Friday!!

Very excited that the weekend is about to start. I need this break.

I met with my boss yesterday (90-day performance review) and was told really nice things. It’s nice to know I’m appreciated, and it’s amusing that she is the second person here who feels that I have amazing observation and communication skills. A coworker told me last week that I could be an amazing politician Yes, I take that as a compliment

I also mentioned the 4 -10’s issue and was offered another option that I didn’t even think about. TELECOMMUTING! As long as I have CS3 on my home computer, I can telecommute one day a week. I SO LOVE MY JOB RIGHT NOW!

Tomorrow is my WW Weigh-In. As long as I don’t lose my mind and eat a gagillion calories today, I’ll show a loss - I’m a daily weigher. I’m trying to be super good because this morning I showed a 3 pound loss for the week and would like to keep it that way

Also, last week I had to order a book for Kirk (his info was ‘verified’ on ebay, so the seller wouldn’t ship) and saw that the same seller had a brand new copy of Hungry Girl’s book for $5.  Well, of course I added that bad boy to the purchase! It came in yesterday, it has some great recipes in it - I’ve managed to read all of the Breakfast & Chopped Salad sections. I love how she includes single serving recipes. Makes it easier for days when it’s just me at the house.

Have a great weekend everyone!

It’s here….

The signup for the charity bike ride I did last year has started. The place where I now work is a huge sponsor of the event, and I’m officially joining the team (last year’s team had over 60 members!) I’m so nervous right now, because instead of doing the 23-mile ride, I want to train for the 47-mile ride. AUGH!

I’m trying to calm myself with the fact that last year’s ride, I showed up with no training and was able to go for 23-miles. This year I have roughly 2 months to build up. Plus the new gym I’m at has Indoor Cycling at 6:45p.m. every other day. I know I can do it, but gee…that’s daunting.

Medical Results Are In: I do have a fatty liver, my liver was slightly enlarged, but not enough to warrant a biopsy. Gastroenterologist wants me to follow a low-fat diet and try to lose 10-15 lbs. in the next 6 months, then come back to more blood tests. He truly feels this can be reversed with diet & exercise. So that made me feel so much better about myself.

King Kong of Ziploc’s

Me: “Ok, so you bought giant ziplocs?”
Brother: “You don’t understand, they are so much more….they are the King Kong of Ziplocs”
Me: “Well, that’s kinda cool”

It occurs to me now that I didn’t even ask him WHY he bought them…….

Last night I made a DELICIOUS meal. I have a thing for Chile Relleno. That’s right, a deep fried Poblano Pepper stuffed with cheese or meat, potatoes, and tomatoes. And I’ve been craving it, but realize I can’t eat it without wasting probably my entire 35 WPA. So I had to get creative.

Paige’s Poblano Bake:

1 can Poblano peppers (5 per can) - seeded and cut in half
1 large zucchini - cubed
1/2 onion - sliced
2 cups MorningStar Farms crumbles
1.5 cups Shredded Cheddar
2 tbs taco seasoning
1 egg (I used 1/2 cup egg beaters)

Preheat oven for 400.

Saute onions and zucchini until soft. Throw in the MorningStar Farms Crumbles and taco seasoning. Let Cool.  Mix egg into ’stuffing’. In a baking dish, lay out the Poblano peppers. Pour ’stuffing’ over peppers. Cover with cheese. Bake until cheese is melty, about 20-25 minutes.

This made 4 servings at 5 pts per serving.

Next time I’ll probably throw in a small can of crushed tomatoes. My brother LOVED it - I didnt’ tell him it wasn’t meat ;-). He ate 2 servings. I ate one, then brought the second serving for lunch today. Yum!

45 Pounds in 45 Weeks

Goal/Milestone	Poundage	Date
Start WW	170	6/16/2008
5 lbs.	165	7/21/2008
10 lbs	160	8/25/2008
15 lbs	155	9/29/2008
10% Loss	153	10/13/2008
20 lbs	150	10/31/2008
25 lbs	145	12/8/2008
30 lbs	140	1/12/2009
35 lbs	135	2/16/2009
40 lbs	130	3/23/2009
45 lbs (GOAL!)	125	4/27/2009

45 Pounds in 45 Weeks

Food: Starting June 16, 2008, I will start using Weight Watchers Online. This program involves NO meetings (I live too far away from a convenient meeting location) but strictly online tracking of food and message boards on Weight Watchers (in addition to other message boards and blogs that I find).

Exercise: My main exercise will be The TransFIRMer DVD set created by The Firm. It involves 2 types of steps and three DVD’s. I will use the DVD’s 3-4 x’s a week along with other exercises (riding my bike, walking, whatever!)

Goal: To lose the remaining 40-45 pounds of weight.

B: Cheerios & milk with Just Raspberries
S: Apple w/Peanut Butter
L: LC Panini & 100 Calorie Baked Cheetos & Peaches
S: Popcorn
D: Shrimp with veggies stirfry
S: WW Ice Cream Cone

Flat Feet

It’s official….I have flat feet & am an overpronator Had a fun little foot scan that clearly shows not much of an arch on my foot. I was annoyed at the shop I went to, their website mentions the types of shoes they sell, but when I got there, they only had a handful of shoes. The sales lady even told me “Well, we really only specialize in orthotics.” Um….from their website shows all sorts of things besides orthotics.

I ended up going online to Brooks & Asics and entered the information that I had. Then I went to a running store in Houston and started trying on shoes from my list. My mother (with me) thought I was insane that I researched that much! The running store was MUCH MORE HELPFUL than the freaking professional foot solutions place!! The sales guy looked at my scan (brought with me) and recommended added arch supports with the shoes. He had me put one support in the shoe I was trying on, then leave the other shoe without the support, so I could feel the difference. I ended up with some Asics - GTS 2120’s and a pair of the medium arches. He recommended the Asics Gel - Fortitude’s, but he didn’t have any in my size. He’s going to put some on order and call me when they come in. He told me to come back in about a month and get the high arch support. Apparently, you are supposed to gradually switch you arch support so your foot molds to it. A different story than what foot solutions place was telling me, but honestly, I believed this guy over the “professionals”.

