Out With the Old, In With the New!

My, oh my! Blogging is difficult over the holidays, isn't it???

I just wanted to pop in today to say that I wish all of you a wonderful and safe New Year's Eve... and a very, very Happy New Year!

I'm not making any resolutions for the coming year. Instead... I'll be posting some REVELATIONS from the year 2009. They'll be coming soon (as soon as I get a minute! lol) so pop back in over the next couple days!

And... I actually WON a giveaway! I'll be posting about that, too. :)

Also... I want to send a BIG "thank you" to everyone who has supported, encouraged, and followed my journey over this past year... and even since the start of this blog back in August 2007. I would have never gotten so far along in my journey had it not been for all of YOU. And for that I am eternally grateful! THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART!

2010 is going to be a GREAT year around here. I hope you all come along for the ride! :)

xoxoxoxoxoxoxo,
C.C.

Post-Christmas Workout

Boy am I getting a workout today! Can anybody guess what I'm doing???

Well, let me tell ya! I'm taking down the Christmas tree and all of my other Christmas decorations! Anybody wanna come help? lol

Holy moley... I'm tired! Why is it always SO much more fun to put the tree up than it is to take it down? Does anybody else feel this way... or am I the only one? lol

Oh well, at least I'm burning a few calories in the process. I've definitely eaten more than I should have the past few days... and I'm in the process of getting back on track today. And I'm totally looking forward to a clean, fresh start at losing weight in 2010! It's going to be a good year... and I can't wait until I'm out of the 300's FOREVER! Hopefully it will be sooner than later! :)

I hope you're all having a great day!

xo,
C.C.

Merry Christmas Weigh-In

Merry Christmas, my dears! I hope you are all enjoying a wonderful holiday filled with lots of love, laughter... and salad. hehe

I stepped on the scale this morning to see if my Christmas dream had come true... and... it has! I weighed in at 331.2 lbs... the lowest weight I've seen all year! I couldn't have asked for a better Christmas present! Woo hoo!

And now... I'm looking forward to New Year's Day. I'll weigh in to see how much weight I've officially lost in 2009. So far that total is 69.6 lbs. Oh... I am SO close to having 70 pounds off! That will be my goal for January 1st. Wish me luck! :)

Merry Christmas! :) (Just can't say that enough! hehe)

And the Winner Is...

Nicki!

Your name was chosen by random drawing this Christmas Day! Congratulations and thanks for participating!

Also,... thanks to all who participated in the giveaway. It was fun and perhaps I'll have another one sometime in the future.

(PS: Nicki, I tried to visit your blog to tell you the good news... but it's private. So please email me with your shipping information as soon as possible and I'll get your prize in the mail right away! Thanks!)

Santa is the Devil... hehe

So... guess what Santa brought me this afternoon... on this, the eve of my big Christmas weigh-in!

A large pepperoni pizza,

A bag of Doritos,

A bag of BBQ Chips,

4 boxes of pudding,

A package of lemon sandwich cookies,

A box of Little Debbie snack cakes,

2 half-gallons of ice-cream,

and a partridge in a pear tree. Not. (on the partridge in a pear tree, that is... hehe)

Aaaggghhhhh!!!

And then Santa announced, "We can eat anything we want the next few days. The next few days will be free."

Aaaggghhhh!!! again!!!

Actually... it wasn't Santa. It was my darling husband. My true love... and I really do wish that he had brought home a partridge in a pear tree instead of all of this junk! Eeeks!

So... here I am... a house full of snackies... a weigh-in scheduled for tomorrow morning... and holiday cheer in the air. What am I going to do?

Here are my options:

A. Dive in head first and let the chips (literally) fall where they may

B. Avoid all of this crap like it is the plague

C. Nibble on a few bits here and there this evening (Christmas Eve) and tomorrow (Christmas Day) and THEN avoid it like the plague

Hmmm... Option A does not sound like a good idea at all. Option B would be my best choice for sure. But Option C seems more realistic to me, especially considering that I already ate 2 pieces of pizza and 3 cookies for lunch. Hmmm... not good, but really not that bad either... as long as I do well the rest of the day.

I keep telling myself that Christmas only comes once a year. And I have all of 2010 to lose weight. But... I'm still going to control myself so I don't gain any weight between Christmas and New Years Day.

