Sunday, August 29, 2010

Mmmmm, recipes

I got a little creative with my cooking last night and tonight.

Spicy Chicken

4 Boneless Skinless chicken breasts
minced garlic
1 Can Hot Rotel Salsa

Place chicken breasts in aluminum foil, generously spread Rotel Salsa over them.  Add a dollop of minced garlic to each fold and seal foil over each.  Place in 400 degree oven for 45 minutes (I like mine done).


Fancy Boston Butt Steaks

4 Large Boston Butt Steaks
1 15 oz can pineapples in their own juice
2 Cooking apples cored and cut into 1/2 inch slices

Place steaks in a deep glass baking dish.  Layer apples and pineapples on top of steaks.  Pour pineapple juice from can over steaks.  Cover with foil.  Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes or until done.

**************************************************************

Yesterday I spent the afternoon with my husband while the boys were at Scholastic Steel Shooting Practice.  I made a complete pig of myself.  I had (not all at the same time, mind you) 2 McDoubles, a fruit Smoothie, and 2, yes 2, large orders of fries, and a 54 oz soda.  The good news is that I didn't drink even half the soda.  I just couldn't do it.  The rest was bad enough but the soda just made me cringe.  All of that could quite possibly be why I was queasy all evening and not terribly hungry today.

Today, on the other hand,  I have been behaving myself with a huge salad of fresh baby spinach, fresh from the garden tomatoes, fresh from the garden cucumbers, baby carrots, olives, and a spicy chicken breast torn up and tossed in the greens.  No salad dressing, the spicy chicken flavor slightly infiltrated the greens so it was delicious!  For breakfast I had a cup of vanilla greek yogurt with mandarin oranges and some unsweet tea.  I accidentally ended up with a diet Dr. Pepper, I don't care what anyone says, those things are N-A-S-T-Y!

For supper I had the fancy boston butt steak with a ton of fresh veggies, hmmm, not sure what I had to drink, some milk maybe and more tea.

The point I want to drive home with anyone who is trying to make healthy changes in their diets is that it's okay to indulge/cheat.  If you don't then you've set yourself up for failure.  Tell yourself it's okay to have a bit of whatever it is that's tempting you. Foodwise, that is. Go ahead. Have one of those chocolate dipped ice cream cones from Mickey D's, just don't have 2 or 3 or 4 of them all on the same day.  I'm not sure they even have milk in them so I can't say count it as calcium.  Count it as your cheat for the day and go on with life. Temptation will always be hanging around, it's how you deal with it that counts.  And let me tell you, whomever came up with 'when tempted [with food] drink water' must have been one hungry person.

My friend LeAnn  used to say the reason skinny women were so grumpy was because they were hungry.  Gotta agree with her on that one.

Thursday, August 26, 2010

My (maybe) PMS rant

I'm grumpy.  I'm irritable. I don't want to sleep, but I don't want to stay up either.  I KNOW I should be working out, but I don't want to.  I need to be exercising.  I have a goal to reach, a bunch of goals to reach but at the moment I could care less.

WHAT IS WRING WITH ME???????????????

And if it isn't PMS then I have no clue what it is.  Great.  I'm whining. Maybe I should have called this the NO EXCUSES and NO WHINING Zone?

To water or not to water..half serious silliness on tap!

How many times have we heard drink (insert amount here) much water a day!  Not caffeinated beverages!  Not sweetened beverages!  Certainly not alcohol!....Or fruit juice....

Insert confusion from this point forward:

Accoridng to a diet book my husband got me:  Only sip your beverage when you eat otherwise it dilutes your stomach's digestive juices so the food isn't properly digested.  Also drink whatever you want, in moderation, just remember mixed alcoholic drinks have a lot of calories in them, Long Island Tea, for instance, has about 780 calories.  It's better to drink a red wine for the anti aging effects and its weight loss properties.  Get this, a Mickey D's quarter pounder only has 510 calories.  So you could have had a quarter pounder and a coke for roughly the same calories as the Long Island Tea (not including whatever you were eating with the Long Island Tea)

Caffeinated beverages (more specifically coffee and tea with no sweeteners or cream) may actually curb hunger and cravings

Let me get this straight, technically you shouldn't really drink anything with your food, help yourself to wine, and caffeinated coffee and tea are fine to drink.  Can I put wine in my tea????

