Fourth of July Challenge Update

The final check-in/weigh-in of the Fourth of July Challenge will be this Friday, July 3rd. Be sure to stop by the Challenge blog and check-in at the final post!

Good luck and have a great rest-of-the-week, everyone!

xo,
C.C.

PS: My company has gone home, and I'll be getting back to regular posting this week. I'll have an update post tomorrow. See you all then! :)

So Far, So Good

Yay! I'm having an absolutely wonderful time with my company, and I managed to stay totally "on plan" yesterday! Plus... we did a lot of shopping... so I did a lot of walking! Things are going well so far... and I'm confident that I will be able to stay on track the rest of the week.

And... I took a sneak-peak at the scale yesterday morning, and things are definitely moving in the right direction! I'll have my official weigh-in tomorrow morning, and I'm looking forward to what the number will be.

I hope you're all having a fantastic week! Happy Tuesday! :)

Coping with Company

Yay! A few days ago, I was...



But today, I am...



And... here's why! Two of my favorite people in the world are coming to town to visit me for a few days! They are two of my bosom buddies that I haven't seen since last summer... so I'm really looking forward to this visit!

However... I'm sure that there will be occasions during this visit when food temptations are going to arise. We'll be eating out a few times, I imagine... and you know how it is sometimes more difficult to stay on plan when you're dining in a restaurant with friends as opposed to when you are home alone in a controlled environment eating healthy food that you have prepared yourself.

They'll be eating a few meals in my home as well, and it will be good to have control over what we eat at those meals. I'm thinking that Chicken Enchiladas or Hungarian Goulash or Italian Chicken Vegetable Soup might be good! Yum!

As of right now, I have no intention of mindlessly eating or pigging out when they're here. And I know that when we eat out I can order a grilled chicken salad. And I'm sure we'll get lots of walking in, as I do live in a coastal town and the beach is close by and there are shopping opportunities galore.

That's my survival plan for when they're here... but I am SO open to suggestions from all of you! What's your best advice for coping with company and staying "on plan" when you're with two girls who are in town to party? (We don't drink... so that is one thing that I don't have to worry about, thank God! hehe)

Thanks in advance for your help! :)

Week 18 Weigh In

Oops! I kind of missed my regular "Wednesday Weigh-In" yesterday. Sorry about that! I was kind of busy and really didn't have time to post anything. So... I'm posting my weigh-in results today.

Unfortunately, I have a small gain to report today. I haven't been doing that great the past few days, but this is just a bump in the road. I'm still persevering, and I'm looking forward to losing more weight. In fact, I have a goal of being under 300 pounds by the end of the year. And I'm going to work hard at achieving that goal!

Anyway, here's how the numbers stack up this week:

Last Week: 356.4 lbs.
This Week: 360.4 lbs.
Pounds Gained: 4
Total Lost Since 02-09-09: 40.4 lbs.

The good news is... I still have 40 pounds off. And... I am NOT going to allow this 4 lb. gain to snowball into an even bigger gain. The buck stops here. It's onward and downward from here on out!

I hope you're all having a great week! Remember... there WILL be bumps in the road from time to time... but we CAN overcome these obstacles and continue to make progress and reach our goals! We WILL succeed if we do not give up!

Hi Ho, Hi Ho... HO HUM

Today I am Grumpy. Yesterday I was Grumpy. I just feel grumpy, grumpy, grumpy.

I'm just having one of those "blah" days today. I'm pretty sure hormones are to blame, if you know what I mean. And I hate feeling like this. I feel mopey, grumpy, sleepy, sad, lonely, homesick, down-in-the-dumps, etc., etc., etc.

I was supposed to do a "Kiss the Cook" post today... but I don't feel like it. I don't feel like doing much of anything.

I kind of fell off the wagon last night due to a craving for pizza. That's the bad news. The good news is... I'm totally "on plan" today. I just hope I soon turn into Happy! I wouldn't complain too much if I were Snow White, either. hehe

Which of the Seven Dwarfs do YOU feel like today? Bashful, Doc, Dopey, Grumpy, Happy, Sleepy, or Sneezy?