And... like I said... my big weigh-in is tomorrow morning. Wish me luck!

And... have a great Christmas Eve and Christmas!

xo,
C.C.

To You and Yours...

Looking Forward to Christmas

I'm really looking forward to Christmas this year... and not only for all the traditional holiday reasons. I'm looking forward to Christmas because I'm going to weigh in first thing in the morning!

Most Christmases I've avoided the scale like the plague... but not this year. I've actually managed to stay on track quite nicely the past few weeks. (Avoiding holiday baking has helped enormously!) And I'm hoping to reap the benefits of this cookie-free December by waking up Christmas morning weighing less than I have all year.

What a great Christmas present that would be! What's #1 on your wish-list this year? :)



PS: There's still time to enter "The Tickle Me Pretty Shoppe" giveaway and win THIS BOOK! :)

My Favorite Kind of Cupcake

I love cupcakes... especially calorie-free ones! Check them out HERE! :)

I'm Dreaming of a Light Christmas

Only 7 more days 'til Christmas! Yippee! And this year the gift that I'm most hoping to receive cannot be found under any brightly lit Christmas tree. It won't be in any stockings hung by the chimney with care. And Jolly old St. Nick, though he IS everyone's favorite chubster of all time, doesn't have a clue.

This year... I'm dreaming of a LIGHT Christmas!

What I want more than anything on Christmas day is to step on the scale and weigh less than I have weighed on any other day of this past year! I want to be LIGHTER than I've been at any point in 2009!

Every other year of my life... I've gained a lot of weight over the holidays. And this year around Thanksgiving, it seemed like that trend was going to continue. I was having some major struggles... many of them involving cookies. And I honestly did not know if I had the power to get back on track. For the first time since February... I was scared. I was scared that I was going to totally lose control and gain back every pound that I had lost so far this year.

I really don't even know how I got back on track, but I'm SO glad that I did! I think the dread of gaining everything back was just SO overwhelmingly awful that the fear of it finally forced me to change my destructive behavior. I realized that I HAD to do something... and I had to do it immediately!

This time last year... I weighed close to 400 pounds. And I NEVER want that to be my reality ever again.

So with a week left 'til Christmas day... I'm going to keep dreaming and doing the best that I can each day... because the "light" Christmas that I'm dreaming of can only come from me. And I honestly cannot think of a better gift that I could give to myself.

What kind of Christmas are you dreaming of this year? :)

I'm Melting! I'm Melting!

Yay! I weighed in this morning, and I'm happy to report a 3.8 lb. loss since last Thursday! That means I'm back down to 334.0 lbs., which is the lowest weight I've reported since starting this blog almost 2.5 years ago. All together I'm down 66.8 lbs. since Feb. 2009. It feels good to be melting away! hehe

It seems like I've been losing weight more slowly the past few months, but honestly, it's my own fault. I've fallen off the wagon more times than I can count. But... this time... I've learned to get back up ONTO the wagon instead of just lying on the ground in a puddle of self-pity. And that has made ALL the difference in the world. I may not be losing quickly... but I AM steadily losing... and that's the most important thing.

I'm hoping to do well the rest of this month. A Christmas binge is NOT in the plans this year. I've been there/done that WAY too many times in the past. For once in my life... I want to make it through the holiday season WITHOUT a weight gain. And I think that would be the best Christmas present ever. Wish me luck... and I'll do the same for you! :)

Have a great day, everyone! And no matter what... DON'T QUIT! :)

"The Tickle Me Pretty Shoppe" and a Giveaway

I'm so excited to announce the opening of my new online store, "The Tickle Me Pretty Shoppe!"

Some of you may have noticed the shoppe button on my sidebar, and some of you have already purchased items. (Thank you!) But I wanted to officially introduce the shop today... and I'm also hosting a giveaway.

"The Tickle Me Pretty Shoppe" is an online store that will feature brand-new or gently worn plus-size clothing, hand-made crafty items, and other pretty and useful things. Offering quality, affordable items with prompt shipping is my top priority. And complete customer satisfaction is my goal. In plain English... I will not sell junk. Be sure to stop by often so you don't miss out on sales and "Sunday Specials."