Personally, I hate plain water, even iced water, heaven forbid there's lemon added to the cold water.  It makes me queasy just thinking about it. 

I've said it before and I'll say it again, I prefer iced sweet tea from Sonic.  Order it half sweet half unsweet (or cut in half as they call it). the Route 44 size (37 oz)  is roughly half of your allotted 8-10 cups of water per day.  It has 400 calories if not cut in half.  Just remember, that's a lot of calories, however, it's big enough to be 'sipping on' all day long then refill it with water (shudder) or some other drink you like.  Two of those big ol' cups and you've done your hydrating for the day. Bonus: eat the ice after you've finished your second drink from this big ol cup.  It counts toward hydration as well.  Ice is just frozen water =)

I refill my cup with SoBe.  I LOVE SoBe Zero Calorie Lifewater. If I could buy it by the gallon or in a powdered form I would be in heaven! Anyone want to buy a life time supply of Lifewater for me?

Hey SoBe!  Do you need a new, not so expensive, spokesperson for your product?  I'm your gal!

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Back on the ball

Breakfast: Strawberries and blueberries on a bed of baby spinach, 2 medium eggs scrambled with 1 tsp flax seed and 1tbsp tomato basil feta, 4 jumbo black olives, and watered down sonic sweet tea.  I am stuffed!

30 minutes of lower back, abdominal exercise on the stability ball, 15 minutes of stretching exercises with Suzanne Deason's Pilate's weight loss conditioning.  10 minutes Mari Windsor Power sculpting with resistance bands.  I. Am. Tired.  And it feels soooooo good!

And now for the sobering results of not really doing a lot of exercise ( a lot being defined as not daily for a n hour or so a day)  and indulging in brownies and cake and cookies in the employee lounge area.  You'll also see some new measurements

Neck: 15.5
Waist 39
Hips 44
Thighs26
calf 17
wrist 6
bicep 13.5

Interestingly enough, my clothes are getting looser, so I'm going to venture a guess that some of those increased measurements are due to muscle gain.  The lack of loss is the result of laziness. 

And using the body fat measurement ccalculator below I find that I have 29% body fat (60 pounds worth, interestingly enough I've been saying I want to lose another 50-60 pounds, the things that make you go hmmmmm) and roughly 148 pounds of lean muscle/body weight.  I guess that means I've lost somewhere in the neighborhood of half my body fat???  I'm not good with math off the top of my head but I think I'm pretty close.

Home Body Fat Test

Now that I've worked out and all that grazing I did earlier, I'm getting hungry.   I think I'll have some cheese and a life water....hahaha 70 calories! I'm going out to soak in the sun before it gets too hot.  Have a great day and watch yourself, you're your own worst enemy when it comes to food and self sabotage. (I'm the pro on this lol!)

Monday, August 23, 2010

New Pic

Melissa
August  2010
208 Pounds (That's 51 pounds off!)







Double Chin Girl no more!









More to come as I manage to get them off my cell phone.

Things I've learned so far (It's only Monday!)

Since 'my' color is no longer available, I decided to give Garnier HerbaShine Medium Auburn Brown a shot.  Oh my stars!  My hair turned almost BLACK! Actually, chocolate cherry.  So I thought okay, I'll use a lighter brown over it to lighten it up and it'll probably go auburn.  WRONG!  It turned nuclear glow in the dark magenta!  So after a consult with some friends we decided to tone the magenta down that dark ash blonde would do the trick.  WRONG, again, to a point, the magenta is pretty much gone though when the light hits it the right way I still have a faint radioactive glow.  My hair is back to very dark auburn.  sigh. I look like a goth/emo chic...not my look let me tell ya!

