is a totally  processed food so it was out today.  I started my morning with a peach smoothie made from plain non-fat yogurt (not sure if this is a processed food but it did not contain anything artificial so I am letting it slide) and frozen organic peaches.  A little tart but really good.  Lunch was a salad consisting of cucumbers, avocado, zucchini, and celery.  It was really good.  Dinner was an organic chicken breast which I broiled and had that with cucumber slices. 

I was expecting that I would give in a have some Coke Zero by now, but I have not! I am  just drinking water today. 

I told some the other day that I do not really consider this a diet it is more a change of my life and find myself asking: Is this food going to affect my healthy in a positive or negative way and if I find myself even thinking it would be negative than I just skip it. 

So I have set weight loss goals and shared them with you, so here is my first fitness goal.  When C starts soccer in January it will be her last season of recreational soccer.  In the fall, she wil move up to the Youth Development Program.  It is where she starts doing tournaments anyway.  One part of recreational soccer, at least on our team, is that near the end of the season we have a parents versus players game.  I have tried to play a couple times, but I am usually worn out after the first 10 minutes and hang back protecting the goal...Well since this may be her last Parents versus Players game,  I do not see that being part of YDP but I could be wrong, I want to be able to actually get out there and not feel like laying down on the field after 10 minutes.  I want to run and play.  I have got until around March.  I will let you know how it goes....

Talk to you later...

Restful Sunday? Yeah right I have a child!!

So today started with a trip out so C could practice soccer.  It was cold but fun to watch her and her friends playing a game they love.  Right as we were leaving for soccer fun, her friend A had her mom text asking for play date. So after soccer, I was frozen and we headed home for C to change and me to warm up and have some breakfast. I had a bowl of Kashi cereal. Well actually I guess you would call it lunch since it was after noon. Then I drove C to A's house and then went grocery shopping for the week. Once I got home, I had some lunch, which was a granola bar and a salad.   Dinner was cauliflower, broccoli, roasted potatoes and low fat cheddar cheese. Yummy...

F leaves tomorrow for VA.  So it is going to be an early morning driving him to the airport and then rushing to take C to school.  Wish me luck over the next 10 days..

Take care...Talk to you later. 

Spent the day...running errands and unwinding with my family

So after my weigh in this morning, I came home and chilled with C waiting for F to wake up.  I had some mashed potatoes that were left over from F's dinner this week. It was really about 1/2 cup and was enough to fill me up.  I was out of cereal so I had to eat something.  Once F was up, I ran to pick up my new glasses.  I have not gotten a new pair since we moved so I was way over due.  I went to Sears Optical which is a far cry from the place I went in VA.  My Optometrist in VA was the best. After that I went to pick up C's DS from being fixed.  I got home and was hungry.  Thankfully I found a Kashi bar in the pantry.  Around 4:00, I was slightly hungry so I had an apple.  I was not hungry until 8:00pm.  I had made F and C dinner, so I decided I should eat too.  I had Weight Watcher Sweet and Sour Chicken. 

F put up our outdoor Christmas lights today.  It looks so festive.  I am not really in the Christmas mood yet, but I am trying to get there.  Right now we are watching "The Polar Express" that is helping I think. Of course I am doing laundry at the same time so that probably is working against any spirit of Christmas.


Ok plans for tomorrow include Grocery Shopping for the week.  Making sure all of F's clothes are clean and ready to be packed for his 10 days in VA.  I am so jealous!  I would love to go visit too, but C has school.  It would be fun to hang out with friends.  C wants to go play soccer with E tomorrow morning.

Talk to you later..

Got in late and was tired...Weigh in today

Sorry I did not blog last night, but I was so tired by the time I got home that I just wanted to collapse and spend time with F.  I weighed in this morning bright and early and I lost 1 pound.  Usually, I would be upset at only losing a pound but between flying and PMS, I retaining lots of water, so I am just glad that the scale went down this week. 

I think next week will be a big weight loss and it will all even out.   Yesterday I had a No fat No Sugar, mixed berry blue corn muffin, lunch at the airport was a turkey sandwich for 13 dollars and they could not even give me one without mayo...I hate airport food.  I got home and had a Kashi bar because for one I was not hungry and two it was too late at night to have a large meal. 

I am glad to be home....sadly F leaves for VA on Monday and is there for 10 days, which means I am in working mom mode all week trying to balance my work with C's needs and I still have to get Christmas Shopping done.  F is done. I have a few more things to get for C.  Nieces and Nephews will be done on-line...probably today.

Talk to you later...

ITS ALIVE.....ITS ALIVE....

This was the name of my lunch today...a cute play on words for the Raw Salad and Raw bread that I had for lunch.  It was actually ok, but the  raw bread was not my taste.  Breakfast was a Blueberry, Banana and Almond scone...low fat and sugar free of course.  Dinner was grilled veggies and an appetizer of crab cakes..three mini broiled crab cakes, I skipped the tartar sauce. 

So I tried a raw diet this afternoon, because I am trying to expand my healthy food experiences.  Everyine at work thought I was crazy to order it, but was was the harm.  The salad had mesclun, cucumbers, tomatoes, avacado, mushrooms, and sunflower sprouts with a passion fruit Miso dressing.  They called the "bread"  Wheatless Essence bread.  The texture of the bread was what threw me for a loop.  I found that you had to take very small bites or it would stick to the roof of your mouth and that was not good for me. 

So of the food topic, I will never understand why people want to hurt other people.  The was a shooting today at Virginia Tech and 2 people lost their lives.  When I saw the news I ran to my phone to text L to make sure her daughter was okay.  Thankfully, she was, but today some parent is grieving the loss of child through mindless violence and a family is mouring the loss of a police officer.  My thoughts and prayers go out to everyine at Virginia Tech!!

Please be nice to each other!

Talk to you later!!

Today was a loooong day...

So it is after midnight and I am finally done working.  It is crazy I know!!  So today will be a short little blog...sorry..

Breakfast was a delicous low-fat sugar free Peach, mango,pineapple scone.  My boss took us out for lunch and I had salmon, some bread and a salad.  I was not hungry when I got to the hotel so I just had a Kashi bar, while I worked the night away..

Just a quick clarification from yesterday's blog.  I know that it is not just the mirror that can tell me that I am changing.  My clothes are fitting better.  By the way did you know that your fat cells store hormones.  I do, because as I lose weight my skin is breaking out like I am a teenager again.  I have alot more energy than I used to have so I am feeling better.  I am not giving up, this is a marathon not a sprint and the mirror will come I know.  F thinks that we should take a picture every month so I have photgraphic proof of the changes...I just hate looking at pictures of myself..but maybe I should bite the bullet and do it...

Talk to you later...good night!!

Perfumes and a Magic Mirror

I got to work this morning and after my first conference call went down and got a fat free sugar free apple cinnamon blue corn muffin.  Our receptionist got a new perfume that smelled like sugar cookies, That smell wafted through the office and stimulated my appetite. By lunchtime, I was really hungry.  So I had my large meal for lunch. It was a salmon filet, grilled veggies and fruit.  When I finished it, I was so full my stomach hurt.  I am still not hungry so dinner is going to be a granola bar.

