A Milestone Achieved

I just realized today I've turned the corner & now have less than 100 pounds to lose! YEAH! I'd like to get my weight down between 140 & 150, which leaves me with 98 or 88 pounds left to go. I'm thrilled, to say the least. I'm a big-boned girl, so even at 140 I'd be a size 12, but I'd be happy just to get out of the obese category & get my life back!

It's nice to be out of the triple digits! :)

P.S. I had another loss this morning. I'm down 20.4 lbs now. YAY! :)

I'm a Rounder

I'll confess it now. The only thing I ever round is my weight loss. And only if it's being rounded up. If I'm two ounces away from having lost 19 pounds, I'm calling it 19 pounds. When the husband rounds things (the time, mainly) it irritates me to no end. But since it's my weight loss, I'm allowing rounding. ;o)

So, as of this morning, I'm down 19 whole, stinkin' pounds!! I had gained a pound a few days ago, then yesterday was stalled at the same weight as the day before, so the nearly 3 pound release was very welcomed!

With the hcg protocol, you must weigh in every morning when you first get up. On the mornings I take my son to Seminary, I come back home & catch an extra hour of sleep, so I don't do this right away, but I'm sure it's not affecting the numbers at all. One of the things this protocol teaches, which is contrary to nearly every other program out there, is you must weigh in daily. This, they claim, is how you can keep the weight off permanently. If you're aware of a gain, on a daily basis, you're more likely to take care of it before it gets out of hand, is the thought.

Anyway, I'm celebrating today! Not with a sweet treat, like I normally would, but with a nice big salad & maybe a juicy apple. :)

My new loves

I can't get over how much I really love apples. And asparagus. I wonder if they taste good together.

Today I made an omlet for brunch with 1 egg + 2 egg whites, asparagus spears, some salt, pepper, & onion powder, & a bit of salsa on top. Can I just say how absolutely delicious this was!? YUMM-O!!

Also, I decided to give the soup bidness another shot after taking a friends advice on another brand of broth & finding the sodium content to be much lower than the "low sodium" version of the big name brands. I made some more of that delicious asparagus chicken soup. I put a little too much cayenne in, but it was still delicious!

Since I rarely measure anything, I'll give approximates for the ingredients.

3.5 oz. chicken, cooked & cubed

3/4-1 c. fresh, cut asparagus spears (about 8 spears)

1 c. chicken broth

1 c. water

1 bay leaf
1/8 tsp. Italian spice blend

1 tsp. red curry powder

1/4 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. chopped garlic

1 tsp. chopped onion

Dash of cayenne pepper

Simmer spices & broth mix for 20 min. before adding chicken & asparagus. Simmer for another 3-5 min., remove bay leaf, & serve. This portion is for 1 serving.

Very filling & yummy! Enjoy! :)

Sad day

I got an email from an old friend today. Her sister-in-law, here in Vegas, is about to deliver a stillborn baby & she wanted me to go take a mold of the baby's hands & feet to make a casting. I have a small casting business (Hearts & Hands), so I've done this sort of thing before, & it never fails to break my heart & drive me towards some comfort food.

I really struggle when dealing with other people's emotions. I'm a magnet for them, positive or negative, in happiness, or in grief, & it lingers with me for some time afterwards. Having lost several babies of my own, it makes this kind of thing that much harder.

Anyway, it's a sad day for this family & I wanted to ask for your thoughts & prayers for this family. Their names aren't necessary... I'm sure our Heavenly Father knows.

Going to a Recipe Exchange tonight

Normally, this kind of thing would be dicey at best, when I'm on a "diet". There will be samples of deliciousness at every turn, I bet. As long as there are not DOTS candy there, I'm pretty sure I'll leave unscathed.

I'm bringing a yumm-o white chicken chili. Full of all the good (not for me, though) stuff. I'm cool though. I've already prepared myself by making & eating my dinner, so I won't be hungry. Temptations these days are few & far between. I even perused the candy aisle at the dollar store the other day & spotted my one true love, yet didn't feel overly tempted.

Overall, my day has been really good & I'm continuing to make good choices. This mornings weigh in was up a pound, but I'm guessing this is water weight because of the old hag that's visiting. I'm not worried at all.

Now, off to the fun! :)

P.S. I *heart* Sesame Melba Toast! YUM!!

Success & Disappointment

As of this morning's weigh in, I'm down 16+ pounds now. :) That feels really good!