Now, I'm just going to let my hair have a break for a few days and wear my hair up in a ponytail so maybe the goth looking hair that is mine won't be so garish.

Lesson learned: Garnier Herba Shine is an awesome hair color product, unfortunately, if you screw it up you are stuck with it.

Lesson two: People who have been drinking those 5 hour energy shot drinks are very hyper, easily amused, and must be bored to be that easily amused.

Lesson three:  (Wiping crumbs from my mouth), it's time to get back to business on the diet and exercise regimen, I've been lazy enough.  It's time to get back out in the sunshine now that the humidity levels are falling off.  Not that I completely avoided the sun, I didn't, I just didn't stay out as long, though it was nice to get sweaty without having to work out to get the ol' sweat glands going.

Lesson 4: The employee lounge has all kinds of pitfalls in it.  Homemade brownies and cakes and cookies and cupcakes, soda machines....sigh.  Everyone kind of scoots to the side if I'm in there with my healthy Greek vanilla yogurt, fruits, and veggies.  The typical comment "You make me feel guilty.  You're eating all that good stuff and I'm eating a honey bun!" 

Don't feel guilty.  Eat what you want.  Just don't complain that you gained 5 pounds while eating a honey bun and drinking a coke.  I'm not the food police.  If what I'm eating makes you feel guilty, do something about it.  You can go to the grocery store and buy what I'm eating just as easily as I can go get a honey bun and soda.  If you can live with your choices so can I.  I just chose healthy items.   I don't care what you 're eating, well, actually, I do, but not enough to ply pressure to the guilt you're feeling over that honey bun. But if you want me to, just say so, and I'll ply the pressure.  You'll either hate me for it or thank me, your choice.

Friday, August 20, 2010

About Those Rocking Shoes

Seems to be a lot of hoola baloo about the rocking shoes.  Depending on how much you want to pay for them, they all accomplish about the same thing, work your calves, thighs, butt, and abs (because you have to use your core muscles to maintain your balance)

There are some differences, so Ill impart what I know. 

Skechers Shape Ups.  Around $100. That's all I know about them, however,  I've been reading online reviews and mostly what I'm getting is snob appeal.  You know the ones where the expensive shoe is soooo much better than the store brand.

I saw a blog post somewhere that said Skechers will help you burn more calories! Really? And here I've been exercising my backside off to lose weight while all this time I just needed to wear the exercise shoes? Well hell's bells why didn't someone tell me that this time last year? geeez!


It's like saying running shoes make you run faster.


New Balance Rock N Tone;  $55 for FLIP FLOPS!  fifty five! are you kidding me! $84.99 for sneakers
New Balance True Balance $109.00 for the sneakers  $159.99 for the mary janes.

Reebok Easy Tone  $110!

Rock N Fit 19.99-39.99  It has a couple of different soles depending on the style, and there are several styles from sneakers to mary janes, some are extremely comfortable some have incredible arch support, some are just so so but for roughly a quarter of the cost of Skechers, you can try them all.

Thera Shoe, same price points as Rock N Fit, but Thera Shoe has a huge sole.  They remind me of platform shoes and I've had several customers comment that they feel like they're going to fall because the shoe throws them off balance.  I don't get the same complaint from Rock N Fit.

It's all about balance.  It's all about posture.  These shoes, no matter how much you paid for them are forcing you to do what you should have been doing all along. Stand up straight, use your core muscles to correct your posture.  If your core muscles are weak and flabby so is the rest of your body!

I own the therashoes Mary Janes so I can wear them at work. They're comfy, I especially like the arch support. I don't feel wobbly in them probably because I've been doing core strengthening all these months and it comes as second nature to me.