I look in the mirror and even with 40 pounds lost I see absolutely no difference in how I look at all.  I wish I had a magic mirror like the evil queen had in Snow White.  Instead of asking who the fairest is, I would ask, "Mirror, Mirror, on the wall please show me what I look like a year from now."  I would hope that it would show me active and looking great, but I fear that it would show me the same size I am today....  I worry that the fact that I can not imagne myself looking healthy and fit is going to become a self fulfilling property.  This is me having a little pity party I guess..It to shall pass I am sure.

I hope that everyone is having a great night.

Talk to you later...

What is with airlines and nuts...

This is my week in LA....I got to the airport this morning and got the honor of being selected for the random full pat done and getting my hands wiped down and tested for explosives.. Nothing like starting a morning with getting your boobs felt up.   I got to the gate and was waiting.  I did not get the upgrade to First Class so I was organizingwhat I would need at my seat for the trip. I bought a Coke zero at the airport for when I woke up thristy because lord knows in coach they are not going to bring you a drink just because you are thristy.  Then I saw the granola bar I packed in my carry on and it hit me that it contains nuts...Now I am sensitive to the fact that people with severe nut allergies can be affect just by peanut powder being in the air.  I have a friend whose child has such an allergy, CR this is for you!!.  I decided to eat my granola bar at the gate, since I was a little hungry and then went and washed my hands just in cas the person sitting next to me was such a person.

Once I was all settles on the plane they handed out the breakfast for purchase menu to the coach passengers and I was really disturbed over half of the offerings contained peanuts. I asked the attendant what they would do if someone had a severe peanut allergy on the plane and her reaction was to look at me funny and shrug her shoulders.  Peanuts are common food allergy, why has half of your offerings contain peanuts?  This should change....SO if you fly, by pass the peanuts it just might save someones life...

The flight was okay.  The seat next to me ended up being empty so I had a little room to spread out and stretch my legs.. Not quite first class but not feeling like cattle either.

Work was cray when I got there, so I ended up have another granola bar for lunch.  Dinner is a salad with grilled shrimp and balsamic vinagrette and a side of grilled veggies.

Tomorrow is another busy day and I am sure I will will barely have time to eat again, but I am looking forward to scone in the morning...I hope they have a good flavor..

talk to you later...

talk to you later..

I don't like Mondays...

So today was a good food day...I had some cereal with banana slices this morning.  Lunch was a granola bar and some V-8 juice before we headed out to do some shopping.   I wanted to buy some new clothes for winter but, I changed my mind because another couple of weeks I  could be down a size.  Frank bought some shirts.  I had to take C's DS in to get fixed, the prongs for the game slot got bent so it would not work anymore.  ARGH..

For dinner, I made F and C some spaghetti, but decided I would have my roasted potatoes with broccoli and cheese again. It was really good.

Tomorrow I head out to LA and I did not get upgraded, so coach it is...  Oh well...

I am so glad to be making these changes but, today I was majorly grumpy because I have to leave tomorrow. I hate leaving my family.  I love my job, but it is hard to leave the people I love...

Planning on packing a granola bar, for the plane trip.  I will probably sleep most of the flight, but it is always good to have something to eat for the plane.

Talk to you tomorrow from LA.

Do you want a lollipop? Really!!! Are you serious!!!-Weigh in day

So today was weigh in day and I headed to the center.  I get there and walk in the door and little miss 20 year old size two looks at me and says, "Do you want a lollipop?"  She is presenting me with a cup a lollipops shaped like Santa's head.  I say, "No thanks", but I am thinking in my head, "Really are you serious?!! I am here to lose weight, I have things that tempted me all the time but I resist them.  You are supposed to be supporting this behavior and instead you are offering a frickin lollipop!!  Which by the way are pure sugar and very unhealthy!!!!"  She obviously just does not get it, a weight loss place is not a place for lollipops!!  While I am waiting, I see here offering them to several other people one and  everyone says no, and she looks at one of her co-workers and says, "Why doesn't anyone want a lollipop?"  I am thinking, "DUH!!!! First we are trying to lose weight and Second we are above the age of five!!!" 

So on to the news of the day...I lost 4.5 pounds this week and I guess somewhere along the way I missed a couple of .5 pounds in my weigh ins because I asked her subtract my current weight from my starting weight and I have lost 40.5 pounds in 6 weeks!!!!  I am so amazed and happy though I still can not tell a difference in my actual body.  I know it is hard when you look in the mirror every day.

I have 3 weeks until Christmas and I really would like the total to be 50 pounds by Christmas.  You know a little Christmas gift to myself...

I am in California next week, which is always a little more stressful for my body between traveling, time change, and having to eat out alot!!  I am planning on bring some Kashi bars for when I need them and to allow me to have some more control! 

I am looking forward to next year, I am envisioning this time next year that I can spend some weekends doing 5Ks and celebrating the fact that my health is better.  By the way, I may have to start a fund raising drive for the plastic surgery I am going to need afterwards to have the excess skin removal. It is a fact of life that after you lose large amounts of weight that the skin just does not snap back, especially if you have had children.  Depending on how many areas I need to have done I am realistically looking at needing $14,000 to $36,000 or more depending on how many body areas are affected and here is the kicker that makes me want to throw up.  Most insurances will not cover it unless you can document that the excess skin is causing issues and even in cases where you can document issues, the insurance will usually only cover it if the weight loss is a result WEIGHT LOSS SURGERY versus the person doing it themselves by making major life changes.  I just do not get it!! So why is it if I make a committment to myself and eat healthy and exercise and through that lose the weight over a period of time showing that I am serious that I am going to be punished by the insurance company.   I have got awhile before this is an issue, but please if you know any rich people that would willing to help a motivated girl out in about a year and half  or a plastic surgeon that you know that would be willing to do the surgery for free, please send them my way. 

Well time to hang with the family and enjoy my weekend...

Talk to you later....

I am in a funky mood....

So breakfast this morning, was the frozen cherries just mixed in the yogurt with a little kashi cereal on top...Very nice and filling.. Lunch was some V-8 juice and Granola bar while I was on a conference call.  Dinner was chicken with zucchini and squash and whole wheat penne pasta.  Everything was really good.. 

I weigh in tomorrow and hoping that I get good results but whatever happens I know I have eaten healthy. 

I was listening to music today and noticed I am in a funky mood by my music choices...but I have to say that my favorite song right now it "Fat Chick's Revenge" by Storm Large.  I think this is my theme song for this journey.  It is motivating and reminds me that just because some one puts you down because of you weight does not mean that you can not have the last word.   I am so going to enjoy this...

Talk to you later...

Today was a Smoothie day..

I woke up this morning and took C to school.  F asked for me to pick him up breakfast at BK on the way back because he wanted a crossandwich!! I got hoem with the Fast Food bag and decided that it was time for my breakfast as well.  Today I made my first smoothie...I took some frozen cherries and non-fat yougurt and blended it until smooth.  It was a very refreshing breakfast and not too sweet!  It hit the spot.   Lunch was a Kashi Granola bar and a glass of V-8 juice.  For dinner I had a Healthy Choice Steam bowl that was called Basil Grilled chicken and whole wheat pasta and another glass of V-8 juice. 

Now I am watching Santa Claus is Coming to Town with C.  Perfect night.

No rants tonight...just a simple thank you for support..

Talk to you later.

No Turkey today!!!

