Now, for some truly terrifying pictures

Summer 2006
245 pounds

Hard to tell where my neck ends and head begins.







Summer 2007
255 pounds
Can't believe I actually went out in public looking like this.



















Fall 2006
240 Pounds
Makeup does wonders, but there's no hiding a double chin.

Spring 1985

90 pounds

Sweet 16

Fall 2009

259 pounds

Ugh! Bloated double chin girl!

These are fairly recent as you see, however, I will have new pics of a new, slimmed down version of me in the next couple of days. Size 12 by the end of August is my goal and I'm in 14/16 (not a plus size either!) or 15/17 (jr) depending on the style. 18's swallow me whole and fall off. XL falls off too!

Butt Measurements

A man and his wife were working in their garden one day and the man looks over at his wife and says: 'Your butt is getting really big, I mean really big. I bet your butt is bigger than the barbecue.'

With that he proceeded to get a measuring tape and measure the grill and then went over to where his wife was working and measured his wife's bottom.

'Yes, I was right; your butt is two inches wider than the barbecue!!!'

The woman chose to ignore her husband.

Later that night in bed, the husband is feeling a little frisky. He makes some advances towards his wife who completely brushes him off. 'What's wrong?' he asks. ..............

She answers: 'Do you really think I'm going to fire up this big-ass grill for one little weenie?
**************************

Thanks LeAnn for the funny!

Someone's MATH is wrong!

I found a little slice of heaven today in the form of Whole Grain Leggo Waffles. But, when I took a look at the calories and what not it says 2 waffles (plain) 170 calories, but it also says if you eat just 1 waffle (plain) it's only 80 calories?

Last I checked 80+80=160. AM I right or am I right? Where'd those extra 10 calories come from?

I also discovered Pollander's fruit juice sweetened jams and jellies. YUMMY!

I am presently loading pictures of the last 10 yeas of my life. I cringe at a lot of them. Oh man! I'm fat! How'd that happen? So many ways, but the biggest reason of all, lazy. Just plain lazy and content with my life. I don't fell quite so lazy, nor am I quite content with being the way I am right now. Life is fine, but it's better when you have the energy to enjoy it and I lacked energy. When I found it again, my poor overworked, stressed, overweight body just couldn't handle it any more.

My kids say they think I 'm happier now, in some ways I am, except when I look in the mirror and all I see is the leftovers of the last 10 years. Today, while I was doing curls on the ball, Caleb poked me in the stomach and said "Whoa! You have hard muscles under all that fat!"

Good to know I have washboard abs under all that fat, why won't it go away? I'm doing the cardio (having a rough time with it with shin splints, you wanna talk pain? They H-U-R-T like the devil) but I try anyway. I'm eating right. I'm exercising, but I'm stuck. Grumbles....

Think I'll go soak in a nice hot bath before bed.

G'night all.

My new toys and guilty pleasures

It's late. I'm sleepy. So this is going to be fast and not as flowery as my other posts.

I finally replaced my exercise ball and promptly learned that it is very possible to hurt yourself on one of those things. I also learned that once hurt, that it is possible to work the injury out by substituting a different exercise for the day. In this case I was so stiff and sore from not using my abs and obliques to balance myself that I could barely move. I opted for a mat workout instead and was able to move freely before the end of the workout and for the rest of the day.

I don't recommend trying to work out an injury unless you know with absolute certainty that you're not seriously hurt as in sprained muscles, slipped discs and the like. I was just very stiff and sore to the point I could hardly move. I was back on the ball the next day.

Sculpting/resistance bands ROCK! They only look easy to use. the exercises look easy. And they are easy unless you're 41 years old, overweight, and not used to such activity. You become stiff and sore. And addicted.

Hi, I'm Melissa, and I've become addicted to Power Sculpting with Mari Winsor, Winsor Pilates. It's one addiction I'm not likely to give up anytime soon.

Sunbathing. It's not a toy, allegedly dangerous, and sooooo very comforting after a rigorous workout. It helps your body more readily absorb nutrients like Vitamin D and in my case iron. I have psoriasis and sunlight has been proven to curb outbreaks. I've been routinely sunbathing since this time last year and have not had the first breakout since I started indulging in this guilty pleasure. I don't stay out more than 30 minutes unprotected. I have a healthy sun-kissed glow and a much improved disposition.