A few of the items that I currently have listed include a Cranberry Velvet Special Occasion Dress, Black Cocktail Maxi-Dress, Black Velvet Burnout Shawl, Hand-Crocheted "Sugar Plum" Afghan, "Blueberry-Lemon" Quilt, and the complete "Twilight" series. New merchandise will be added weekly, and most items ship free of charge. Expect lots of brand new plus-size clothing at bargain prices to arrive this week! (For now... merchandise may only be purchased and shipped within the continental U.S. Sorry!)

And now... on to the giveaway...



You can enter three times to win the book "Finally Thin: How I Lost Over 200 Pounds and Kept Them Off - and How You Can Too" by Kim Bensen. Included in this hardcover book are over 70 recipes.

Enter by 1. commenting on this post, 2. blogging about this post, and 3. by becoming a "Follower" of "The Tickle Me Pretty Shoppe." If you enter by blogging about this post, please leave a comment with the link of your post. Simple as that! All entries must be received by 1:00 pm (EST) Thursday, December 24, 2009. I will have a random drawing and will announce the winner on Christmas Day. (Giveaway offered to residents of continental U.S. only.)



I do look forward to serving you, and I sincerely hope that "The Tickle Me Pretty Shoppe" will be a nice, little, friendly place for you to shop on the web. :)

It's the Most Tempting Time of the Year

 

Wow!  Can you believe that's it's December 13th already???  December 13th!!!  Christmas is a mere 12 days away!  Eeek!

Are you ready?  Have you been busy?  Have you been eating cookies???

Without a doubt... the time between Thanksgiving and New Year's is the most difficult time of the year for someone trying to lose weight.  Temptation can be found, well... everywhere!

One thing that has been working for me so far this month is that I have not baked any homemade goodies.  Remember the Sugar Cookies I made a few days before Thanksgiving?  Yeah... well... they were the devil.  And I realized that sometimes it is just better for me to not have ANY type of sweet temptations in the house... especially homemade yum-yums.  So... I've resisted the urge to bake more cookies... and that has helped me immensely!

How have you all been coping?  Do you have any tips or advice to make it through the holidays without the typical 10 lb. weight gain?

The Mirror Doesn't Lie, Unfortunately

Well, today I got a shocking dose of reality. Here's what happened...

My husband and I somehow ended up in the bathroom for a few fleeting seconds this afternoon, and as we were briefly standing together with the side view of our bodies facing the mirror... I turned my head and looked at our reflections. OMG! I looked like I am at least twice as wide as him!

I was shocked and appalled. I honestly thought that I was probably about as wide from front to back as he was. Yeah, he weighs about 75 or 80 pounds less than me... but I thought that because he's a man and most of his excess weight is in his belly... and I'm a woman and most of my excess weight is from the waist down... that somehow I looked like I was closer to his size. Boy was I wrong!

The little delusional bubble that I have apparently been living in for awhile now has been sufficiently BUSTED, to say the least! lol

Oh well. It is what it is.

But... it is NOT what it is going to be!

Some day I'll weigh less than him. Someday... when we're standing together in front of that mirror... I will NOT have to stifle my gag reflex! Instead... I'll be smiling ear to ear... and the trauma that I've experienced gazing at my reflection in mirrors my entire life will be a thing of the past.

What about you guys? How do you feel when you see yourself in the mirror?

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year... to Dress Up, That Is!

It's the time of year for parties and socializing! And while I hope that we can all make it through the season without a huge weight gain... we still need to look good doing it!

Are you invited to a Christmas party this year? A New Year's Eve party? And you don't have a thing to wear??? Well... no need to worry! I've got a beautiful black size 26W "Onyx Nite" cocktail dress with a beaded empire waist, a cranberry-colored velvet special occasion dress, and 2 fabulous black evening shawls to sell to anyone who is in need of some gorgeous yet inexpensive holiday attire!

The black cocktail dress, as stated, is Size 26W, has a beaded empire waist, and is 92% Polyester/8% Spandex. I wore this once for a family wedding. This dress was purchased at a retail sale price of $89.99. I'm asking $35.00/free shipping. (Pic at bottom of post.)

The cranberry-colored velvet special occasion dress is from Zaftique and is size 3X. I paid the retail price of $95.00 for this dress, and I have never worn it. It would be perfect for a holiday party or Christmas Eve Service! This beautiful dress may be purchased for $35.00/free shipping. (Pic at bottom of post.)