So today was a no turkey day and I enjoyed it!  I had some Kashi cereal for breakfast and protein bar...the plans to go shopping after dropping C off went out the window as I was tired and had an early conference call.  Dinner was a lovely weight watcher frozen dinner of Shrimp Alfredo...It was very good. 

I have a couple more days left and then it is back to traveling, which is a pain.  I love that my job allows me to take care of my family and do what I am good at, but that does not mean that the travel does not cause me stress...It does and it is exhausting. 

So I have been thinking alot about the flavoring and sweetners that are in the food that we eat and how that contributes to childhood obesity.  I was an ovr weight child, but I remember that it was a big deal because I was one of very few children that was overweight in my schools.  When I pick C up at school I see more kids who are overweight or borderline overweight.  I keep wondering what contributes to this...it is easy to say that it is videos and TV having seemingly replaced playing outdoors.  It could be that the parents do not have the time with both parents working to take children to organized sports nor do they have time to cook meals and depend way too much on Fast Food.  I find few things that I think also may contribute.

 I know from C's school that more often then I would like when I ask what she did at PE I hear that they watched a movie.  I remember that even on rainy or snowy days, we had a gym and frequently had PE indoors during the winter months...In fact I can never remember watching a movie during PE. 

Second, when I went to school, we had 3 recesses during a school day.  One in the morning, one at lunch and one in the afternoon, whenever possible we went outside for these recesses. C's school has no recess at all. Next is that because we as a society have gone away from cooking from scratch, for whatever reason, we have become dependent on these prepared, processed foods.  They are addictive and not healthy. 

Third and probably most disturbing is that due to the economic issues that our coutnry is currently facing, these processed foods are the cheaper option at the grocery store.  It is more expensive to buy fresh fruits, vegetables,  and if you eat it meats.  it is much cheaper to go to a Warehouse Store and buy a huge bag of processed chicken nuggets and pizza rolls.  In addition because more people are struggling financially, it means more kids are dependent on the free school breakfast and lunch options to make sure that their children get at least 2 meals a day provided to them.  When you consider that the government has declared that the processed tomato paste on the pizza count as vegetable, it only makes this matter worse.  I feel like our schools need to open their eyes and see that our kids are getting heavier and instead offer healthy alternatives to children.  Salads instead of fries that kind of thing.  We as parents need to demand it, but that is hard to do when the funding to our schools is getting cut every day, it is hard to justify spending more money for healthy food, when teachers are being laid off and kids are being stuffed into classrooms where there are too many kids for one teacher to handle. 

Don't get me wrong, I know as a parent it is my responsibility to teach my child to eat healthy and make good choices.  I make sure we have fruits and veggies in the house and offer them frequently.  I am make sure C is involved in physical activity.  She plays soccer and takes dance classes.  It is not always easy for F and I to do this, sometimes it means that I am in the car doing conference calls while she is playing soccer or a dance class, but I feel these activities have such an positive impact on her not only for her physical health but also for her self esteem and self image. 

Okay I am done ranting...I am just so concerned when I see these kids at school, because I know from personal experience that unless you change these behaviors early in life, they become harder an harder to change as you get older. 

Take care for now and talk to you later.

Missed my Kashi bar....

As I reported yesterday, I am suffering from a little turkey fatigue...so today it was back to my old stand bys.  For Breakfast, I had a bowl of Kashi go-lean Crunch.  Lunch was a wonderful Kashi bar.  Then it was off to take C to dance class.  She takes tap and jazz, so the classes go from 6-8.;  We got home and it was time for bed for C.  I got her all settled and then I began to think about dinner.  It was late so I decided to actually have a turkey sandwich  on double fiber whole wheat bed and a cup of leftover stuffing.  Now my stomach is hurting...to much bread I think and I feel BLAH....I threw away the rest of the stuffing, because I am really the only one that likes it and I do not need it!!

I am planning a very light food day tomorrow.  I am going to pick up some salad stuff on my way home from taking C to school in the morning so that I can have a salad for lunch.  I am thinking romaine lettuce, cucumbers, mushrooms, and avacados with a very light dressing sounds great..  For Breakfast, I am planning on using some frozen fruit (cherries and strawberries) and some non-fat yougurt to make a really nice smoothie for breakfast. 

We will see how my plans work out..

Talk to you later....

Getting sick of turkey!!

Okay..I really love turkey...it is naturally a low fat option and tastes really good, but I need a break if I am going to make one for Christmas.  I had cereal for breakfast, Turkey wrapped in a lettuce leaf for lunch. (special thanks to the person who gave me this idea last night), and turkey for dinner..So you can see why I am getting tired of turkey.  I will probably have a salad tomorrow. 

I am noticing a difference in my asthma, it is getting better.  Now it could be that my major allergy season is waining or it could be because I am losing the weight which is helping my breathing in general.  Whatever the cause, I am happy that it is better. 

I need to get some mopre weight off before I am going to be up for starting to train for the 5K.  I know that this is going to be hard and slow, but I am determined to do it. 

I am on call for work, which is fine because we do not get alot of calls. 

Well have a nice night and talk to you later.....

Energy is increasing and amount I can eat is decreasing....

Last night, C had E over for a sleepover.  I slept a little but not alot.  C and E had an impromptu soccer practice so I had to eat quickly before heading out.  So I had some turkey and some stuffing..It was yummy and kept me full most of  the day.  Since we got moving late and had breakfast late, I did not have an appetite at all for lunch.  I know that is bad and I should have eated something...  Dinner was a turkey sandwich and some mash potatoes and stuffing..I had the sandwich and only managed a couple bites of each side before my stomach was saying HALT you hav had enough. 

My life gets back to normal nxt week, with C in school and F back to work and me working from home.  I can not wait...

I saw an interesting feature on 60 Minutes (yes I know that watching the show automatically makes me old)  The did a segment on the food flavoring industry and how there goal is to make the taste/smell of the irresistable but also so it does not linger on the palate so that you want more, yet they do not think that this combination would contribute to increase in obesity in this country.. REALLY Seriously if you maek something irresistable and have it not linger on your palate so that you want more wouldn't cause you to eat more which would lead to an increase in the average calorie intake which would lead to weight gain.  This only applies to processed foods in the US.  I really need to look at getting processed foods out of my and my family's life.   

Talk to you later until then take care!!

Another day and another movie..and another healthy meal

So most of you read my other post today know that I lost 4 pounds today...determined not to let it go to my waistline.  The average weight gain during the holiday is 1 to 2 pounds.  When I got home from the weigh in, I had some cereal.  Lunch was a turkey sanwich on my double fiber whole wheat and dinner was 1 cup of stuffng and another turkey sandwich. 

I took C and her friend E to see Arthur Christmas.  I loved it and was able to avoid the popcorn again.  I was really pround of the girls because when I asked them what they wanted to drink, they asked for bottled water. Yeah!! I am proud that the made the healthy choice of course they alse wanted extra butter on thier popcorn so I guess it all evened out in the end.

I am now watching holiday movie with F and the girls are playing since they are having a sleepover.  Of course they want my computer so I have to finish typing and liet C and E have it so that they will stop circling me like vultures.

Take Care and talk to you later...

Post Thanksgiving results are in....