Soft smooth skin, a nice toy for my husband lol! Once I'm inside from the sun, I take a power nap. I don't shower, even if I got sweaty because natural vitamin d is absorbed through your skin and can take up to 30 minutes for your skin to absorb so if you go in from the sun and take a shower you just washed off all that natural goodness. After my power nap I shower and shave. I barely towel dry because my next tip requires damp skin. I put a thin layer of Vaseline on my damp tootsies and over that I pull on a thin cotton sock to help keep the moisture in. I rub in a good amount of lavender baby oil on my legs, shoulders, arms, hands, elbows and knees. Moisture form your still damp (not dripping wet) skin is under the oil. Even my kids rub my arms and say mom, you have really soft skin. Treat yourself to this pampering 5 days this week and you'll see an improvement in those dry as snakeskin legs and rough as a cob feet.

I've been know to use any excess baby oil on my hands to rub along my throat and face. Do this, tip your head back as far as you can, you'll feel your skin pull tightly along your chest, rub your oily hands in an upward motion and gently upward motion on your face. This does several things, helps stretch out those little used muscles along your throat, massages them too, and slowly whittles away at 2nd, 3rd, and 4th chins and you get a little moisture from the left over baby oil on your hands. I've done the above exercise for a while and the hubby says he can see the difference...my 2nd and 3rd chins are almost gone.

Fingernail polish is awesome. If my nails are painted then I don't want to mess them up by chewing them off, which I haven't done in a very long time. I have so many different colors now that I have a hard time choosing which to use. It's a pampering treat since I can't afford manicures and pedicures. Sally Hansen Insta Dry is my brand of choice.

Long hot baths after along day at work or a rough workout followed by the baby oil treatment...sigh...heaven...if it weren't almost 2 am I'd indulge. Instead, goodnight everyone!

Supper Menu

Supper, as you know, is the last meal of the day. You need something more filling, but not high in calories or strongly flavored (unless you just happen to like heartburn/acid reflux at 2 am)

Baked or Grilled Chicken Breast, steamed veggies(easy on the salt and butter), a whole wheat roll(easy onthe butter), and all the beverage you can stand (not soda, no caffeine at night unless you need to stay up late for some reason)

Browned Milanesa, couscous salad(see recipe), steamed veggies, allthe beverage you can stand (you know the drill at this point)

Miso/Wonton/Hot sour or any other broth based soup, oyster crackers (not those fried wonton noodles..calorie central) Whole grain roll, steamed veggies, beverage of your choice.

Stuffed eggplant (see recipe), beverage of your choice

Chili and oyster crackers, beverage of your choice

Pot Roast (see recipe), whole wheat roll, beverage of your choice.

Grilled or baked Salmon(or other fish you like), steamed veggies, whole grain roll, beverage of your choice.

Yes, by all means have dessert, just not a lot of it. One or two tablespoons to satisfy your cravings.

Substitute salad for stemed veggies at your whim, vegetables are unlimited, except potatoes, they're a no no. Rice is a no no. If you absolutely must must must have rice, use long grain wild rice. If you must must must have potatoes, bake the potato and use fat free sour cream and minimal butter or put homemade salsa on it.

Pot Roast Recipe

Before you go to bed, brown your roast in a skillet 3-4 minutes each side, place in crock pot with 1/2 cup burgundy cooking wine (if you use the cooking wine DO NOT SALT THE ROAST)and 1/2 cup water. Put lido n crock pot. Leave crock pot on low over night. When you get up in the morning check the water level to make sure you don't burn the roast while at work, add more water and cooking wine if necessary. When you get home, toss carrots, onions, and broccoli or cauliflower or both into the crock pot. Turn crock pot off place lid back on crock pot until supper time. Roast will fall apart as you serve it, veggies will still be a bit crunchy.

Couscous Salad

Near East Couscous prepared according to directions. Add to it chopped walnuts, black beans, chopped celery, chopped scallions, chopped cucumber, cherry tomatoes,halved, black olives, and 1 can water packed tuna or salmon,drained.

Serve on a bed of washed baby spinach.

Stuffed Egg Plant

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut a large eggplant in half, lengthwise, scrape out the middle. Place pulp in browned ground beef or ground chicken or ground turkey, add your choice of salsa, marinara, or spaghetti sauce to the mixture stir constantly until completely heated. Place mixture back inside eggplant shell, top with freshly shredded cheese of your choice. Place in baking dish then in oven until cheese is bubbly.

