A good week

This has been a really good week. I've really stuck with my eating and exercise routine, and I've even started to feel the weight loss in my clothes. I was going to weigh myself every other week because I get discouraged if I haven't lost enough, but this week, I could tell I'd lost. I got on the scales, and yes, I'm down another 2 pounds. That's 10 pounds in the last 3 weeks and 25 pounds lighter than a year ago!
I had a great conversation with a co-worker at work. She had done this health assessment that we do at work if we want to have the discounted rate for the gym on campus. I didn't do it this year, as I'm committed to the early morning workouts at Parkside. My friend is in great shape--she lost a lot of weight a couple of years ago but gained back five pounds in the past year. She told me she couldn't believe how much those five pounds impacted her numbers like cholesterol and such. She told me as further motivation to stay on track, and I really appreciate it.
She also told me about this plan she read about where you make one change each week. As she said, she has this tendency to make all sorts of changes all at once, but by making one change each week, you slowly add good habits. I haven't been drinking enough water, so my change for this week is to drink at least five glasses a week and add to it until eventually, it's eight glasses.
I also wanted to mention a great find. My niece is on a no sugar diet and has talked about Lara bars. When I was at Kroger the other day, they were (and still are) on sale for $1 each. I tried them, and they are amazing. I had one for breakfast on Friday and didn't get hungry all morning. Usually when I have any kind of bar like that for breakfast, I start getting hungry mid-morning, but not with these. And they have amazing flavors. I highly recommend checking them out!
Also, we have euchre tournaments for fundraisers for our Relay for Life team. The team provides a meal, and I decided to make a recipe I found on Pinterest for Apple Pineapple Crisp. It fit my diet, my niece's no-sugar diet, a friend's gluten-free diet, plus anyone with diabetes or on Weight Watchers. My niece included the recipe on her blog with the adaptations I made. So I'll just refer you to her blog:
http://spicingupmylife.blogspot.com/
(I think her recipe for Mexican Stuffed Shells sounds amazing, too!)
Well, here's to another week of healthy eating and exercise!

Here we go!

Well, my ramped up efforts have paid off. I lost eight pounds in the past two weeks! Other than a 700-calorie splurge involving some buffalo wings,I've really been watching it. (And even then, I stayed under my daily calorie allotment.) With the beautiful weather we've been having, I've spent a little more time walking outside rather than going to the gym, but either way, I'm really trying to move more, too. I hope this soon pays off with lower blood sugar, but I know that's a process and will involve a lot more weight loss and exercise. I'm excited!

It seems like I keep losing and finding these same pounds that I've taken off. I'll be super-happy to lose another five pounds. That will put me under one of those numbers I've set my sights on for quite awhile that I've struggled to slip below. Overall, I can't complain. I'm about 20 pounds lighter than I was a year ago at this time. I'm definitely headed in the right direction, and once I break that number I'm trying to dip below, I'm never going back. It's going to be down, down, down from here on out!

OK, I'll admit it. Yes, the cake looked good this weekend, but really, it wasn't TOO much of a temptation. I didn't eat out much at all this weekend--in fact, come to think of it, I don't think I ate out at all. Every meal was at home or at my sister's, so I'm sure that helps a lot, too. And today, I made some good choices at Qdoba for lunch, so it's all good.

I'm out to win this battle, once and for all!!!

A fundraiser, fajitas and a Skinny Piggy

I've had such a good weekend! I'm super-excited because my Relay for Life team held a Pampered Chef fundraiser on Saturday and made $566 for the American Cancer Society. Along with raising money for a great cause (both of my sisters are cancer survivors, so this is a cause near and dear to my heart), but I got to enjoy some time with some many people who also are very near and dear to my heart. A fun way to raise funds!!!

The party even kept me in tune with my diet. The consultant made some awesome fajitas that were made in a baker--all healthy ingredients, nothing fried or sauteed or anything like that. It all went into the microwave and was FABULOUS!!!