So I survived the total food holiday and came out the other side weighing 4 pounds less. The choices I made for me paid off.  That puts my total at 35 pounds lost. I wish I could see that it is gone, but it is still hard for me to tell the difference in my body.  That will come though.

My plans or today, include taking C and her friend E to see Arthur Christmas and then maybe taking them out for pizza for dinner.  I, of course, will not be eating any pizza but instead will have something else for dinner.  F will probably have leftovers. 

So I am going to have some breakfast now.

I will blog more later..

Until then have a great day..

Not giving in to the leftovers!!

So today started out with a bowl of Kashi..I am growing acustom to eating breakfast something that I have often skipped in the past.  We had plans to go see The muppet movie at 2:20 with my new friend CH and F and C.  C was very excited to go see the movie, she has been waiting anxiously for weeks for it to come out.  Before I went to the movie, I had a turkey sandwich, on double fiber whole wheat bread.  The bread was 50 calories per slice, so all told the sandwich was about 150 calories.  We got the movie and I got a drink and got C the kids pack with a small popcorn and drink.  That was I was not tempted by popcorn.  The movie was good. 

After the movie, we dropped C at home with the babysitter and F and I went out with CH and TH to a local Italian place.  I had checked the menu before we went, so I had some more bites of turkey before heading out because I knew there was very little for me there.  I had a a house salad with italian vinagrette.  Sadly, I forgot to ask for it on the side and it was swimming in oil.  I had some of F's asparagus.  It was really yummy, but that was my dinner. 

Tomorrow, or today however you look at it, is weigh in day and we will see how I do.  CH offered to be my walking/running buddy when I get to a point that I can start that part of this journey.  I am not quite there yet, but I am hoping soon.

Well time to go to bed...

Talk to you later...

Happy, Healthy Thankgiving!!

Happy Thanksgiving!  I have made it through the Thankgiving Meal.  Lets start off at the beginning, I had a bowl Kashi for breakfast and then it was time to start cooking.  I modified my stuffing recipe by cutting the butter and adding more chicken broth.  I used a little olive oil to sautee the onions and celery for the stuffing.  Turkey was stuffed and put in the oven to cook.  The Mash potatoes were modified by using skim milk.  Once they were mashed I separated out my serving and added a little butter for the rest of them.  The Green Bean casserole was made per the recipe, because I made a choice to forgo that side dish all together because there was no modifying the French Fried Onions.  I made crescent rolls, mainly because my daughter asked for them.

My plate consisted of a small serving of Turkey, 1/2 cup mashed potatoes, and 1/2 cup of stuffing.   No Green Bean Casserole or crescent rolls for me.  I kept some of the celery from when I was making the stuffing and had that too. I made the pumpkin Mousse last night, but I am not feeling like dessert at all.

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I wanted to share what I am thankful for today.
 
First and foremost I am thankful for F and C.  They are the best family anyone could asked for and have been so supportive. F was very appreciative of all the hard work I went through today for him and C.   He made sure that I felt appreciated at the end when he realized how little of what I made I was actually going to eat. This includes all my extended family who always make me feel loved.

Second I am thankful for my friends both in person and on facebook.  They have been supportive and I love getting feedback. 

Third, I am thankful that is these tough economic times I am thankful for my job and my boss who allowed me to stay home this week. 

Lastly, I am thankful that I made this decision to become a healthier person before I had a serious chronic illness as a result of my weight. I am also thankful that I have this blog to share my journey with all of you.  It is so nice to have a place to share my good days and bad days.

So Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!!

Talk to you later...

Some traditions are meant to be broken!

So our pre-Thanksgiving tradition has always been to either order pizza or get take out Chinese basically because with all the cooking I do on Thanksgiving, I usually do not feel like cooking the night before too.  Well, I broke that tradition tonight.  F and C kept it going getting chinese take out, but the food is too fried and heavy in carbs for me to be tempted.  Instead, I had some baked chicken. 

I worked today, while F was off from work so he basically kept C entertained.  I had Kashi Cereal breakfast and my typical protein bar for lunch.  I find this regimen so easy. 

I have planned for the left over turkey that I am going to have a bought some double fiber whole wheat bread.  I am planning on having a turkey sandwich every so often instead of a protein bar.  A little variety. 

So on to tomorrow, where I am planning to consume in moderation and being healthy in my choices.

My blog may be late tomorrow, so Happy Thanksgiing Everyone!  May you be healthy and enjoy the company you keep more than the food you eat!!

Talk to you later.

Being the good wife and mommy....it is hard job..

So I am cooking for Thanksgiving this week and for alot of my recipes I am looking for ways to cut the fat, carbs, and calories.  While this journey is a huge part of my life, I have to remember sometimes that there are 2 other people that I live with and they do not have the weigth problem I have, so or F and C I made an apple pie and there was nothing low fat or low carb about this creation.  It is an apple and pear pie with a lattice pie crust top and then you mix butter, brown sugar, sugar, flour and water, cook that on the stove in to this liquid and pour it over the lattice top to the pie.  It smells fabulous...but that pie will not be eaten by me that is purely an F and C dessert.  I am still trying to decide if I am going to make the Pumpkin Mousse that is low fat-low sugar..I guess I will see how work goes tomorrow because if I am too exhausted, it will be a no go or if I have a really bad day and I am craving foods then I won't make it either because I do not want to eat a whole big bowl of pumpkin mousse. 

So before I get to the what I had today, let me talk about trying to find things to replace sweets and how if something sounds too good to be true it probably is!!!  So when we were grocery shopping on Sunday, I found a "ice cream replacement" called Artic Zone thats advertising on the packaging noted that the whole pint of this "delicious" replacement was only 135 calories!!  One serving was 37 calories...I bought the Mint Chocolate Cookie flavor and looked forward to satisfying my ice cream craving with a sensible 37 calorie serving.. So here is my honest assessment, IT SUCKS!!! It tasted nothing like ice crean or even a sorbet.  It had no mint flavor I could detect. Worse of all it left my mouth feeling like it had an oily coating!! Not a pleasant experience after two bites I was done and no I am not going to try another flavor....

I had my typical Kashi cereal for Breakfast and protein bar for lunch.  Dinner was a frozen Healthy Choice Steamerwith whole grain pasta that was good..peppers, broccoli and light sauce.   It was so good.  Very light but met that pasta void that I have been missing. 

Update on AA for those who are interested...I called and said that I was requesting that I not have to see him again. That I was fine with the Resident and loved Dr. G  but that I would leave immediately if he walked into my room.  That of course got me the office manager that tried to find out why I was upset.  I told the whole story....she asked if I thought I was just being sensitive....REALLY?? I told her no, that luckily I have a good support system or his cruel comments and tone could have set back my weight loss progress.  She said that she would talk to him regarding my complaint and asked if I would be willing  to talk to him to discuss the issue.  I told her while I am sure that she is really good at convincing him that he should apologize, that I felt that I had seen his true colors and any apology would be meaningless.  I would not recommend him to anyone and that I am serious when I say that I will walk out of the office if he ever comes in to see me again. 
I am looking forward to losing more weight...

Talk to you later....