Lunch Menu and an addendum to the shopping list

I suppose everyone is tired of looking at the breakfast menu huh?

For most of us lunch is eaten on the go and that is a big set up for disaster. I usually pack a salad or leftovers form last night's dinner, but on the days i don't have time or I forget here's what I do.

There is a Chinese Buffet style restaurant at the end of the sidewalk in the 'strip mall' where I work. I WALK to the restaurant. They serve their version of sushi and I load up. I avoid the fried sushi because I feel that defeats the purpose. I have teriyaki chicken (yay for food on a stick!)I have stir fried vegetables. Miso soup or Hot and sour or wonton soup. Egg drop is high in calories. They have icecream and I have one scoop (no, not a big scoop)and sweet tea with lemon.

There is also a bbq restaurant directly across from teh store and a steak house beside it. I order a large beef bbq sandwich (it is sliced been not pulled so it has less sauce on it than pork or chicken) with coleslaw and I ask for a fork, again, sweet tea with lemon. The bun goes into the trash, I eat the meat and the slaw, toss the bottom part of the bun. I don't eat at the steakhouse because I worked in a similar one as a teenager and just can't bring myself to set foot in the door.


Other restaurants: Eat from the salad bar. Use common sense. You know what is packed with salt, sugar, and calories, don't eat it. If you absolutely can't resist, have ONE spoonful, not a big spoonful. Steer clear of the dessert bar or just have ONE spoonful, not a big spoonful. You're changing your way of life, not cheating on a diet and part of that change is learning to control your urges to indulge in cravings.

If you order a hamburger, lettuce tomato, pickle only, toss the bun. DO NOT EAT THE FRIES. or if you must have the fries, eat only a few. Control yourself.

I'M GIVING YOU PERMISSION NOT TO CLEAN YOUR PLATE. Food left on your plate is calories not consumed.


Now, for a more normal menu

- Al Fresco tacos (shell, meat, lettuce and tomato), 100 calorie snack packs (watch the salt) fruit.

- Chef's salad with dressing on the side. (Mixed greens, not iceberg lettuce, it's not really that good for you, shredded meats of your choice, shred your own cheese choices, tomato, cucumber, and radish slices (I hate onions so add them if you like 'em, I don't), I also toss in some edamame (soybeans, rinsed veggie sprouts, and some raw almond slivers. Eat as much as you can stand. 100 calorie snack (watch the salt), fruit.

- 2 slices 15 grain whole wheat bread, a couple of slices of lean deli meat, lettuce, tomato, flax seed mayo, piece of fruit, 100 calorie snack (watch the salt amounts).

- Drained tuna, diced avacado, light mayo, diced sweet green pepper, diced cucumber, raw pecan pieces, diced tomato, diced apple (optional), halved red seedless grapes (optional) mixed together, served with 1 slice 15 grain wholewheat bread, 100 calorie snack (watch the salt), fruit.

- Soup and Salad. Steer clear of calorie laden soups. YOu know which ones I'm talking about. Anything creamy. Chowders. Cheese based. Noodle or rice soups. DO NOT EAT THEM or go by the one spoonful rule. Broth based soups are best, and if they're loaded with veggies then all the much better for you. Tortilla soup (the spiciness is good for you), vegetable soup, miso, wonton, these are the better choices. (Avoid the chinese noodles though) Salad of your choice (not a pasta salad, greens, tomato...you know how to make a salad)

-A plate of hard cheese slices (or 2 Baby Belle rounds), steak chunks or chicken breast strips (Not fried), sweet green peper slices, celery sticks, baby carrots, whole edamame or snap sugar peas, jumbo black olives (rinsed), boiled eggs (sliced) with Tribe 40 Spice Hummus.

..................