The black, sheer, hand-beaded evening shawl is absolutely beautiful! It has never been worn, and the tag is still attached. It was hand-made in India. It is 20" x 72". I paid $60.00 retail, and will sell this gorgeous shawl for $25.00/free shipping. (Pic at bottom of post.) THIS ITEM HAS BEEN SOLD.

The final item, a black velvet burnout evening shawl, was worn once. It is soft and luxurious, and the size is 20" x 76". I paid $55.00 retail, and will sell this beautiful shawl for $25.00/free shipping. (Pic at bottom of post.)

These offers are for residents of the continental U.S. only. (Sorry!)

If anyone is interested, please drop me a line at gottalose200pounds@yahoo.com

Thanks!

(Click on pics to enlarge.)

Update:  Black Hand-Beaded Shawl has been SOLD.

I wish I had a better camera! The photos do not do these garments justice!

If you're interested these items, please check out my new shoppe...

The Tickle Me Pretty Shoppe:  Pretty Things... From Me... To You  (More info. about that will be coming soon!)

I also have 6 exercise dvds to offer you and they are offered at "The Tickle Me Pretty Shoppe" as well.

Busy Dodging Bullets

So... how have you all been doing? Is holiday stress and busy-ness taking its toll on you... and your diet? Has healthy eating and exercise fallen to the back burner so far this month? It has for me... in spite of trying to get back on track last week.

The good news is... I dodged a lot of bullets when I stepped on the scale for my 10-month weigh-in this morning!

To be perfectly honest... I was debating whether to weigh in or just skip it. I have been eating VERY poorly since the week of Thanksgiving. I just have not been able to get totally back on track, and I was scared of what the scale would say today. I expected to see a 10-15 pound gain... but... thank God... the scale only showed a 3.6 lb. gain. I was flabbergasted... and EXTREMELY relieved, as you can imagine!

Seeing a SMALL gain instead of a LARGE gain truly was the silver lining to this weight-gain-cloud. It actually gave me HOPE that I can keep going and continue to lose weight the rest of this year... and beyond. And... to be perfectly honest... HOPE is something that I really needed to feel this morning.

I feel like I've been given a second chance to succeed... and I am determined to stay "on track" today... and the rest of the month. I'm sticking to 1,500 calories a day, and hopefully by my next weigh-in I'll be back down to 334 lbs.

Also, thanks to everyone who gave me a chicken recipe in the comments of my last post! Every recipe appealed to me... but, alas... my husband wanted me to make a chicken pie instead. Not the healthiest choice by any means, but I gotta keep my man happy, right? hehe However... I DO look forward to trying some of those recipes that you all submitted! Thanks again! :)

I hope you are all having a great week! Stay strong... and do your best to not get caught up in the "holiday eating!" I'll be rooting for you! :)

xo,
C.C.

Got Chicken?

Help! I've got a pound and a half of chicken breasts in my fridge... and not even one ounce of inspiration in regard to what to do with them! I have absolutely no idea what to cook for supper tonight!

I am in dire need of a yummy chicken recipe that will knock the socks off of my picky-eater-of-a-husband. (I've also got a lot of frozen broccoli in the freezer, so if your chicken recipe includes broccoli... all the better! If not... that's OK, too!)

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! And if I make YOUR recipe... I'll blog about it and link back to your blog.

Thank you in advance!

xo,
C.C.

Getting Back on Track

So... I haven't been doing very well the past few days. Thanksgiving really threw me off track, and I just feel like kicking myself. Actually... Thanksgiving did NOT throw me off track. I threw myself off track! And now I'm having a heck of a time getting back on track! Aaaggghhhhh!!!

Oh... why is the first day back on track always SO difficult???

I think I just need to take a deep breath and let go of this stressful feeling that has been consuming me the past few days! This is NOT the end of the world. I WILL get back on track. And I'll get back on track TODAY. I haven't gained back all of the 66.8 pounds that I've lost. There are still a few weeks left this year... and I can make them all count. I can start to make the best choices possible... starting TODAY! And that's what I'm going to do!

How have you all been doing? Do you feel as guilty as I do for eating way too much over the holiday? Or do you feel happy about making good choices? I hope you all fall into the latter category!

At any rate... let's all either GET back on track or STAY on track the rest of the week... and the rest of the year!