Working from home + Child Home from school=Stressed Mom

C woke up this morning rearing to go....I had 2 hours before my first conference call so I let her watch TV down stairs.  She said she wanted the frozen pancakes for breakfast, but changed her mind and decided she wanted a poptart...I made sure I poured my Kashi cereal before I gave in to the temptation for join her the cherry toaster pastry. 
After my first conference call, C declared that she was hungry again.  This time she had cheese, MY sugar free jello, and then some juice.  I started getting all my build for the week in and C was up cleaning her room and bathroom.  An hour later down comes C declaring that she is hungry again and wanted chicken noodle soup for lunch.. It is at this point I realized that this is going to be stressful....I made her some soup and had a protien bar.  Sh went up to finish cleaning her room.  About 3, I got a text that one of her friends wanted to talk to her.  This began the 2 hour phone call....but they were having fun. 

For dinner, I had a WW frozen dinner and F and C said they wanted hot dogs and mac and cheese. Really?!! I made them thier "dinner" if you can call it that.  They both loved it. my frozen dinner was good as well. 

F and I went out for awhile and C's babysitter came and watched her.  It was nice to get out of the house and recharge for another day of working and having a child at home.  It could be worse though I could be in CA and she would be driving our nanny crazy.. C really is a good kid, I just give her a hard time.

So wish me luck tomorrow...here is to healthy eating and resisting temptation.

Talk to you later.

Just another day in the life of a party girl's mom

C had birthday parties both days this weekend, so today was another trip to a bithday party and I got my first "you have lost some weight haven't you?"  It made me shine a little and feel like the hard work is making a difference.  I see the same boady every day, so it hard to notice the changes.  It takes those outside influences to reinforce that the changes I am making are having a difference. 

I just got done shopping for thanksgiving.  I bought the sugar free vanilla pudding,pumpkin pie spice, and canned pumpkin in case I decide to make the low fat-low sugar pumpkin pie alternative.  I also have planned how to lower the fat in my other holiday favorites.  I am ready for the holiday, I think, and I can only do my best and make the best decisions I can at the time.

C is off all week, so she will be home with me during the day, unless it becomes too much with my working and if it does she will be going to the child care option at her school.  We have given her chores for the 2 days that she is off and F has to work in hopes of keeping her busy.  Wednesday may end up being father-daughter day while I finish up my short week of work.  I am taking Thursday and Friday off.  F and I  are planning on taking C to see The Muppet Movie, maybe with our new friends C and T.  I will have to avoid the popcorn which tends to be high in fat and sodium at the movie theater.  That means there will be a protien bar in my purse. 

So on to the party today, they had one of my favorite pizza's from my teenage memories in MI.  Little Ceasar's pizza was the staple of my diet in my teenage years, back when you were trying to avoid the noid...  I did not partake of any, nor did I have a cupcake though they looked yummy...

I had a cereal bar and V-8 juice for breakfast and protein bar before I headed out to the party. C had a fa bulous time playing with A and E.  They played soccer which made them all very happy. 

I then went grocery shopping for a week home with a child in the house and for Thanksgiving.  We picked up F to help with the shopping and bought way too much.

We just got home and now I am going to make myself dinner.   C had pizza and F went to Festival and had food there., so I am the only hungry person in the house right now. 

Planning on a fabulous week...

Talk to you later!

From the lows of yesterday to the highs of today!!

So I weighed in today,  as I reported yesterday the scale at the pulmonologist office said I loss 6 pounds but I wanted to use the same scale since scales can differ.  I got there this morning and when I got on the scale, it said that I had loss 9 pounds.  That is right 9 more pounds.  For a total of 31 pounds in one month since I dedicated myself to making the changes to my life.  I have dropped my BMI by 2 points. 

I had a protein bar in the car on the way to a birthday party today, so I would not be tempted by the pizza and cake. It worked like a charm.   C had a great time at the party, it was at a laser tag place. So now I am home and planning on making a healthy lunch for myself.

Alot people have said that I should complain about the AA from yesterday and I agree.  I am going to call monday.  While I did not let him sabotage me, thanks to my friends and family, he could well send another patient into a tailspin and that is wrong.

I keep thinking how he could have approached that conversation so differently and it would have made all the difference.  If he had said, I know you have been trying to lose weight and that you have loss 20 pounds.  Is there anything we can do to help you continue on this good path?  Then the ball, would have been in my court to say what help I needed.  If I wanted recommendation, I could have asked for them and this would have been a different conversation and that is going to be part of my complaint.

So I am going to enjoy my family for a little while and then I may blog later.

99 pounds to go and 11 months to get there to meet my goal..

Take care until then..thanks for listening.

How many idiot MDs are in this flipping town!???!!!!! Rating PG13 due to strong language

So let me start by saying if you are offended by strong language then by all means skip this post!  I am mad beyond belief right now and I have to get these feelings out because the other option is to hold the anger and hurt in and fill the hole in my self esteem with food.  I do not want to do that so I am letting all my anger out here, because this is my safe place!

I moved farther south 3 years ago and the summer after our first year here, I developed allergies beyond belief. one of my symptoms was asthma. I am supposed to get allergies shots but they have to wait until I am in town more.  This summer F,C, and I went on a cruise to the Mexico, Belize, and Honduras and while I was on vacation my asthma was great.  I was snorkeling and swimming having no issues.  We got back in town and within 2 days,  my asthma got so bad that I literally had to have F call 911 because I could not get a good breath in no matter what I tried.  I went to the ED and was admitted to the hospital to get my asthma attack under control.  After I was discharged, my primary care MD felt that I should see a pulmonologist.  I saw Dr. G and a resident 3 months ago and Dr. G adjusted some meds to help the asthma symptoms.  So today, I had to go for a check up with the pulmonologist. Dr. G was not there, but I saw her resident. They weighed me and according to their scale  I lost 6 pounds this week, but since they are different I am still waitng for tomorrow for the official number but I was feeling good. We talked about how my symptoms have improved in the last 3 months. I mentioned that I am making lifestyle changes to lose weight.  She looked at my chart and said, "yeah you have lost 20 since you were here last".  I told her my weight loss has really been in the last month. Anyway, she leaves and comes back with  another MD.  I am assuming he is the Attending MD working today.  So for the rest of this blog, he will be referred to as the Attending Ass or AA for short, because he was a total asshole to me and treated me like shit. 