Addendum to the shopping list
Snacks

York Sugar Free Peppermint Patties
VitaMuffin Muffin tops
PRINGLES ORIGINAL POTATO CRISPS (yes, you have permission to indulge in 'tater chips' have 8-10)
Red Vines Sugar Free Licorice
Edamame
Salsa (mix into scrambled eggs for a southwestern flare)
lite mayo
bananas (I hate the things, they give me wicked heartburn)
Apples
Red Grapefruit
DARK Chocolate
Kiwi
Pineapple chunks (packed in light syrup or in its own juice avoid the splenda packed stuff)
Mushrooms
Carrot Juice (as a base for smoothies)
Bolthouse Vanilla Chai Tea (as a base for smoothies)
High Lignan Flax Seed Oil ( there is a difference in the flaxseed oils, high lignan helps your body process fats better, it also plays a role in helping with 'female hormonal issues)

Note on using soy products, while soy is fantastic in curbing weight issues, it has been known to mess with your estrogen levels, pushing them into the high end which will then throw our monthly cycle off and since most of us are in our 40's or soon will be, that's the last thing we need on top of 'getting older' and being overweight. So enjoy soy products sparingly, don't abandon them altogether.

Breakfst a.k.a. You don't need my permission

Menus are funny things.

They look easy enough, but they give the appearance of being set in stone.
They're not. You don't need permission to eat what you want when you want. Eat breakfast for supper, eat lunch for breakfast, or hey...get really adventurous and have supper at snack time! Just keep in mind, that calories, fat, high fructose corn syrup, and sodium are lurking in everything you put in your mouth.

And you do know the difference in what's good for you and what isn't. That little internal 'ignore the bad stuff I want it anyway' button needs to be switched off. Just sayin...

There are no points, no calorie counting, no weighing, no pre-packaged foods to buy, no pills, nothing here but common sense eating. I'm not your momma, your personal coach, or your trainer. We're all big girls and boys so I'm not going to tell you how much you can eat. This is all individual. I'm giving you permission to do it your way. I'm just telling you the way I do it, modify at your whim. You will also note I use ground flax seed in almost EVERYTHING.

ALWAYS EAT A GOOD HEARTY BREAKFAST.

Breakfast
Pick one of the following:

-Oatmeal
1 package instant plain oatmeal
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons slivered raw almonds (not roasted...too much salt)
Handful of blueberries or strawberries or raspberries
1/2 cup greek yogurt
2 teaspoons ground flax seed
2 tablespoons honey

Mix oat meal, flax seed, and milk together in bowl and place in microwave. Heat according to directions. Drizzle with honey, Add yogurt, berries and nuts. Enjoy with as much beverage of your choice as you can stand. (preferably not diet soda, it's very very bad for you)


- Scrambled eggs (the whole egg not just the whites)

2 Eggs (I prefer cage free organic browns)
2 tablespoons herbed feta cheese (I prefer tomato basil)
2 tablespoons milk
3 Cherry tomatoes halved
6 baby spinach leaves torn up
1 tsp ground flax seed
1 tbsp grapeola

Heat pan and add grapeola. Mix up remaining ingredients and cook until done. Serve with 1 slice toasted 15 grain bread, all the beverage of your choice you can stand.

-Bowl of cereal (I prefer Special K) with milk, fruit, side of greek yogurt of your choice, again all the beverage of your choice you can stand

- Beef and Eggs (big family size breakfast dish)
Just brown a pound of chunky stew beef in 1/4 cup burgundy or marsala cooking wine and 2 tbsp grapeola. Once browned, drain and set aside. Quarter five or six cherry tomatoes, 2-3 tablespoons of feta cheese, 5-6 eggs, 1/2 cup milk, 10-12 baby spinach leaves torn up, 2 tbsp ground flax seed, chopped baby mushrooms, 1/2 cup black beans, 2 tbsp Mrs Dash. Mix all together pour over stew beef and cook/scramble until eggs are done. Serve with 15 grain whole wheat toast and beverage of choice.

-Whole Wheat Pancakes, fruit, yogurt, beverage of choice

1 cup whole wheat unbleached flour
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup slivered raw almonds
Sugar free jam or jelly or fruit butter (look for the kind sweetened with fruit juice not artificial sweetener)

2 tablespoons grapeopla (add more to pan if needed)

Mix first 5 ingredients together, if too stiff slowly add more milk, if too soupy slowly add more flour. Pour quarter sized batter into a hot pan. Turn when edges are bubbling and beginning to brown.

Spread with jam/jelly/fruit butter of your choice, serve with fruit and yogurt and beverage of your choice.