Whatever you do, whichever shoe you try, or if you even bother at all, continue whatever exercise programs you were doing before trying 'the shoe'.  'The shoe' doesn't cure your weight problem. You can't cheat your way to a better body.  You have to do the work.  You have to make the changes.  You have to stay with your changes or 'the shoe' just becomes another thing in your long laundry list of other exercise equipment you own or tried and can blame for not doing what it was supposed to do.

Remember this is the NO EXCUSES ZONE, so I don't take 'the shoe' as a reason for not living up to your ability to change.  You are your worst enemy. Decide to defeat your worst enemy.  It's the only way you'll ever make the permanent change for the better.

Just stuff today

I feel a bit of randomness and rambling coming on, so just deal with it =)

Taco Bell has a Fresco menu that lists calorie count and fat count.  My personal favorite is Chicken soft taco.  It' s yummy!  That said, the fresco beef taco and the fresco bean burrito suck the pond scum off the bottom of the pond!  Blech!  Yuck! Ewwww gross! 

My stomach has begun hurting at the thought of lasagna, spaghetti, and fettuccine.  What's wrong with me?  I used to love those dishes.  Garlic bread, or even cheesy garlic bread, pizza is okay but only if it's the thin crust pizza from Domino's, and even then I don't even eat the whole slice. Sigh.  I guess those are the things that helped get me where I was and it's not eating those things that's getting me back to where I want to be, even if a bit slowly. And my stomach knows it.

I'm going to have to set my goal of a size 12 by the end of August to  size 12 by the end of September.  My laziness this past month or so sabotaged my goal.  Time to reset, tighten the belt, and forge forward.  Especially since someone I love very much informed that I would probably twice my former size this time next year.  Oh really?  Keep talking and I'll go for a size 10! hmpf!!!

Don't let anyone tell you that you won't make it or that once you do make it that you'll only gain it all back.  Be stubborn.  Prove 'em wrong.  By the way, Karma's a bitch.  Sit back and watch the person or people trying to drag you down to their level, they'll get theirs eventually and you'll have a front row seat.  Have fun. Don't gloat (too much, because Karma's a bitch remember?) And rock that body!

Thursday, August 19, 2010

My Formerly Hot Life

I happened to catch the tail end of an interview on some morning show a couple of days ago where Stephanie Dolgoff, author of My Formerly Hot Life, was being interviewed about her book.  She came across as purely self centered then but I tought I'd give her a chance.  I mean, c'mon, I'm 41, can't claim to ever have been hot. I'm not too shabby, unless you count the last 11 years of my life I spent being very overweight.  But her decision that the best years of her life are behind her because some guy didn't flirt with her on the subway...ugh...how utterly shallow can she be?  And maybe he was gay?  Do you really want a gay guy to flirt with you? Smacks of desperation if you do.

I happen to think I'm in the best years of my life.  I'm steadily working toward getting my weight and girly figure back, granted there will have to be some minor adjustments to the disappearing/droopy breasts, but hey, I didn't have them when I was young and skinny why expect anything any different now?  I fully intend to be a hot 40 something. But I have some work to do first..

Hey Stephanie!  Try working out to get that figure back so you don't have to wear Spanx!  A good moisturizer and microdermabrasion does wonders for sallow skin.  Concealer for those dark circles under your eyes, better yet, get more sleep and vitamin K.   And I'd advise you to not tell Brooke Shields, Jennifer Aniston, Demi Moore, Julia Roberts, or Faith Hill, to name a few, that you think they're not hot because they're in their 40's.

I'm looking at it this way.  In my teens I was gangly legged and awkward, certainly had no self confidence.  In my 20's I was struggling to find my place in this world, got married, finished college, travelled in Europe, and had kids.  In my 30's I honed skills I learned in my 20's, raised my kids, was a stay at home mom, and now, in my 40's  I like where I am but I want more and I'm free to do more now that my kids are more than half grown.  I'm learning who I am outside the home.  I'm taking much better care of myself and I'm a much happier person.