So in walks Attending Ass and says I hear that the changes that Dr. G made to yoru regimen has helped.  I say that it has and that I feel in better control of the asthma. He immediately says, "yeah that is just one part of it.  So you need to have a Bypass to lose the weight too"  What the fuck!!!  I point out that I realize that I need to lose weight and have been making life changes and that I have lost over 20 pounds in a month.  Attending Ass responds back, "people like you are not able to control yourselves and you need to consider having the bypass done"  I wanted to say  "Fuck you and people like you!  You judgemental ass"  But instead I told him that, "I disagree that havign surgery is the only options and that I have seen people who have had the surgery and had horrible outcomes even death"  I tell him that Gastric Bypass is not a soluntion to the issue, because people have it done, lose the weight and gain it back!! Look at Carnie Wilson as a perfect example.  I have been having alot of success changing my eating habits"  Attending Ass then says "well you need to go on one of those programs like Jenny Craig or Nutrisystem were they send you food and that is all you eat. I found that people like you need that"  Again I want to scream FUCK YOU!!, but I really do not want them calling hospital security to take me out, because at this point I am so mad and hurt that I really seriously could have jumped off the table, punched him in the fucking mouth and kicked in the balls. Through clenched teeth, I said, "I understand that is your opinion, but i have found that those programs do not teach how to eat in the real world and once you lose the weight you have no clue how to make you own meals and go back to bad habits. Again look at some of their spokespeople like Kirstie Alley."  I am done at this point, I have mentally shut down, I do not want to be in that room any more and I am feeling beat up by the medical professionals that are supposed to be supportive of patients that are making changes in thier lives.  They could have told me at this point that they have discovered the cure to asthma and I would not have cared!!  I felt targeted and not listened to at all!  He shook my hand and left.   The resident, who at this point I do not know if she knew what was going to be said, asked me to hang on a second so she could get me a prescription for a peak flow and an asthma action plan.  I grabbed my purse and hung out at the door, because the room had become claustraphobic, and I was tearing up so I wanted to be able to bolt as soon as I had the script because I was not going to let them see that  Attending Ass made me cry.  I don't cry in public.  I texted F as I waited, she came back and handed me the prescription. She said, I will see you in 6 months and I am thinking,  "yeah like I want to come back and hear more things about "people like me".  I may go back to there but I will demand a day that Dr. G is working....I will not see Attending Ass again, except to have him come in my room and apologize when I prove 6 months from know that he does not what the FUCK he is talking about" 

I left there and called F, he tried to talk me down, because I think he could tell I was on that food ledge.  That one that if I stepped over would have meant pulling my car into the drive through of McDonalds and ordering everything including super sized fries, a large Milkshake, and even one of those crappy pies and proving Attending Ass right.  Food can be a comfort thing and I needed comforting.. Instead, I trained my sights on getting through the intersection and trained on picking C up from school.  I got C and headed home to blog and get these feelings out.  I am avoiding the kitchan all together right now. I hope I have not bored you all with my rant...

So just to update what I had to eat, I had Kashi cereal for breakfast and protien bar for lunch.  I am not at the point yet that I can go into the kitchen, but I will have something healthy for dinner.

Thanks for listening..Talk to you later.

325 for a slice.....ARGH

Lets start with the basics....It started with a bowl of Kashi Honey Sunshine.   Lunch was the Kashi Protien bar.  Dinner was a healthy choice frozen dinner.  F anf C had KFC.  No Mashed Potatoes or Biscuits for me....Work was good today.   Finished a Huge Project that I have been working on for about 2 months off and on.  Finished the Spreadsheet that I complained about the other night and delivered it for import.  Got 2 small projects in exchange...the list is long and seems to never end. 

So I am trying to plan for Thanksgiving in order to avoid pitfalls.  I am planning on turrkey.  No skin for me.  I am planning on making Skinny Mashed Potatoes for me and regular for F and C.  Modifying the Stuffing recipe so that I decrease the Fat there too.  F really wants Green Bean Casserole, I am going to makea small batch because C does not like it at all and there is no way to decrease the fat in the french fried onions.  I will make some crescent rolls for F and C.  I am am making an apple pie for F & C. 

So I am the only person in the whole house that loves and I mean LOVES pumpkin pie.  The smell that waft through out the house as it cooks.  The creamy texture of the pie filling.  How it looks on the plate with a dollop of whipped cream on top.   I LOVE IT!!  So I researched how many calories were in one little piece of pumpkin pie.. 325 calories and 17 grams of fat (OUCH) in 1/16 th of pie.  Ok that is more calories and fat grams then my breakfast and lunch put together.  So I am searchign for a way to get that flavor without consuming that many calories.  I have gotten some good suggestions, but if you are reading this and you have one just leave comment.  I am still trying to decide whether I am going  make anything with pumpkin this year. I am worried that if I have some and it is good I may be tempted to over do it.  I will let you know..

Other ways that I have made plans to curb the calories is to make one plate and leave the food in the kitchen.  That way once I have finished I won't be tempted to take seconds just because they are right there.  I am also planning on making a large salad and having that for my lunch around 11:00 am.  That way my stomach is nice and full before I sit at the table.

If you have any other tips to help please pass them on...

Talk to you later..

My daughter makes me smile, but worry too...

 Lets start with the food for today, I could not decide between Kashi Cereal or Carrots this morning for breakfast.  Luckily some friends convinced me to go for the Kashi...it was the Honey Sunshine and oh so good.  A 3/4 cup and I was not hungry again until around 2:00 pm which meant that I had to go pick C up from school.  She loves when I am home because she does not go to aftercare at school but instead I pick her up in the car lane. So I grabbed a Luna Bar to eat while I waited in the car line.  It was good and I was filled up after eating it.  As soon as C gets in the car, she tells me she got her interim report card and got all A's.  God, I love the fact that she is such a good girl.  but it gets better just wait.  We came home, I had more work to do so I was working and she was doing her homework. 

After her home work was finished, she said she was hungry and  she wanted Chicken Noodle soup for dinner.  I try to convinced her to wait for F to get home but she said that she was tired and wanted to go to bed early so she could do well on her test tomorrow.  I made her the soup and then got on a conference call.  After she finshed her soup, she wanted to have a couiple of Oreo's. I told her to go ahead and then C says, "Mommy do you want one?"  I told her No that I did not want one because I am not eating food like that.  Her response, "How long are you going to be eating healthy?"  I told her forever that this is not a thig I am doing until I meet a certain goal but I want to stay that way.  C says, "Mommy you look great...I love you...You are so pretty!"  I told her that I want to be healthy so I can be around for a long time and she said, "I think you look healthy.."  Oh so sweet and she did not even ask for anything after the compliments. I love the fact that my daughter loves me just the way I am, but I worry that I have set such a bad example for her.  I never want her to experience what it is like to be overweight. 

Dinner tonight was baked chicken...really good.  F did not get home until late and guess who was still up.  It seems the tiredness and wanting to go to bed wore off when she saw one of her shows on TV. I did not eat until after she was in bed so I ate at 8:45 pm.  When I finished, I still felt slightly hungry, but I made the decision to let my dinner sit for about an hour and have something to drink.  I am thinking that in a hour, I won't be hungry and if I am then I will half a small scoop of frozen yogurt and throw some Kashi Go Lean Crunch on top. The whole dessert is 100 calories, but as I sit here right now typing away, I am realizing I am not hungry anymore, so no frozen yogurt tonight.

So now for a little rant...Why is it okay to post some picture of an overweight stranger usually a female on you facebook page so that you and your friends can ridicule how she looks and "How Disgusting" she is all in order to some how make yourself feel better about yourself?  It is like the opinion is that she is overweight so she deserves the ridicule.  It makes me so angry. The sad part is some of the people that do it are people that I really like as a person in real life.  But it makes me wonder, if I have seriously misjudged that person's character.  Just a little rant..every one has a different sense of humor and mine does not find it amusing to ridicule others for how they look whether you know them or not..

Alright, I am done ranting and it time to me to watch a little TV with F and think about how truly blessed I am...I am loved...I have great friends both near and far. I have great family.  I have a great job. My biggest problem is that I have had the money to indulge too much and made the wrong choices about food, but I am also have the ability to afford to buy good healthy food that can nourish my body.  I have people that support me on here and help me nourish my soul and find the love for myself again.

Thanks to everyone who is joining me one this journey!  I appreciate you!

Take Care....

Another busy day!!