-Fresh fruits, veggies, cheese and beverage of choice
Your choice of: Apple slices, kiwi,grapefruit wedges, grapes, berries, avocado, cherry tomatoes, melon, slices of hard cheese (colby, Monterrey jack, cheddar, colby jack,mozzarella), raw nuts, as much as you can stand.


-Smoothies
(Watch carefully or you'll end up with a calorie packed fiasco)

1 cup plain greek yogurt
1/2 cup flavored kefir (this is a flavored buttermilk type drink loaded with all kinds of good stuff), go very easy on it
1 cup frozen berries
2 tbsp ground flax seed
1/4 -1/2 cup ice

Process in blender until smooth. Serve with 15 grain whole wheat toast with sugar free (fruit juice sweetened) jam/jelly/fruit butter.


Breakfast on the run

My favorite on the go breakfasts are breakfast burritos, McD's, Sonic, BK, Hardee's all have their own version, avoid the ones that add potatoes of any kind to their burrito. I usually get a bacon or sausage egg and cheese burrito at Sonic. If you must have a biscuit get one that doesn't include deep fried meat (chicken etc) unless you can order it grilled. Avoid gravy and biscuits like the plague though if you must, simply must have it, get the gravy on the side and dip your biscuit in it. Gravy is loaded with sodium and calories ....just thought I'd remind you.

I hate magazine covers

If there is anything more misleading than magazine covers, I'd like to know what it is. Honestly. How many times can the same magazine boast Miracle Diet/Pill/Exercise will help you shed a bazillion pounds a month!

First, For Women, for example reported that one particular diet would help women lose 47 pounds in one month. Another month is promoted drop 9 pounds every 7 days and 4 inches from your waist in one week. The next month it boasted that this particular exercise would help you lose 20 pounds by the end of summer. Ummmm, I'd rather do the diet and lose 47 pounds in one month 0r 36 lbs and 16 inches from my waist as opposed to 20 pounds in 12 weeks wouldn't you? Problem is, neither headline is being honest.

Woman's World is next with its Fit into your skinny jeans by eating these foods! Lose up to 16 pounds a week on TURBO ATKINS! Lose 6 Pounds a week and keep it off forever! So what's the difference in 16 pounds and 6 pounds headlines? Neither of them are realistic and quit likely, not healthy for you either.

But, while I'm thinking about it, the headlines of the magazines are rather misleading, the recipes and menus are pretty good.

I subscribed to the Jillian Micheals website (before I swore off her methods) and this is one of the reasons I swore offf her methods, I get an email from some woman on how to lose weight fast. One recommendation was along the lines of only eat plain yogurt and drink water for 7 days. Yeah, I can see the weight coming off like that, but after 7 days of starvation how much weight could be gained by eating everything in sight at the end of plain yogurt and water hell?

There's no sense in starving yourself.

I've dropped roughly 50 pounds in one year. Yeah, one year.

I've done it by losing the weight slowly, eating right (or at least trying to) and exercising even if it's a few minutes before I go to work or before I go to bed.


Look for my next post. I'll give you menus and recipes that are 'do'able

Shopping List

I suppose you want to see my shopping list huh?

See vitamin list in the previous post, only leave out the DHEA, it has been shown to play a role in breast cancer so just toss it. DO NOT take any vitamin on an empty stomach. Eat breakfast first otherwise you'll be nauseated possibly to the point of vomiting..not fun. Been there done that...wasted some perfectly good (and expensive) vitamins.

Cooking supplies Note: Organic is best, a bit more expensive, but still your best bet.

-Cooking Sherry
-Cooking Marsala
-Cooking Burgundy Wine
-Cooking White Wine
I LOVE cooking wines. If you decide to use them, DO NOT SALT ANYTHING ELSE
-Rosemary
-GrapeOla (cooking oil, pricey but a little goes a long long way, and it's good for you)
-High Lignan Flaxseed oil (refrigerate after opening)
-Balsamic Vinegar
-Mrs. Dash
-Old Bay (do not salt if you use it)
-Pam Cooking Spray
-Sea Salt (matter of preference here, I prefer it over regular table salt mostly because I can buy it in a grinder and take out frustrations on the poor grinder)
Ground flaxseed (I use it in pretty much everything, refrigerate after opening.)