Sure, at 41, I'm in uncharted territory.  Peri menopause is rearing its ugly head.  Menopause is breathing down my neck.  Saggy boobs are a source of jokes for me and my husband who advises I just 'roll 'em up' and stuff 'em in my bra because, unless someone looks, no one will notice.  Coming from someone who didn't have boobs until after I gave birth, I'm just happy they're there and I know I can always find a plastic surgeon to 'fix' them.  But I"m content.

I'm happy with me.  I don't place my self esteem in my looks or lack thereof, neither should you.  Get some counselling if it depresses you that you're over 40.  I once told my husband I can't do anything about being older, but I can do something about being better and more fit.  Try it.  You might actually find a new niche in life and you also might discover you've still got it after all.

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Home Alone

Home alone with a lot of housework to do, but the sun called my name and I played until it went home behind the clouds for a while.

Now I'm nice and sweaty and my skin feels wonderfully warm and toasty.  I'll shower in about an hour so I can soak up all that natural vitamin D goodness.

I got a pleasant surprise when I stepped on the scale this morning.  It said I weighed 199 pounds.  I thought man, the big dawg ran me into the ground last night on the walking trail, took 9 pounds right off.  I take my huge german shepherd mix with me on late night jogs/walks.  Of course I hadn't lost 9 pounds just like that.  My scale needs a new battery.  I actually weighed in at 208.6.  I knew it wasn't right, but I was happy so much so that i forgot to breathe for a few seconds even though I knew it wasn't right. 

Just think, when I really do get below 200, how good I'm gonna feel.  You'll hear me shouting the rooftops down lol!  There will probably be a happy dance in there too.

Now, off to do some sweating while mopping the disgusting floors that are in my house. Blech!

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

grrr

I had to remove my hit counter due to it being infected with a virus that opened 5 million windows at a time.  I had 135 hits in the last two weeks. Now I'm back below 10 =(

My PlayList

First for weight news : 208 pounds!

No good exercise routine is complete without awesome, pump you up and cool you down, music.  I have a wide and varied taste (read eclectic) so don't be too surprised when yo usee some of the songs...p.s. I'm revealing my age with some of them lol!


Put your mp3 player on shuffle.

How Do you like me now:-Toby Keith
Who's Your Daddy- Toby Keith
Bad- Michael Jackson
Little Red Corvette- Prince
Chrome - Trace Adkins
One Hot Mamma- Trace Adkins
Baby Got Back- Sir Mix Alot
Rock That Body - Blacke Eyed Peas
Disturbia- Rihanna
Rude Boy- Rihanna
Sexy Chic- David Guetta
Aiplanes Part 2 - Haley William, BoB, Eminem
Not Afraid- Eminem
3- Britney
Circus- Britney
Womanizer- Britney
I Like It - Enrique Iglesias, Pit Bull
Nothin On You - BoB, Bruno Mars
First Kiss K$Sha
Blah Blah Blah K$sha
Tik Tok K$sha
Take It Off K$sha
Your Love is my drug K$sha
Fun House- Pink
So What- Pink
Footloose- Kenny Loggins
She's Like the Wind- Patrick Swayze
Control- Janet Jackson
Nasty Boys- Janet Jackson
Fame- Debbie Allen
Hungry Eyes Eric Carmen
Overload- Alfie Zappacosta
Faith- George Micheal
Funky Cold Medina- Ton Loc
Just Dance- Lady Gaga
Papparazzi- Lady Gaga
Bad Romance- Lady Gaga
Telephone-Lady Gaga, Beyonce
Addicted- Saving Abel
Danger Zone- Kenny Loggins
Cooler then me- Mike Posner
Not myself tonight- Christina Aguilera
Bullet Proof La Roux
Need You now- Lady Antebellum
Boys in the summer- Jessie James
Break Your Heart- Taio Cruz Ludacris
Solo- Iyaz
Sweet Thing- Keith Urban
Kiss a girl- Keith Urban
Honkytonkbadonkadonk-Trace Adkins
Save a Horse Ride A Cowboy- Big and Rich
Holding on for a hero- Bonnie Tyler
I Love Rock N Roll- Joan Jett
Sweet Dreams- Eurythmics
Who's That Girl- Eurythmics
Here Comes The Rain Again-Eurythmics
Would I lie To you- Eurythmics
Something To talk about- Bonnie Rait
Black Velvet-Allanah Myles

Wow! That's a lot of songs huh?  The bad news is there's many many more, I just can't remember them all lol!