Sorry this blog is so late but I had a busy day yesterday between work and home.  I had some carrots and non fat ranch for breakfast.  I know you are thinking carrots for breakfast..but I was not in a cereal mood and I wanted something different that I could just snack on during the morning.  I got hungry around 1:00 and had a Kashi protien bar. I was busy working getting stuff done for work.  Then I picked C up at school and she was upset because her teacher's mother died today and her teacher had to leave school. She felt so bad for her.  She asked the Sub if the kids could all write letters to the teacher to make her feel better.  This got C started down the how she would feel if something happened to me and I was thinkng that is why I am doing this, so I know I am doing everything in my power to be on this earth as long as I can for her.   I mean I can not see the future but I do not wanted to die because I just refused to make the changes I need to make.  So that got us both a little teary eyed.  Then, it was cuddle, homework for her, work for me and then off to dance class with a quick stop to get C something to eat on the way since class does not end until 8 and 8:30 is her bed time. Then it class for C and me sitting in the parking lot with my laptop working while she took tap and jazz.  When we got back home, it was bedtime and finally around 9:00 pm I had a frozen dinner and some more carrots for me.  Then it was back to work for me, working on a spreadsheet trying to titles fit into the character limitation. For those who worked with me in IS in VA, it was a 42 is not 24 day for over 400 differenct locations. I did that while F watched TV and slept in recliner.  F went to bed about 1:00 but I was still up trying to get this thing finished for tomorrow.  So now it is 5:00 in the morning and I have not slept yet.  Oh well that is the life of a working Mom. 

C will be up in a couple of hours ready for me to do hair and take her to school. I am grateful there is no soccer tomorrow. I am going to need to nap..

Talk to you later today,,,,

I love Kashi!!

In case it is not obvious, I have fallen in love with all things Kashi.  I had a some Kashi Honey Sunshine Cereal for breakfast and Kashi Pumpkin Pecan bar for Lunch. F and I were going out tonight and he was getting home later.  So I made C dinner and she wanted Chcken Noodle Soup or as F calls it "beak and claw stew".  F called to say he was on his way home, so I warmed up his leftovers from Dinner Saturday, Ribs and Chicken.  Once he walked in the door, he started eating and I decided I shoudl eat too.  I say that I going to make my dinner now and F says, "Are you having more Kashi?"  I laughed and said no, though I have to admit I was tempted!!  Instead I had a frozen healthy choice meal that was chicken with mixed vegetables. 

I bought some V-8 juice this weekend and C said that she wanted some. I poured her a small glass and she said, "I like it but I prefer Orange juce"  Great, because I did not want to share it.  It was bad enough that I bought some sugar free jello snacks, for those times when I just need a quick snack and C has eaten half of them already.  She said that she likes them better than the other Jello because they are not as sweet.

I had a busy day at work! It has been crazy lately and hopefully will calm down soon.  I have an a doctor's appointment with the my asthma doctor on Friday, so it will be a weigh in before the official weigh in on Saturday.   C has dance tomorrow, which is one of those late nights when we don't get home until after 8:00 and C needs to go to bed really soon after we get home.  I am trying to make sure I have a Protien bar in my purse. 

Went out with F tonight, we have a nanny that when I am home babysits one or two nights a week so F and I can go have fun. 

Well have a great night...talk to you later.

I tricked my family and Whole Wheat pasta must be a acquired taste

I had a protein bar for breakfast.  It was a Luna Protein bar and flavor was Chocolate Chip cookie dough.  The Protein Bar was really good.  Lunch was during the football game and I had a Kashi Pumpkin Pecan Cereal bar.  This bar hit the spot for the Pumpkin Pie, I have been craving.  Really Yummy!! I totally recommend it for anyone who is dieting and like pumpkin pie. 

I had planned dinner to be Spaghetti and when I went shopping for the meat and sauce. I decided to use Ground Turkey and Leanest Ground beef I could fine and cooked them together.  I made regular spaghetti for F and C and made the whole wheat spaghetti for myself. I had high expectations and they were disappointed.  The consistency of the pasta was just off.  It felt like it disinegrated in my mouth.  I may give another brand a try, but I think I may try spaghetti squash next time.  I have heard that it is a good substitute.  If you have tried it and enjoyed it please let me know.

I did not finish my dinner, the flavor and consistency was just too off for me, but I am not hungry either so I am done for the night.

Talk to you later.

Eating out is a challenge especially when the restaurant changes the menu

F and C wanted to go to their favorite restaurant last night, so I went on line looked at there menu and planned ahead.  I was planning on getting the Broiled Crab Cake appetizer and side salad with the oil and vinegar dressing.  We got to the restaurant and was informed that the crab cake appetizer had changed due to their seasonal menu and was now a tortilla encrusted fried crab cake.  I asked if I could get what was on the regular menu and was told no they are only making the seasonal variety.  Great NOT!! So instead I just got a side salad.  I had some Kashi cereal when I got home to make sure I got some protien as well.

So that bring me to something that I have found having to eat out alot.  It is my expereince that restaurants that also have a menu that caters to vegans and non-vegans seem to be more willing to modify to a non-vegan dish for you.  It may be that they are used to doing modifications for vegans or that they are just more health aware, but they just seem more flexible.  If I order the dish without the sauce or ask them if they can grill my shrimp instead of frying them, they seem to be more likely to say yes. 

After dinner, we went to target to get a few things.   I needed so Kashi Cereal and I also picked up some Kashi Bars.  Then I went and looked a protien bars. I picked up some Luna protien bars.  They fit into the calorie, fat and carb requirements that I have for myself.  I wanted to make sure I had something around for the next couple of weeks.  I also picked up some Whole-Wheat spaghetti.  The plan for dinner tonight is Spaghetti and while F and C would not like whole wheat pasta.  I am trying to stay away from straight carbs.  So I will make regular spaghetti for them and then make a single serving of whole spahetti for me.  This will also help me with portion control, since spaghetti is one of those dishes that I can find myself eating alot very easily.

Not quite what I wanted but...

SO weight in was today and I lost 2 pounds.  Not quite what I wanted but after 2 weeks of big weight loss it is what I expected.  I am going to take this in stride and continue down this road.  There will be weeks like this.  The good news is that the number went down and that is the direction I want it to go in.

After the weigh in, it was off to soccer for the final game of the fall season.  The Fireflies won and ended the season undefeated.  Now it is family time,

I may blog later about my day, but for now it is time to cuddle and have fun..

108 pounds to go and 49 weeks...

Talk to you later...

Another week down, trying to eat healthy on the road...

Here we go.....For lunch I had a salad and half a turkey sandwich.   The people at work were having a Iron Chef like competition and the ingrediant was pumpkin.  I had one bite of the wining dish and it was not NOT pumpkin pie. It was a candied pumpkin, which is why I had one bite.  Then it was off to the airport and trying to find a healthy food choice.  I had fresh fruit and Turkey sandwich.  The roll that the turkey sandwich was on was too much bread, so I just ate the turkey. 

My flight was uneventful and now I am home and can not sleep.  Mainly because I slept the whole flight.  Tomorrow I have a soccer game to attend.  My plan is to get up early and go to weigh in, then take C and F to the soccer game.  It is the last game of the Fall season, so there will be a cookie cake and trophy ceremony and if I know our girls they will want to go get pizza.  I will make sure to take a protien bar with me. 