It was funny because my foot pain went away within hours of wearing the shoes. I then took off the shoes and my feet started getting sore again.

This afternoon I’m getting fitted for an arch support that can fit my dress shoes.

WW Front- As well as can be expected for a holiday week. Today’s my company’s Thanksgiving luncheon, they provided the standard fare and we are encouraged to bring sides. I brought fresh green beans. Figure I’ll steam them in the microwave before we eat and add some lemon & olive oil. Not shabby. I’ll also be doing my weigh-in tonight instead of tomorrow night.

Well, dang!

I lost .6 this week, putting me at .2 away from my 5 pound star. It sucked, but at the same time, I’m planning to stick to plan 100% to get that gone by next weeks weigh-in!

We had a good meeting last night about eating in versus eating out. It reminded me that one of my favorite meals are homemade stir-fries with hoisin sauce. Sometimes I’ll throw the stir-fry in a tortilla

Let’s see…what else? Completely unrelated to diet, I bought the new Backstreet Boys CD, Unbreakable. You know, BSB came out when I was 13, that is a 13 year listening relationship I have built with them, it could be the crappiest CD in the world (IT’S NOT!) and I’d still buy it. I’m loyal like that.

Also, I’m buying my brother a dog. An Australian Shepherd to be exact. The kicker is he’s being imported from Arkansas. Funny, huh? My bro is set on a male, red tri-colored pup (not the actual pup):

Of course, I’ve had a hell of a time finding a red tri colored male. Well, there was an add in the Houston paper and when I called, it turns out the breeder lives in Arkansas, but he has family in Houston and always comes down. So after a series of emails, we are set. I’ll meet the man in Houston either this weekend or next to pick the pup up, then I’ll drive it over to my bro. I’m a little concerned how my dogs will react to the pup, so I’ll have to work with them on it.

Anywho, have a great day y’all.

On vacation!

Checking in to say goodbye for the week. I’m going on vacation with my mom, down to Corpus Christi and then do some shopping in Mexico for a few days. Not planning on having internet, so I won’t be posting.

I WILL however keep my WW tracker & kit with me so I’ll still be on plan. Plus, my mom was pretty impressed with my 2.8 pound loss and the fact that on Weight Watchers you can eat regular food, so I’m supposed to show her what’s up and eat on plan so that she can see a “normal” few days on Weight Watchers, so that will help. Plus, I’ve packed some snacks to eat along the way–Fiber One bars, Fruit Roll-ups, Crystal Lite, pear cups, etc. So, I think I’ll be good.

Have a good week, y’all!

B: Oatmeal - 3
S: Fruit Roll Up - 1
Dark Chocolate haystack - 2
L: LC Panini - 5
Side Salad w/ Light Ranch Dressing - 2
S: Pears - 1
D (on the road, driving home): Wendy’s Chicken Nuggets Kids meal - 8
Total: 23
Daily points used: 22
Weekly points: 1/35

Loveliness

It just seemed like a pretty title

I’m sitting at my desk, bracing myself for the attack of my sales guys. I had to send out an email to all of them requesting a LOT of information that I think is near impossible for them to get to me. But this info came down from the pres of the company, so what else can I do. So I sit and wait for the fallout. Already received one nasty email and one really funny one from a guy who understands this didn’t come from me!

I thought food was going to be tough today (lunchtime meeting) but I ended up being able to order the food for people, so I was able to customize my meal. I ended up being so low on points for the day, I was able to sneak in a snack size Kit Kat

B: Low Sugar Oatmeal & Iced Green Tea - 2
S: 100 Cal English Muffin & Laughing Cow Cheese - 2
L: 1/2 Turkey Reuben (turkey, saurkrat, spicy mustard on rye) and Baked Lays - 7.5
S: Snack size Kit Kat - 2
D: 2 Mini Chicken Pot Pies and a spinach salad w/ mushrooms, tomatoes, banana peppers & ff honey mustard dressing - 6.5
Total: 20 pts

Leaves me with 2 points for a dessert. Maybe a Nutrisystem chocolate cake w/ coolwhip?

Oh, about Nutrisystem

I’ve decided that it is not the plan for me. Eating the same foods over and over just got boring. However, it is working really well for my father, he has lost about 10 pounds in 6 weeks. He is continuing on with the plan, which was the original goal of me joining.

I ended up going to Weight Watchers on Monday and signed up. Must admit the past few days of food has seemed like absolute HEAVEN compared to Nutrisystem. LOL.

Guess what else I did last night? Worked out….I know, shocker. But I had more energy last night than I’ve had in the past month, so off to Gold’s I went. Tonight I’m going to ride the mountain bike around the neighborhood. It’s getting darker earlier, so it’s safer for me to ride the bike that can go on sidewalks, IMO. There are some narrow roads that I just feel more comfortable riding in daylight.

Anywho, today’s menu:
B: Thomas 100 Cal English Muffin-1pt
1 egg (cooked at work in microwave)-2pt
1 Laughing Cow Light cheese wedge - 1pt
L: Mini Chicken Pot Pies (www.dwlz.com)- 5pt
Tomato Slices - 0pt
S: Carrots - .5pt
Vanilla Soy Milk - 2 pt
Peach Medley Applesauce - 2
D: BBQ Chicken Wraps (ww online)- 5pt

I’ll have 3.5 points left, so I’ll either add a side to the Chicken Wraps or add another snack food somewhere.