Sunday, August 15, 2010

Super Easy Workout Videos

I'm beginning to amass quite a collection:

Easy Beginner:

Pilates Conditioning for Weight Loss- Suzanne Deason
Balance Ball Beginner's Workout- Suzanne Deason
Winsor Pilates Basic Step By Step - Mari Winsor
Winsor Pilates Power Sculpting with Resistance Bands - Mari Winsor

Beginner/Intermediate:

Pilates for Beginners- Brooke Siler
The Method: Precision Toning- Jennifer Kries

I have a couple of Pilates 10 minute Solutions Videos that 'claim' to be for beginners.  I'm not sure what their definition of beginner is, but this beginner thinks they're a bit too advanced for my level at this time.

Just remember, if it hurts as in I think I pulled a muscle kind of hurt, stop what you're doing.  If it looks difficult, try it anyway, if it is, keep trying it until it isn't difficult. There's a difference in challenge and cheating.  Challenge buoys your confidence. Cheating just robs you of your self esteem. 

Things you probably didn't need or want to know

I'm guilty of not doing any Pilates for the past 3 weeks.  Except some stretching and relaxation exercises, a little bit on the stability ball, and some 'swans' to get the kinks out of my back.  And I feel like I've not been exercising.  Interesting how that works, huh?  You don't exercise, and I mean the whole out of breath, sweaty, I think I'll do it again because this kind of 'tired' feels good type exercise, for years, then you start exercising like that, then you stop for a few weelks and doggone it you know the difference!

I'm back on the ball, literally, as of today.

Interestingly enough, curl ups have become even easier on me since going to the stability ball and my abs/obliques are even more firm if only I could get rid of the soft, mushy belly fat that refuses to go away.  If it were gone I'd be in a much smaller pant size and it's driving me insane!

I'm off my eating plan too, not that I've been gorging myself or eating every bad thing that crosses my path, I have, for the most part, been choosy about exactly which 'bad food' I've been eating but I feel like I'm not eating right so I've gone on a Detox plan that Anne Louise Gittelman endorses.  I love it because it tastes really really good and you feel like you're consuming something you shouldn't. However,  I don't love the hungry feeling that comes with it a couple of hours later. The remedy is to drink more water and more of the smoothie concoction. And I really don't like the smell that goes along with the 'end' results of detoxing. Blech!  Poop smells bad enough, but this requires a hazmat suit and oxygen mask.  But, it's given me a whole new perspective on  garbage in garbage out.  If it smells that bad then imagine what it was doing to my body.  All that fatty overly processed food was poisoning me.  No wonder I felt bad, still feel bad, but not as much.

One of my favorite Pilates/Yoga instructors, Suzanne Deason, accepted/added me to her facebook page.  I'm so excited!  I swear I won't aggravate her to death, I'm just glad she accepted my request!

I did get in about 45 minutes of sunshine this week even if I did work dayshift. I NEED MORE sunshine!  My inner solar powered battery is on life support!

And the best news of all this last week, despite my lack of exercise, despite my bad eating habits, I weighed in at 209 pounds!  Officially 50 pounds off my body.  Go away stomach!  I want to look like I've lost FIFTY pounds!  60 pounds to go. 140 pounds is my goal.  I can do it!  I'm not the little red caboose saying "I think I can I think I can." NOPE!  I'm the steam engine pulling that little red caboose saying "I know I can!  I know I can!"

Monday, August 9, 2010

Before and After (for now)




Here's what a year's worth of lifestyle change can do for you. Fall 2009. 259 pounds and make up.  August 2010, 210 and heading for 140 pounds. The only make up I'm wearing in the pic on the right is eyeliner and 1 layer of mascara. (105 heat index will melt anything else!)