So now, I am trying to unwind and get ready for a busy day tomorrow..

Wish me luck and I will update on my weigh in.  I ate healthy but with all the stress I am not sure what the scale will show tomorrow...

Nightline Show inspires goal!! Do you think they will put me on Nightline if I do it....

So last night in my hotel, Nightline happened to come on and they were doing a segment about a woman who had a radical new surgery to lose weight.  Basically the procedure entails removing 80% of the stomach to aid in losing weight.  The woman in the story lost 130 pounds in a year post surgery, which equals out to 2.5 pounds a week.  Most diets tell you to expect an average or 1-2 pounds a week.  Here is the article about the woman if you want to read it. http://abcnews.go.com/Health/woman-loses-130-pounds-months-radical-stomach-surgery/story?id=14859458

So here is how that show inspired me, if you read my first entry on this blog I told you that a physician told me to face facts that I needed to have this type of surgery and I am determined to prove him wrong. My challenge to myself in to beat this woman's weight loss without surgery to prove to everyone that Bariatric Surgery is not always the answer.  So mark the date,  October 22, 2011,  I start on my journey to be healthy and by 0ctober 22, 2012 I want to have lost 130 pounds at least.   Question is would they do a story about me, if I do it?

Wish me luck...and I will update the blog late tonight when I get home if I am not exhausted, but here is a preview.  I had a Peach Mango No Fat- No Sugar Added Blue Corn muffin for breakfast.  Work is having a mock Iron Chef where everyone made pumpkin dishes and I am determined to resist....NO PUMPKIN PIE for me...

Talk to you later.  

Can Stress make you gain weight no matter how well you eat?

I love my job but at times it is a very stressful place and this week is one of those weeks.  I worked 12.5 hours yesterday and today I had a migration from hell.  It took all day to get it migrated through the environment. We are getting ready for testing and everyone is stressed,  Even though all of this, I have managed to keep my eating healthy.  Today I had a no fat low sugar mixed berry scone and for lunch I had a smoothie and protien bar.  Dinner is going to be grilled salmon.  So even with my good choices, I am afraid that I am going to gain weight because my stress level has been so high and the body's reaction to stress in to hold on to fat in preparation for more stress.  We will see saturday, but I am not planning on a big number.

Of course I do not know what is worse, being so busy I do not have time to eat or being so bored that I may fill the time with food.  I can not wait to go home tomorrow and then I am home for a few weeks. I still have lots of work to get done but it will go quickly hopefully.  C plays her last soccer game for the season.  She always gets upset when the season is over because she loves playing so much. I am trying to plan Thanksgiviing to make the food more healthy but still have my family love it..

Tomorrow at work they are doing a take on Iron chef and people are supposed bring a dish with the mystery ingrediant.  This week it is Pumpkin...Just great that meats tons of pumpkin pies to try and tempted me...I will resist the pumpkiny goodness..

talk to you later

Planning a head is fabulous!!

Okay so today has been a stressful day and this can be shown by the fact that I am still at work as I writie this blog.  I got to work early this morning, had a conference call and then went to get a peach non fat no sugar added Peach corn muffin. Very Yummy!!  I really wanted the HIGH FAT HIGH SUGAR Cocomut raspberry Mango muffin but it was just not worth it.  I worked all morning, had a couple of second to grad a lunch. I got a grilled chicken sandwich no mayo...It was not the best, I had ab out 4 bites.  Luckily the salad is always good.  So now it is 7:00 at night.  I am hungry and stuck at work for awhile...Luckily I have a box of protien bars at my desk.  I just had one and I feel better.  Hoepfully I get out of here soon....

Talk to you later..

Cheesy Grits!! Really!!! I can resist them! and why I blog..

So I started my day with a no-fat no sugar added Mixed Berry Oat bran muffin.. It was pretty good and then it was time for meetings.  After my second meeting, we went to the conference room for a farewell party for one off members of another team and there was cake and breakfast there. Everyone was talking about how good the Cheesy grits were and I was not tempted at all. All I could think is if the food name contains the word CHEESY that meansit is swimming in fat!! Today was a busy day because we are trying to get alot of work done.  I went done around noon and got a turkey sandwich and salad.  It took awhile for me to make time to start eating and I had the salad and half the sandwich.  After that I was full so I worked some more and finally left work at 5:45 pm.  I am having salmon and a crab cake for dinner.

So I felt like I have to share why I am so into blogging.  First I find it very cathartic to get out how I am feeling and what challenges I am facing.  Secondly, you guys keep me honest!  I want to be honest about what I am eating and how I am doing..knowing that I am going to have to blog and share it makes me think, "do I really want to blog that I ate that?'  Not that anyone would judge me ot think bad of me but once I write it, it will be out there for everyone to see.  Does that mean that there won't be a time that I decide to go ahead and have something that is not healthy?  No it just means that I will have to face writing it in black and white. 

I hope that my challenges and decisions make it easier for someone else in the same position. 

Talk to you later..

Are cupcakes an addiction?

This is not my typical blog post mainly because it is 4:00 am and there is no new updates on what I have had to eat or done to help me meet my goal of getting healthy, but I wanted to share some information with the people reading my blog.  I made a post a few days ago about being a fast food addict and when I made the post it was joking tone, but I read an article yesterday that struck a chord with me.  I will post the link for you to read as well. http://www.businessweek.com/news/2011-11-07/fatty-foods-addictive-as-cocaine-in-growing-body-of-science.html  

So if the research in the article is true, has the food industry been encouraging this addictive behavior? 

Now let me make it clear I am not saying that my weight issue is not my fault.  I make the choices in my life about what to eat and how much I eat.  I have seen the affect that the choices that I have made has had on body but I was willing to continue.  I can make better choices and change what I eat, but it makes me worry about our children.  When I pick my daughter up from school, I am surprised about how many of the children are obese.  If this article is correct, have the food choices that we make for them already affect them so much that the fight against obesity is going to be a uphill challenge for these children for their entire lives?  Luckily my daughter does not have a weight issue, she loves vegetables and fruits and is physically active, but I can see myself becoming more way more aware about foods she puts in her body and when because I never want her to struggle with this issue..

So this is my rant.. next post will be back to our regularly scheduled programming..

On a side note, I am surprised and pleased to see I have visitors to my blog from foreign countries like Russia, Greece, England, and of course Germany. 

Thanks for reading....

Sometimes Avoidance is the answer!!

I avoided the whole snack basket by sleeping the whole flight!! Yeah that works for me.  I had a protein bar before I got on the plane, so I was not hungry when I got to work.  Lunch was a fabulous.  I had a small salmon filet with fruit and grilled vegetables. Dinner was grilled shrimp...

So you have heard the food now lets talk about my avoidance behavior. I slept on the plane the whole flight and avoided the snack basket all together. My second act of the avoidance was to work a little late...really I needed to do this to get work done...in order to avoid the Social that was being thrown at one of the local hotels with appetizers and drinks. This is the kind of event where the calories enter your mouth in small bite size appetizers and before you know it you have consumed so many calories that you would need to run a half marathon to get them off again.  I am not going to put my self in a challenging situation on purpose just to prove I can resist. 

Now I am exhausted..It has been a long day and there is another one ahead of me tomorrow.