Wednesday Weigh In - Week 17

Yippee! The scale showed a nice loss today! Here's how the numbers stack up:

Last Week: 359.2 lbs.
This Week: 356.4 lbs.
Pounds Lost: 2.8
Total Lost Since 02-09-09: 44.4 lbs.

44.4 lbs. in 17 weeks! That's a lot of "4's!" And that's also an average loss of 2.61 lbs. per week. Not bad! Not bad at all!

If I continue this trend until the Fourth of July, I may just reach my Fourth of July Challenge goal of losing 50 pounds. That would be SO fantastic! The Fourth of July is one of my favorite holidays... so if I meet my Challenge goal, that would give me even more to celebrate! I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

Have a great week, everyone! And as always... just take it one day at a time and do the best that you can each day! :)

Let THEM Eat Cake!

I've never admitted this to anyone... but I've had a love affair with cake pretty much all of my life.

I've always loved cake! I've loved eating it... baking it... decorating it... and even looking at pictures of it! I can't even count how many times in the past I have sat down at my computer and done a Google image search of cakes and cupcakes! One of my favorite shows is... yep, you guessed it... "Ace of Cakes!"

I.Just.Can't.Get.Enough.CAKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

At least that's how I USED to feel about cake. But I think I'm over it now. I think I officially broke up with cake. I think I finally kicked cake to the curb. I think I'm ready to move on. And here's why...

Remember last week when I was babysitting? Well... the kiddos wanted to help me make a cake so we could have a fake surprise birthday party for my hubby when he got home from work the one day. So I obliged. I figured it would be no big deal. Making the cake, frosting it, and decorating it would kill some time... and the kids would have fun in the process.

So... we made the cake. And I figured out how many calories it was, and added it to my Fitday food journal. The calories fit into my daily allotment, so it was no big deal. I figured that a nice, little piece of cake would be a great treat... especially since I was going to serve it with a side of honeydew melon. Plus... I haven't had cake in at least 4 months... so I "deserved it," right?

Well... to make a long story even longer... (just kidding... hehe) I DID NOT EAT THE CAKE!!! I did not even TASTE the cake! I absolutely, positively, without-a-doubt, contrary-to-my-lifelong-behavior... DID NOT WANT TO EAT THE CAKE! This is monumental, people! Monumental, I say! hehe

I deleted the cake from my food journal. And deep inside... I wondered what was wrong with me. I had the calories left. I could have eaten the cake. Why didn't I want it??? Why was I shunning something that had been my "friend" for so long and had always brought me so much comfort and pleasure in the past???

It was weird. I FELT weird. But I just could not shake the feeling of NOT wanting the cake!

If you've always been an emotional eater like me... you totally get this post. You realize how easy it is to live life and have food become much more important to you than simply providing sustenance to your physical body. You realize the deep hold that eating and food can have on your emotional well-being. And you realize that in order to change... you have to change your mindset.

And it seems like over the past 4 months... my mindset HAS been changing. Because normally... I would have eaten 3/4 of that cake by myself. I am NOT kidding. I would have eaten a piece as soon as it was baked, frosted, and decorated. I would have eaten a piece after supper for dessert. I would have eaten a piece as a snack before going to bed. I would have eaten a piece for breakfast the next day. I would have eaten a piece after lunch, etc., etc., etc. The kids would have been lucky to have had one piece to split between the two of them. Hubby probably wouldn't have gotten any at all.

But not this time. My attitude was... Let THEM eat cake!

I guess my days of being a cake wh*re are officially over. And even though this feels totally foreign to me... I'm embracing this feeling. I'm embracing the changes that I'm making as I continue to take it one day at a time and do the best that I can each day! :)

Get Fit After 40 Summer Challenge

As most of you know, I turned 40 last month. (Eeek!) And my "Fourth of July Challenge" will be ending on, well... July 4th. hehe So... I was really excited when I discovered that Ang, who has already lost a whopping 97.2 lbs., was hosting a "Get Fit After 40 Summer Challenge." To read more about it, click HERE.