Snackage

-Pretzels (low salt or no salt)
-Pita Chips (low salt or no salt)
-Hummus (any flavor...it's a matter of preference)
-Snap/sugar peas
-FRESH green beans
-baby carrots (a little more expensive but more fun than your average carrot)
-100 calorie snack packs (watch the fat and sodium contents!)
-Wholly Guacamole 100 calorie packs
-PNut Butter (low or no sugar or salt...if you can find the kind with flax seed in it all that much better for you)

Does anyone see chocolate in there? Ice Cream?? Well guess what? You can have it. You can purchase almost any style/flavor ice cream, snack cakes, cookies, candies in 100 calorie sizes. Just don't eat it all in one sitting or one day because that defeats the purpose.

If you have to choose between sugar or high fructose corn syrup as a main ingredient, go with sugar.

Avoid overly processed foods like sliced sandwich cheeses, puddings, most breads, pasta, chips etc...

Main meals

-Fresh mixed baby salad greens
-Fresh spinach
-Black Beans (if you buy them canned, rinse thoroughly)
-Garbanzo Beans (if you buy them canned, rinse them thoroughly)
-15 grain wholewheat bread
-Canned Tuna
-Chicken breast
-Tilapia
-Salmon
-Couscous (any kind)
-Taboule
-Jumbo Black Olives (rinsed)
-any and all fresh vegetables, fruits
-Lean cuts of beef, pork, poultry of your choice
-Sliced Portabella mushroom caps (the big ones)
-Cheddar, mozzarella, colby jack bricks of cheese (not already shredded, shredded is coated with cellulose which is bad for you)
-Eggs (I prefer organic cage free brown eggs)
-Kellogg's Special K (any flavor, I like the Cinnamon Pecan flavor)
-Avocado
-Blueberries, lots and lots of blueberries
-Raw almonds (lots and lots of raw almonds)

Drinks...All you can stand to drink
-SoBe ZERO calorie LifeWater (Has Reb A(Purevia) which is a derivative of Stevia which is a natural sweetener and erythritol a natural sugar alcohol that has little to no effect on blood sugar levels and is eliminated from the body within 24 hours. Caution: consumed in large quantities it has a laxative effect)
-Coffee (go easy on sugar, creamer)
-Tea (easy on the sugar) (Milo's uses sugar only)
-Gatorade (personally, I hate the stuff, but the kids like it)
-2% milk
-Orange Juice (go easy)
-Apple Juice (go easy)
-Lemonade (go easy)

Diet drinks with splenda and or aspartame or other artificial sweeteners have been shown to cause/increase hunger, Splenda started out life as insecticide (yummy). Aspartame has been linked to cancer. Diet drinks are also loaded with SALT/SODIUM. Still like the way that diet soda looks or tastes?????

Not so much all you can stand to drink of the following, but we certainly don't deny ourselves
-A good glass of wine
-Sangria



See, it's stuff you would buy and use all the time anyway (except maybe GrapeOla and the flaxseed items) Well, what do you do with all these things once you've bought them?

I give you menus and recipes sometime this weekend, right now, it's bedtime.

Good night all.

Let Me Count The Ways

Just how many ways are there to self sabotage a way of life? (Thought I was going to say 'diet' didn't you!)

I found several this week. Work weird hours at retail leaving yourself with no time to prepare meals ahead so you eat at fast food joints instead. Actually, I was just too lazy to prepare anything. Tuesday I had take out from the Chinese Buffet style restaurant. I had sushi, chicken terriyaki (yay! for food on a stick!) and broccoli/carrots with beef and sweet tea. Not the worst thing I could have had, but I could've done better.

Wednesday was even worse! I had a beach burger with cheese from a little restaurant on the Tellico River named The Beach! I ate bun and all and had sweet tea. I had another hamburger for supper from Burger King, but I did toss the bun and yet more sweet tea.

Thursday I had a sausage biscuit from Hardees, a grilled chicken breast for lunch and bad bad bad me, pizza for supper.

Interestingly enough I didn't gain any weight, in fact I dropped a half pound! Wanna know how? I walked the trail at Tellico once in the morning and again that evening. I did my Pilates workout before the morning walk so I was HUNGRY! because my metabolism was revved up.

With that said, working out does not automatically give you permission to eat what you want. I just got lucky. I'm certainly not going to keep tempting the inevitable. I've worked too hard to get where I am to blow it now. I am allowed to back slide.