However, I discovered my body has decided to play an ugly joke on me & sent Aunt Flo for a visit a mere 13 days after the last time she was here. GRRRR!!

I'm unable to take the hcg injections while on my period, so this will string things out unnecessarily. GRRRR!

I'm finding myself very frustrated, but not enough to do much more than enjoy some apple slices. That's a blessing, for sure. I pray it stays that way.

The price of deliciousness

Yesterday, I threw together a new recipe of some of my favorite (& allowable) things. I took a 14 oz. can of garlic chicken broth & added 3.5 ounces of chopped chicken, & about 1 cup of chopped, steamed asparagus, & some extra spices. It was DELICIOUS!!

Unfortunately, it caused me to gain a pound at this morning's weigh in. :(

I didn't think to check the sodium content until well after I ate it. Lesson learned. No more soup for me, unless I can find a mostly fat free & low sodium broth that isn't filled with MSG & other junk. While I find myself slightly bummed, I'm not surprised. I'm grateful for the lesson. :)

Acknowledging the struggle

It's good to want for things, I've decided. It's certainly not easy when it's a seemingly unceasing stream of thoughts about the food in the next room, but it's good to have opposition to struggle with. If not, I'd have nothing to overcome!

I took the advice of one of your comments & took to exercising when my stress level & anxiety over the banana nut bread in the other room (calling my name!) took hold of me. Can I just say I feel so much better!

I'll need these coping techniques in the future when things like yummy banana nut bread are allowed again. I'm glad I tried it out & saw that instead of digging in & making a pig of myself, I can handle these moments differently & come away feeling much better than before.

New routine, new struggles

I definitely feel like Cookie today!!

This is so sad to say, but I have never stopped to realize why I eat. I've never been one for restraint in many areas of my life, least of all with food (obviously). So, as these realizations come to me I think I'll list them here to help myself figure out what my triggers are & remind myself later when I may forget to watch out for these traps.

Today my trigger is my 15 year old, recently returned to be homeschooled, son. I've heard it said that people tend to eat when they're stressed, I just didn't realize it applied to me until today. My son's behavior is upsetting me today & I find the temptation to eat whatever I can get my hands on (sans grub worms & chicken wings) to be more of a struggle than usual.

I know this will get easier over time. It's good to know what to look out for, though.

What are your triggers?

P.S. I'm down another pound, as of this morning! :)

An accidental advantage

My old scale was acting up, so I picked up a new one last night. Of course all scales are slightly different, but this one in particular was giving me a headache. The old scale was unreliable, so every morning when I would weigh myself, I'd do so at least twice to get matching numbers before writing anything down. The more times I'd test it to see if the last reading was right, the larger variety of numbers it would give. Finally, after months of it telling me it didn't like me (not working when I'd ask it nicely to), I caved & bought a new one.

Whatcha think?

It's the lazy-man's scale. :)

First of all, I didn't actually buy a toilet seat with a built in scale. But it gives me a chuckle to think of the various ways this could be used. I've never before thought about exactly how much my bladder could hold, but with this neat invention I totally could! Hahaha

Not that I want to, though. :oP

So the new scale likes me & said my weight loss is up & over 10 pounds now. Not that I agree with it, but I sure do love it & plan to talk much nicer to it than my last POC. So, I'm back in the 240's now & plan on having another small loss in the morning.

With the hcg protocol, you are required to weigh in every day. Normally, this would lead to disappointment & discouragement, but with this protocol you actually see the results your efforts give every single morning! I LOVE weighing in every morning (unless I'm a big cheater, then I can expect a gain). It helps keep me on track.

The very low calorie diet only consists of 500 calories per day, so I need as much encouragement from my scale as possible. For those of you who aren't familiar with this protocol, yes, I said 500 calories per day. But the amazing thing about this is you actually don't feel hungry. I honestly feel like I'm eating nearly all day. My biggest struggle is in my head, not in my stomach, which is incredibly helpful. The lack of hunger is a side effect of the hcg.

With such a low calorie diet, you would expect not only hunger, but also lethargy, headaches, & various other forms of unease. When I don't feel well, I'm such a grump. Any one of my family members can attest to the fact that I'm can get really ugly when I don't feel well. With this protocol, I feel so much better than when I'm not on it.

With the daily losses & general feelings of well-being, plus a few other bonuses I'll get in to at a later time, I would recommend this protocol to anyone!