The deadline to join has been extended to Monday, June 8th at midnight... so there's still time to join. ("Midnight"... doesn't that sound mysterious? hehe) And... oh yeah... you don't have to be 40+ to join. ;)

So... go check it out! And let's all drop some weight together this summer! :)

Kiss the Cook Friday

Hi, everyone! How many of you own a Crock Pot? Today is your lucky day if you do... because I'm going to share one of my favorite Crock Pot recipes with you.

I made this dish for supper last night... and it was absolutely delicious! This is a quick and easy recipe... and the aroma that will engulf your kitchen while it is cooking is reason enough to make it! hehe



Hungarian Goulash

1.5 lbs. lean sirloin steak, cut into bite sized pieces
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 T. flour
1/2 t. salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 t. dried thyme
1 1/2 t. paprika
1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes (Italian flavored Great Value/Walmart brand are great for this dish!)
1 cup fat free sour cream

Spray your Crock Pot with cooking spray. Toss all ingredients EXCEPT SOUR CREAM into Crock Pot, and stir well. Cover, and cook on "high" for approximately 6 hours or on "low" for approximately 9 hours. Right before serving, stir in sour cream.

Serve over whole wheat noodles.

Servings: 4 large


Nutritional Information via Calorie Count (not including noodles)
Calories per serving: 423
Total Fat: 11.8 g
Sat. Fat: 4.7 g
Cholesterol: 157 mg
Sodium: 456 mg
Total Carbs: 20.1 g
Fiber: 2.2 g
Sugars: 8.6 g
Protein: 56.5 g
Vit. A: 34%
Calcium: 13%
Vit. C: 28%
Iron: 37%

Faker, Faker, You are a Quaker!

I really hate to address this issue in a post... but recently I've been dealing with an itsy-bitsy little problem in regard to comments on this blog. And I'm not the only one. Diana and Lorrie have addressed this issue as well in recent weeks.

Quite often, comments are left here by bogus bloggers who just want to leave a comment with a link to a promotional site, or they leave a comment with a link to a fake blog that then has a link to a promotional site. My advice to anyone who does that is simply this: Don't waste your time. Your comment will be immediately deleted. And if one of your comments HAS been recently deleted, that's why.

And... have you ever read the little paragraph above the comment box on the comment page? Here's what it says:

"Thanks for stopping by! Your thoughts and input are important to me!

Anonymous comments are welcome. However... MEAN-SPIRITED anonymous comments and comments with links to promotional websites or fake blogs will NOT be published. They will quickly be deleted, and even more quickly forgotten.

My Blog = My Rules ;)"


That being said, I just want to let the rest of you real, honest, wonderful blogging buddies know that I totally appreciate you and the support and encouragement that you so faithfully give to me! Your comments have cheered me up, cheered me on, and helped me in so many ways that I cannot even begin to express my gratitude. You guys are the best... and I look forward to our continued blogging relationship as we all work toward our goal of being healthy and fit!

Now... who's ready for a good recipe? The weekly "Kiss the Cook" post is coming up next...

Thanks, Vicki!

I recently received this award from Vicki at "Reading by the Beach," and I just want to thank Vicki for thinking of me! I really appreciate it, and I think she is a Superstar Blogger, too! In fact, Vicki has another blog that you should also check out... "Beach Bum."

Hmmm... I think Vicki likes the beach. What do you think? lol

Thanks again, Vicki! :)

Beaches, Bikinis, Babysitting, and Being Busy

Boy, am I busy today! I've been cleaning the house from top to bottom and doing laundry... trying to get the house back in order following my recent adventure in babysitting. My tiny house guests, a 5 year-old boy and a 6 year-old girl who have been here since Sunday afternoon, have finally gone home.