I also blew it in a big way today. No breakfast (mistake mistake mistake!), we packed coolers, one with drinks Gatorade (since hick town here can't be bothered to sell lifewater), 10 calorie juice packs, and Snapple diet drinks (which are nasty, by the way). Chocolate pnut butter bugles, oreo cookies, chips, sandwich fixins....sigh. Supper was baked chicken breast, mashed potatoes, and canned peas. I ate the chicken breast and 2 spoonfuls of potatoes, the peas looked yucky so I didn't touch them. No weight lost, none gained. I think I better cool it the rest of the week since I didn't walk or work out today.


So see, you can totally screw up with this and still call it a success as long as you can say you didn't gain. I didn't gain, but I certainly could have done better. Tomorrow is another day.

In other news, I still haven't replaced my poor exercise ball that fell victim to Grant's sword. Will have to do that tomorrow while we're shopping for his junior leadership supplies, perhaps I will deduct its replacement cost out of his lawn mowing money. Hmmmm, there's a possibility.

You have to have a plan

Sometimes you just need to take a break.

I'm now weighing in at 213 pounds.

Measurements

Neck 15.5 in
Bust 41 in
natural waist 40 in
Waist at widest point 45 in
Hips 44 in
Thigh (each) 26

I can now do:

15 curl ups
2 30 second planks
By the way...2 lb weights kick your ass when you're out of shape!

I can run almost *ALMOST* half a mile, actually more like a medium jog, but hey, when the most you've run in the last 15 years was to catch a toddler before he drank out of the toilet, you'll take what you can get!

And now on to the topic people have shown the most interest in: Fooooood

A change to a healthier diet will drop the weight slowly, which is what you want if you intend to keep the weight off:

Eat breakfast: Consume up to 55% of your calories first thing in the morning. Lean protein, fresh fruit and vegetables, fiber that's all you need to remember. That and the following are just suggestions, not requirements. I'm not a doctor or a dietitian, just someone who's learning as she goes or is it just someone who's remembering what she knows?????

-Plain Greek yogurt with fresh blueberries, granola, and a tablespoon of honey. If you can't stand the plain use Greek yogurt with honey or caramel instead.

-Scrambled eggs with herbed feta mixed in.

-Pepperidge Farm 15 grain slice of bread with unsweetened pnut butter and a glass of milk.

-Have a plate of cheddar, mozzarella, grapes, avocado slices, and black olives, sweet tea. Yes Sweet Tea, sweeten it with honey, go easy on the sugar. Sugar is not the enemy. You are.

-Oatmeal with raisins or dried cranberries, sweetened with honey or sugar.

-Special K cereal (I LOVE Cinnamon Pecan Special K)and milk, fruit of your choice.

Have all the coffee, tea, milk you want, or water, just drink something to get you hydrated. I'm a huge fan of SoBe Zero Calorie Life water, too bad it isn't sold by the gallon.


Lunch: More lean protein, all the FRESH fruits and veggies you can stand.

-Tuna stuffed whole wheat pita pocket, blueberries or grapes

- Baked herbed chicken breast, mixed greens salad, dressing on the side, whole grain roll or slice of bread, a teeny tiny bit of butter if you must have it.

-Chef's salad, dressing on the side dip your greens in the dressing don't drown them with it that defeats the whole purpose of ordering on the side.

-Sushi, yes, sushi

-Al fresco tacos


Supper: Yet again, more lean protein, fresh fruits veggies (I try to avoid grains at night as they tend to cause bloat)

Supper is pretty much the same as lunch. I'll post whole weeks menus if you really want me to.


Snacks: I am a huge fan of those 100 calorie snack packages but that doesn't mean eat the whole box in one sitting or even in one day. A lot of popular candies are available in the 100 calorie size. I usually have 2 100 calorie snacks and a bottle of SoBe Zero Calorie Lifewater or tea or maybe a 1/3 of 12 oz can of soda just depending on my mood.

Carrots and hummus
Snap peas and hummus
Celery sticks and hummus or peanut butter or pimento cheese (go easy) or cream cheese (go easy)
Pretzel chips and hummus
Trail mix (unsalted)
Unsalted, non roasted nuts
slices of mozzarella or cheddar cheese and an apple
a bowl of fruit drizzled with honey (not swimming in it, there's a difference)

Did you notice anything about the above? There are no limits, no calorie counting, no fat counting, no weighing of meats,just good old fashioned common sense. You know when you're pushing the over eating envelope. Pay attention to what you're doing. Pay attention to what you're eating. Pay attention to YOU. Make a plan. Know what you're going to eat and how much. Once it's gone, it's gone, do something else besides eat.