Recent pics


Princess Place Preserve, FL May 2010 Melissa, Grant, Caleb Melissa 220 lbs

Look! Double chin is almost gone!
















May 2010

220 lbs and frizzy hair due to 100% humidity lol!


Keith's favorite blouse. Waitress was looking at me while trying to say blue berry cobbler and kept saying Boob berry or boo, uhm, boob, booberry





I can put both arms down my size 18w shorts!
They fall off nowadays.
July 2010 212 lbs











July 2010 212lbs














August 2010 210 lbs

Size 15 jr


August 2010
210 lbs.
Missing....1 double chin. Do not return if found!

Sunday, August 8, 2010

Don't deny me my haircolor!

I've heard it said that a woman's crowning glory is her hair. And to some extent that may be true. However, it should also be added that the fastest way for a man to get into trouble is to mess with a woman's perfectly coifed locks. Worse yet, interfere with her ability to 'correct' the age of her hair with hair color.

Now, Keith hasn't tried to stop me from coloring my hair, oh no, once I figured out I could make my hair any color I liked without fear of being forever stuck with said color, I went wild and he has stayed out of my way. He has commented that he didn't know he'd married Elvira, let's just say my hair might've been dark brown to almost black in my younger days, but it's all wrong nowadays. I'm a red head and I love it. Not that garish red that so many women favor, or even carrot top orange, it's a nice, medium auburn.

Revlon colorsilk had the perfect shade, medium auburn, number 31. I loved it. What lunkhead in their slaes division decided to stop producing it in favor of light auburn only? Am I the only woman out there who didn't want bright orange hair?

I tried cherry chocolate, medium reddish brown (who the hell says medium reddish brown, it's auburn for crying out loud!) which turned out to be more brwon than red. If I wanted brown I'd buy brown, I want medium auburn! Light Auburn is too light and medium reddish brown is to dark. Ah and so is medium brownish red.

I've tried burgundy, plum, some kind of color that left my hair with a blue shadow...uhm, no, I'll wait for the blue hair when I'm too old to squeeze the bottle for my fake AUBURN locks!

Some women say they've earned every gray hair on their head and they're not afraid to let it show. More power to you sister, I don't believe in advertising just how old I am or letting my battle scars show. I like to keep 'em guessing.

Thursday, August 5, 2010

10 Things I've learned this week

1) Never try to take body measurements while suffering PMS Bloat. You get a shock!

2) 2600 mg of Evening Primrose Oil does wonders for PMS Bloat and general bad mood associated with PMS.

3) The difference in Training shoes and running/jogging shoes is that Trainers are for everything but running (kickboxing, yoga, tennis, aerobics, etc) and don't have as thick an insole/sole. Running shoes are the direct opposite, they're made to take the shock of heel to toe, even of a fat girl like me. Their insoles and soles are thicker and have better arch support.

4) You're only paying for the name on the EXPENSIVE running shoes, try on the cheapies, they're just as good and sometimes feel even better than the name brand.

5) When your son, a sugar'holic, promises he won't eat your granola cereal, PROMISES, he won't touch it, don't take his word for it. He'll just eat it slowly over a week's time rather than eating the whole box then stashing it in the trash before you remember you have it.

6) It's perfectly fine to eat 4 homemade cookies and a teeny tiny piece of coconut cake if Janie (former K Cafe cook) made it, then wash it down with a can of Dr. Pepper. In fact I LOST half a pound today after doing this lol! I guess your body really does need the sweetening sometimes.

7) Smile graciously when your HR manager comments that you are looking really really good these days and say thank you.

8) Smile graciously when your co-worker says she can't tell you've lost a pound since you've been working with them over the last 3 years.

9) Hope above mentioned co-worker gains the weight you lost plus all that you still lose over the next year. Karma bites hard sometimes doesn't it?