I must say... I love children. But having two small children as unexpected house guests for a few days when you're really not used to having kids around is definitely a bit stressful and tiring. I take that back. It's A LOT stressful and tiring. hehe

I'm just happy that I was able to stay on plan and not turn to food to relieve the stress while they were here! That is a MAJOR NSV for me. So many times in the past when I babysat I ended up totally falling off the wagon because I got stressed out and started to eat everything in sight. But this time... I actually had less of an appetite if anything. And it felt weird. It didn't feel "normal" for me to be feeling that way. It didn't feel "normal" to NOT binge when I was feeling stressed out. It didn't feel like "me."

But at the same time... it felt good. No... it felt GREAT! And I realized that I really AM changing. I'm changing my way of thinking... and I'm changing my way of living. It's like for the first time it felt like this really IS a lifestyle change and not a diet. Know what I mean?

And I realized that there really is nobody on the face of this earth who has the perfect body. Sure, I've always known this. But it became more apparent to me Sunday afternoon when we took the kids to the beach.

I was feeling kind of blue because there I was... just standing on the edge of the surf... a fat chick weighing 359.2 lbs. and feeling totally self-conscious and inhibited... wearing capris and a button-down blouse while everyone around me was wearing bathing suits and frolicking in the ocean. I thought... "Here I am... another summer where I'm too fat to wear a bathing suit and play in the ocean... another summer where I have to stand on the sidelines and watch hubby and the kids having a great time... and all I can do is watch."

I felt like the fattest person on the beach... and honestly, I think I WAS the fattest person on the beach. But the more I observed people... the more I noticed that MOST of the people on that beach were chunky. There was not one perfect body in the crowd. (With the exception of a few really hot-looking guys in their 20's. hehe) But seriously... most of the people on the beach looked like they could lose a few pounds... and there were even a few people who looked like they could lose QUITE a few pounds.

Now, I don't have a problem with people of all shapes and sizes feeling confident enough to wear bathing suits in public. I think it's GREAT when people have enough confidence to do that... and I wish I were one of them! But this is one chica who is not going to wear a bathing suit until I'm under 200 pounds... and I'm sure most of you would thank me for that. lol

But what I observed led me to this conclusion. Most of the people on the beach were NOT wearing flattering bathing suits! It's like they pulled the first bathing suit off the rack that they could find... and just bought it... giving no thought to the cut, the fit, etc. Big mistake, people! Big mistake! hehe Almost everyone could have looked so much better if they had been wearing a better fitting bathing suit!

Seriously... if you're going to wear a bathing suit... buy the BEST bathing suit that you can find. Buy the one that makes you look the best that you can look! Don't buy a bikini just because you want to wear a bikini. If you look better in a one-piece... buy a one-piece. If you look better with a bathing suit that has a little skirt... buy one of those. Do not do yourself an injustice by buying the wrong type of bathing suit!

Just my opinion... and hopefully I'll be able to take my own advice and actually buy and wear a bathing suit at the end of this journey. I sure hope so. I don't want to stand on the sidelines and watch life pass me by anymore. I want to BE one of those brave souls frolicking in the ocean... laughing and having fun... imperfections and all. :)



(I hope that picture doesn't scar anyone too much. lol I'll leave you with one more to hopefully negate the need for therapy. hehe)

Wednesday Weigh In - Week 16

Still babysitting...

Still no time to blog...

Still tired... hehe

And... still the same weight!

Yep... I've no weight loss to report this week... but that's OK. I know that I stayed on plan and my body is just doing its own thing this week.

Here's how the numbers stack up today:

Last Week: 359.2 lbs.
This Week: 359.2 lbs.
Pounds Lost: 0
Total Lost Since 02-09-09: 41.6 lbs.

Hopefully I'll have a loss to report next week. Have a great day, everyone! :)

Quick Check-In

I've been babysitting the past few days/nights...

Staying on track with my eating...

Feeling very tired... lol

Not much time for blogging...

Not much time for exercising...

Thinking that running after kids IS exercising... lol

Looking forward to my weigh-in tomorrow...

Looking forward to NOT babysitting... lol

Hoping to catch up with all of you real soon...

Gaining more respect by the second for stay-at-home-moms...

Wishing I could take a nappie.... hehe

And... wishing you all a Happy Tuesday! :)

xo,
C.C.