I love Mexican food and my family has discovered a restaurant that is inexpensive both financially and in terms of calories. The Villas (for local people, it's right across from Taco Bell) has the most wonderful tacos for just 99 cents each. These are amazing --you can get chicken, pork, or ground beef ones. They come with lettuce, tomato, and onion. There's no cheese, but they are so extraordinarily good that I don't even miss it! Who knew??? Two pork or chicken tacos with no cheese are 340 calories. I've been doing some reading and learned that soft corn tortillas are better for you than the flour ones, and you can choose either one at this place. We went to The Villas for lunch today, and I'm happy to say it was busy. It's the fourth time I've gone there and the first time it's been busy, so I think the word is getting out. They also have wonderful tamales--the kind in the corn husk--that are also 99 cents each and about the same number of calories. So check this place out. Don't worry if you don't see this fabulous deal on the menu...just ask them about it. If you dine in, they bring chips and salsa to the table--chips are 120 calories for 10 chips and the salsa is basically "free" when it comes to calories. I count the chips so I'm sure to not overeat them--if you count them out ahead of time, it's really quite an impressive amount. Enjoy!

This afternoon, I went to the Hallmark store. I had received a coupon for 30 percent off anything in the store so thought I'd take a look around. i am sooo excited with what I found. It's a skinny piggy bank. Yeah, no kidding! The pig is thin instead of rounded and it acutally says Skinny Piggy on the side. I decided what I'm going to do is put in $1 for every pound I lose and add another $1 every time I work out. When I reach my goal, I'll have some made money to put toward a vacation or something special that I want. I am sooo excited about my skinny pig!

This morning, I read my Made to Crave devotion and really appreciated the message. It was about a temptation that the author Lysa TerKeurst had when she was in high school. She wans't a Christian at the time, but she distinctly remembers God speaking to her, telling her she was made for more than this. She compared that to those of us struggling with our weight...and food. We are made for more this! How true! And we weren't made to fail. We were made to succeed with God by our side. We were made not to worry about food or to let food be our temptation. We are made to enjoy food, yes, but in moderation. We are made to be healthy and happy and to fulfill God's plan.

I am so pumped right now! I just finished a completely healthy dinner, I've gone grocery shopping and have a fridge full of healthy foods, and I feel filled with inspiration from my book, motivation from my Skinny Piggy, and an incredible feeling that I am so very loved by God.

It just struck me, the Footsteps story. God may have to carry me from time to time, but at the same time, it's time for me to make sure I get all my steps in! Here's to a new week!

Stepping it up

In case you didn't read last night's blog, I am on the brink of having to start using insulin for diabetes. I learned this at the doctor yesterday. Even though I knew my numbers had been up last time I went there, I was in denial. I had a blood test yesterday, and hopefully the numbers will be better, but whether they are or not, this has been enough of a scare that I am approaching my eating and exercise lifestyle with renewed vigor.

So last night, as I was trying to process all of this, I hunkered down in my house and just became a couch potato. I didn't want to talk to anyone, I didn't want to think about it. I played Facebook games and read the newspaper while watching reruns of Big Bang Theory and later, American Idol. It was great to get my mind off things, but then when I went to bed, it took me awhile to get to sleep because my mind still needed to work out everything. I had a conversation with God, and I know He is there for me as long as I let Him in. I know this can be a turning point for me to a healthier life, but last night, it just felt a little bit like the end of the world as I know it.

So I let myself cry a little and feel sorry for myself for only a little while. Before I went to sleep, I had gone through the full range of emotions that comes from knowing you are at a crossroads where you have to choose whether you are going to help yourself or let yourself continue to go in a downward spiral. There is far too much of life that I want to experience. I am not going to let food and balking at doing less than an hour of exercise prevent me from leading a full life. After a good, strong pep talk, I was able tof all asleep and woke up this morning with a good outlook.

I know that going out to eat frequently has undoubtedly added to my weight issues, but at the same time, it's a very important part of my social life that is important to me. So, I really need to work on finding the right foods when I go out and be even more conscientious about it. I found this website, which lists several chain restaurants in the Peoria area with the nutritional value for the healthier choices. This will be a good start. I think I need to start a folder with menus from these restaurants and others so that when I'm out and about, I can make the right choices.

Here's the website: http://www.healthydiningfinder.com/SearchList.aspx?Code=PEORIA,%20ILLINOIS&&Miles=10

I will say this, I didn't give a second thought to getting up and working out this morning. So often, I think, "ugh!", even though I go ahead and do it. Today, I didn't think about how much I wanted to do it. I just did it.

One of the others working out at the gym finished before me and made the comment as she's leaving, "I'm so glad when that's done." That's exactly how I feel. I don't think I'll ever like working out, but I do like how it impacts my health. And that's what I need to concentrate on. I need to not look at the drudgery of working out. I need to look at the sense of accomplishment once it's done.

And the best bonus is I get to work out with my very dear friend Lynn. She is such a wonderful support and makes getting up in the morning well worth it.