10) Have fun no matter what, always wear a smile, make 'em wonder what you're thinking (or maybe they're afraid to know what you're thinking too lol!)

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Recipes

Watermelon Feta Salad

2 cups washed mixed baby greens
2 cups cubed watermelon
1 cup large black pitted olives
1/2 cup low fat feta cheese
1/2 cup halved grape tomatoes
4-6 Pepperoncini Peppers

Toss all together gently as the baby greens are very very tender.
Drizzle with 2 teaspoons your favorite vinaigrette

Mmmmmmmmmmm, looks yummy doesn't it?











4 pounds bay scallops
3 tablespoons Old Bay seasoning
1/4 cup sherry cooking wine
1/4 GrapeOla

Heat sherry and GrapeOla together in skillet over medium heat.
Toss Scallops and Old Bay (use more if needed) together then place in skillet. Most people say they're done when the scallops are opaque, however I prefer to cook them until they have the same consistency of well done chicken.

Monday, August 2, 2010

Fad Diet Rears It's Ugly Head

Just when you thought it was safe to toss out that cabbage soup recipe it makes a come back. I was busily being bored with facebook when I noticed an ad on the sidebar that said CABBAGE SOUP DIET 2.0! Become a fan today! Ugh! Not again!

Sure. You can lose some weight by eating cabbage soup, lots of cabbage soup. If memory serves, the diet works something akin to the Slim Fast diet. It's problem is that it's a temporary fix. To parrot a sentence from a previous post: Do you really want to eat cabbage soup for the rest of your life? Do you really want to drink Slim Fast for the rest of your life?

Their success is that they're liquid diets for people who want to shed some weight fairly quickly. They do work, if you stick with the recommended diet for the amount of time set forward in their 'plan'. Therein lies the problem. It's their plan, not yours. You set the goal 10 pounds in two weeks. They tell you how to do it.

And whose fault is it when you a) don't lose the 10 pounds or b) lose it then find it again all in the same 4 week period? Slim Fast or Cabbage Soup's fault, right?

Wrong.

You're your own worst enemy when it comes to making the right decisions when it comes to weight.

You have all the information you need in your head. It's there for your personal usage so use it. What do you know about lose weight fast regimens? Expensive. They don't work and they don't work.

Insert the name of your favorite diet food manufacturer here: then add: all set you up to fail. It's how they stay in business, sell their product knowing you will never commit to making the real lifestyle choices you need to make to remain at a 'normal' weight. They know you will continue to purchase their products because you think if it has healthy, slim, skinny, lose weight or whatever written on the label then it has to work eventually. Think it through. IF and that is a mighty big IF these prepackaged frozen dinners or canned soups/drinks worked then the industry would be out of business in short order. It's in their best interest to keep you fat. And that they do well.

Ever check out the calorie counts, SODIUM counts, high fructose corn syrup, counts, or carb counts in those frozen meals? I did while shopping for meals for my husband to take to work with him. Holy Schmoly! Sure it was low fat, low sugar BUT it had 1040 mg of Sodium or 41% of your daily recommended allowance in it. I put that sucker back in the freezer case immediately.

I found the not diet labels had a much lower sodium content along with low fat low sugar etc content and that they were cheaper. Don't believe me, go and look in your freezer at the nutrition labels, make some comparisons, use your noodle, I'm sure you're smart enough to figure it out.

Now, cabbage soup, if I recall correctly, uses onion soup mix. AHA! There it is! SALT SALT SALT AND SALT. Gotta have your salt fix. Which leads to bloating. Water weight gain. And so ends your fad diet. Mighty tasty soup. Wouldn't want to live on it for weeks on end. Plus, umm, it leaves a person a might on the gassy side. Cabbage is a cruciferous veggie, means it's full of fiber) So, yeah, if you're gonna do the cabbage soup diet, might wanna give the family members residing with you a fair warning that they might not want to be down wind of you while you're on the diet.

I'm just sayin...