Dessert: What do you like? I'm not a dessert kind of girl. I might have a spoonful of ice cream or a couple bites of cake, half a Debbie cake or none at all mostly because I now look at dessert like I would look at a roach while thinking oh no...not in this house...


On my next topic:

I have people asking me how much can I eat? My answer is How much does it take to make you feel satisfied? I know some people can eat A LOT and still not feel full and vice versa. This is where you have to start taking control of bad habits. Start paying attention to your body. It cues you in when its had enough you just have to learn to listen.

I have people ask me What diet are you on? My answer is that I'm not on a diet per se, I'm changing my way of life. Diets automatically set you up to fail by setting some goals that most people think they can attain, want to attain, but realistically, they can't ever get there, or once they're there, there's no plan on where to go next because the diet doesn't help them detail the 'What next?' after they achieve their weight loss goal.

Your goal might be to maintain the weight loss, but where is the 'weight loss maintenance diet' book? They are few and far between which is why I choose to adopt a healthier lifestyle rather than subscribe to Atkins for the rest of my life, or South Beach or whatever other diet is out there that many have 'tried' even succeeded at, but in the end...well...no plans beyond that...and guess where the weight went?

My son Caleb likes to have definite plans "Mom what are we doing today?" he listens intently then adds "And then what?" after each answer I give him. It's annoying for sure.

But in planning this blog, his question started nagging at me from a different angle "And then what?" that seems to be the question every 'dieter' seems to avoid. Okay, I lose the weight and then what?

Maintain?

How do I maintain? Is this diet something I want to do for the rest of my life? I mean come on, the cabbage soup diet might be a great way to drop a few pounds but do you really want to eat the stuff for the rest of your life? Have a plan for what comes next.

I certainly didn't have a plan when I looked at myself in a 3 way full length mirror last year. I just knew it had to come off and come off now. No, wait, quick weight loss results in even quicker weight gain and icky saggy skin. Slow and steady wins the race. Knowledge is power, So what did I know about getting the weight off and what did I know about food?

Cardio (not necessarily running) gets the middle off. Crunches tone the middle BUT upon studying a little on the internet, PILATES was even better at toning the middle as it works the core muscles and it would only cost me whatever I could find used at McKay's Used books....there lies an endless library of workout videos for all ages and stages of life. Hello Brooke Siler and Suzanne Deason. If it has their names on it, I will own it eventually. Jillian Micheals can kiss my fat backside, that girl's work will never see the inside of my home on purpose.

I also have seen what some of these women who've shed a lot of weight on a diet without giving thought to toning their bodies as they go and OMG I don't want to look like that! EWWWWWWWWW! Exercise, tone, that's the ticket.

So what do I know about food? I look at food and I know that bag of chips has enough salt in it for ten adults. I look at a Krispy Creme Donut and I know there's enough sugar to keep me wound up for a week, and enough calories to completely shipwreck the entire program I'm inventing as I go. I know a can of soda is loaded with caffeine and sugar and sodium. So, I guess, in a way, eating to drop weight is just using plain common sense.

You don't need my permission to eat what you like. I eat raw broccoli, because I can't stand it cooked, and I eat cooked cauliflower because I can't stand it raw. So there. There are no rules on eating as long as you use common sense. Vinaigrette is supposedly better for you than ranch dressing, I HATE vinaigrette so I have a teeny tiny bit of ranch dressing on the side. I don't eat fries or buns that come with the hamburger. I don't eat pasta of any description unless it happens to be appealing to me, which is very very rare these days. I hate that whole wheat pasta with a blinding passion so don't even got there on that.

What are my plans post diet?

Run in a marathon! then what? Take real Pilates classes! Then what? Become a Pilates instructor! Then What? Open my own studio! Then what? Kick Jillian Micheals butt! Then what? Well, what else, write a book about my change of lifestyle, then age gracefully while being a fabulous 50,60,70,80,90 something, and still look better than any other of those old bats in the nursing home with me!