I'm a LOSER, baby!

As of this morning, I'm down 4 pounds, 10 ounces. YAY!! Today is day 4 of the very low calorie diet & I'm feeling really good. A little empty, but not quite hungry. Usually by noon or so I'm ready to sleep the rest of the day away, but I have more energy & just feel well all around, which is really nice.

I'm excited to see where I'll be in 2 weeks from now! I'm not sure my goal of 40 pounds by the first week of April is feasible, but I'm excited to try for it!

Overwhelmed with the smells!

My nose seems to be much keener than normal, because the smells of deliciousness that seem to follow me around are driving me batty for the want to shoveling them in like the Cookie Monster with his cookies.

My best defense? I have to picture something really gross to associate with that smell & the desire abates to the point of it being very tolerable.


This seems to do it for me every time! I can hardly look at that image without getting the heebie-jeebies. *shiver*

I've been told a craving only lasts 15 minutes, so if I can hang on that long it'll get better. Well I found a way to shorten the process, because 15 minutes feels like an eternity when you're living it.

So, what works for you? How do you put those cravings in their place?

Nothing tastes as good as...

I think I'm going to start sharing some thoughts that I think will help me along the way. Perspective, you know? So, here it is; the sometimes completely random inner-workings of my mind...


Nothing tastes as good as the thought of being able to do jumping jacks without the sound of firecrackers going off when my thighs meet.

:o)

2 pounds GONE!

I got up this morning , did my thing, & I'm down another .14 ounces! So far, that's a 2 pound loss!!

I struggled a bit yesterday. I was hungry. I stayed out of the kitchen as much as possible. Even washing dishes was difficult (maybe I should mention this to the husband... ). One thing I remember from the last go at this protocol is how much better I felt, physically, while on it. I had more energy & I just felt well.

I spent 20 min. on my glider yesterday, but that was pushing it. After the walk the husband & I took, my lower back is protesting (rather loudly) to nearly everything.

One more thing I noticed is how many stupid food commercials I must endure just to watch a show. Thank goodness for the mute button. It seriously made me want to get up & EAT!

I hate thinking about food...

I prefer to just EAT IT!! Whatever & whenever. Guess that's what got me to this point.

The mind games are in full swing. It's on like Donkey Kong!

Another LOSS!

Yesterday's post of a pig represented my first load day (the day prior). If I were being totally honest about yesterday's monumental effort to consume as much crappy stuff as I could, it would look more like this:

Wow, you say? Yeah, me too. It was MISERABLE!

I wound up with another loss, only this time it was down .12 ounces from yesterday's weigh-in. You'll hear no complaining from me! That's over a pound loss in 2 days! I just hope it doesn't come back to bite me in the toosh.

I managed to get some alone time with my sweetheart & we took our dog Ginger on a walk. We went 3.1 miles & wore out the poor girl! (the dog, too) It took us a whole hour, which seems kind of long for that distance. We weren't walking slow, either.

Today is my first day of the very low calorie diet & so far it's going good. I had some crackers sitting in front of me, looking at me in that way they do, but I didn't cave. I put them away & cut up an apple for breakfast. I know it's only the first hours of the first day, but I'm feeling really good today!

Must have done something wrong...

'cause my scale read 0.6 ounces less than yesterday! Normally that kind of a loss in 1 day would thrill me, but you're actually supposed to gain a bit in the first two days of pig-out-dom. It's almost laughable that I could lose after what I ate yesterday! I really was a pig.

For breakfast I had 6 pieces of turkey bacon & a few bites of jello. For lunch I had Chicken Cordon Bleu & about a cup of mac & cheese (the latter was forced... I really hate mac & cheese, but thought it was worthy of my fat-filled-food quest). For dinner I had Country Fried Steak with mashed potatoes & gravy, & some broccoli, carrots, & cauliflower steamed with cheese sauce.

See, I really did pig out. Must. do. better. today. LOL

Day 1

I started the HCG injections this morning. I took note of my weight & measurements, then compared it to last October when I last started this diet but failed miserably. I'm up 12 pounds from when I ended it, which isn't surprising yet I feel somewhat disappointed in myself for packing on that much weight in a mere 3 months time.


The good news is, I don't weigh as much as I ever have! That gives me something to smile about. :)


For the first 2 days of injections, I get to do something called "loading". In this phase, you get to eat as much fatty foods as you can stomach. I struggle with this part, but I understand it's necessary to get the best results. The "loading" signals your hypothalamus to get ready to burn excess fat, so that when the real calorie intake reduction happens on days 3-40 you're not left feeling hungry. And from my experience, you really don't experience hunger with this protocol. In fact, there were some days I found myself not eating as much as I should & having to fit more in at the end of the day.


Enough about the protocol, though. If you want to learn more, here's the info directly from the horses mouth: Dr. Simeons. Scroll down on the page to read "Pounds & Inches".


So, my starting weight is (break out those glasses) 258.4, & my first big goal is to lose 40 pounds by the time my brother Grant gets home from his mission to the Philippines in early April.

Prepare to be AMAZED!

First of all, if you haven't seen the movie Meet the Robinsons, you need to. I love that movie!

On to the amazing part...

I just spent the past 21 minutes (yes, you read that right! TWENTY-ONE!) on my glider-thingy. (!!) I didn't know I could do that. All it took was rearranging my play list, adding in a little Pink (LOVE her... she's spunky & feisty, just like my closet-self), & there you have it!

I'd love to find out what you're listening to. Leave me some love. You know I don't hate comments. :)

Goals

A great & highly respected man in the LDS community once said:

"I have known many great men & women. Although they have different backgrounds, talents, & perspectives, they all have this in common: they work diligently & persistently towards achieving their goals. It's easy to get distracted & lose focus on the things that are most important in life. I've tried to remember the lessons I learned from Coach Oswald and prioritize values that are important to me so that I can keep my eye focused on things that really matter.

I urge you to examine your life. Determine where you are & what you need to do to be the kind of person you want to be. Create inspiring, noble, & righteous goals that fire your imagination & create excitement in your heart. And then keep your eye on them. Work consistently towards achieving them." ~ Joseph B. Wirthlin

I have a long way to go to be the kind of person I want to be, but it sure feels good to be on that track!

What are your goals?

Monday-Funday!

After the husband came home from a day of golfing, proclaiming he is *never playing again* (it's frustrating to play poorly), we laced up our shoes, snuck out the other side of the house (the little kids would have wanted to come, but Ty agreed to watch them) through the little garage, & headed off for a brisk walk.

My lower back isn't always cooperative, but we wound up walking 1.8 miles anyway. I hate not knowing distances, so when we got home I loaded up my cranky kids (apparently they noticed we'd left & didn't like it very much) in the car & drove the route we took.

After our short trip around the block (& me realizing how truly spoiled I am... I didn't realize how far that walk felt until I drove it in no time flat) I drove the kids over to McDonald's & bought them each a sundae. It's something we rarely do, but they love it & I felt like showing myself I didn't really want what they were having, or anything else there, & could just as easily do without.

That mission was accomplished! Baby steps...

In all, I walked &/or glided about 2.5 miles yesterday! If it's not at Disneyland (with a stop at every third booth for a caramel apple, or cotton candy, or other things of the like), that's a lot of extra walking for me.

I'm excited to get started with the HCG so I can begin to see some results! Once I get that going I'll start posting my weigh-ins daily. (gah! I'm *so* not looking forward to sharing my actual weight with anyone!!)

The Reward

After 11 (whole) minutes spent on my glider-exercise-contraption-thingy comes the reward. Before even minute 3 rolls around, my chest is burning with each breath... yes, I'm that out of shape... but I hang in there for the sweet reward of some Kanye West's "Golddigger". Not only does my stride lengthen at the onset of this song, but my neck also gets a workout from all the Kanye-esque neck jerking that goes on.

So, I guess that's my first in an assuredly long list of embarrassing confessions.

No, I don't love Kanye. Yes, he's a pig-jerk. No, I really don't love the words to the song. But there's something about that beat that makes me want to move! Kind of like Prince's "Kiss".

So, how about you? What songs move you?

Time to FLY!

To steal an acronym from the Flylady, it's time to finally love myself. I'm gearing up to start down a different path towards a better self-image & a healthier me, while challenging me to change my weaknesses in to my strengths.

Hello, my name is Shannon, & I'm an addict. My current choice of drug is food.

Through the help of my loving family, sweet friends, a few bottles of HCG (to get me started), exercising some sheer determination, & most importantly the Lord, I CAN do this.

Though the weight loss protocol must wait a few more days, the Get Moving Challenge starts today! Check out my friend Emily's blog to find some inspiration from another sister who's kissing that fatsuit goodbye!