Cara's Weight Loss Journal

I've always been afraid that I would run out of food...

2010-03-11T22:32:00.000-05:00

I'm heading down the same pathway I've traveled before. I recognize the trees and the houses along the side of the road. This route is so familiar to me, I could travel it blindfold.

But thank goodness the blindfolds are off.

All week, I've been having craving after craving. I've been thinking about a big, thick, juicy cheeseburger ... and my favorite snack, chips and dip ... and chocolate cake (which is weird, because I'm usually more of a vanilla cake type of person) ... and real macaroni & cheese ..., and onion rings ... and a baked potato with TONS of real sour cream and real butter ... and cupcake pops (if you've never heard of these before, check them out on my Facebook page, they're oh so yummy!) ... and donuts (yes, donuts again) ... and McDonald's sausage biscuit w/cheese & hash browns ... and real pancakes (not the healthy kind) with gobs of butter and syrup and powdered sugar ... and, well, I could go on and on but I think I'll stop for now.

Suffice it to say, I've had A LOT of cravings lately.

Why am I having these cravings?

Because I'm trying to sabotage myself again. I'm getting ever so close to a goal again and for some reason I have this "sabotage mechanism" that kicks in telling me that I can't do it. Telling me, "you're sacrificing too much, you need a reward."

The thing of it is, though, that I'm seeing clearly now for the first time and I am not really sacrificing. I'm not. Like tonight, I had a small plate of homemade spaghetti. And, because I knew it would haunt me if I didn't eat it, I had about 2 tablespoons of left over homemade mac & cheese from last night. I knew if I didn't eat it, it would be calling my name until I ate some of it.

So I'm doing this the right way, I'm allowing myself to have what I want, I'm just keeping it under control. Like, tonight, when I put the spaghetti on my plate, I piled it on. Because that's my sabotage mechanism kicking in. I was saying to myself, "go ahead, you've been good, indulge". Just when I was about to start eating, I looked at the plate and said "what are you doing?! you don't need that much spaghetti!!" And I was right, I would be completely satisfied with half that much. So I scooped half of it back in the pot and was completely satisfied with that much.

Speaking of being satisfied, I've really been focusing in on this lately. I'm so used to eating what I put on my plate, not matter how hungry I was. I'm used to piling it on and eating until it's gone. I've spent my entire life practicing that plan. But lately I've been asking myself why. And I'll be honest with you, I never thought I'd arrive at this place.

I mean, ever since I started Weight Watchers (almost 3 years ago), I've been at war with myself about the fact that I'll never be able to eat what I want and as much as I want for the rest of my life. I've cried about it and blogged about it. And honestly always thought it would be something I'd just have to live with.

But I'm just learning that I can still eat whatever I want, just not a ton of it, and I can still be happy. I remember when I first joined Weight Watcher and Ned said I could eat whatever I wanted on Weight Watchers. I thought to myself, at first, this is cool. But then after a year or so of not really eating what I wanted--or rather the amount of food I wanted--it started really ticking me off. I felt like I'd been bamboozled. Sure, I can eat anything I want, but I just can't have as much as I want. That doesn't sound right to me.

But now I'm learning that I don't really need to eat "as much as I want". I've really been focusing on my portions, lately, and noticing how satisfied I am. You know, they say there are 3 stages of fullness--satisfied, full and stuffed. I've always been somewhere between full and stuffed, with the needle leaning closer to stuffed, to feel happy. But I'm realizing that satisfied is taking on a whole new meaning.

See, I'd always thought that stuffed meant that everything was okay and I didn't have to worry that my food wouldn't be there later for me. If the food was there now, and I ate as much of it as possible, I wouldn't have to worry about it not being there later. I've always had a fear that I would run out of food. In fact, for years, I had to keep my cupboard doors open so I could see the food in there when I walked through the house. That's a hard one to overcome. And I don't claim to have beaten it. But I sure have taken one giant step towards winning the battle by realizing that if I get hungry later, I can eat more food later.

What a concept.

If I get hungry later, I can eat more later.

I don't know why that has never occurred to me before. How can something so simple be so elusive. The funny thing is that I've heard that over the past few years but I didn't believe it. I was still afraid the food would be gone later.

Now I know that satisfied is a great place to be. And I feel so happy that I've finally figured that one out.

As for my overdose of sodium last Sunday that caused 4 lbs of water retention, I've gotten all but about a half a pound of it off. Now my goal is to just NOT gain. Before, I wanted to lose the 6/10ths (or was it 4/10th) by this Saturday. Now I just want to NOT gain. I think that's a noble goal, don't you?

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Please, I don't want to sabotage myself again...

2010-03-09T22:24:00.003-05:00

I did something really stupid this past weekend and I'm really hating myself for it. And no, it wasn't eating the Texas sheet cake. :)

Sunday night I fixed a big bowl of air popped popcorn. Good, right? Well, not the way I fixed it. I usually spray it with butter flavored Pam and a little salt. But this time, I sprayed it with alot of Pam and a TON of salt. It was SOOO good!!! Just like I like it.

But now I'm retaining water!! I'm up 4 pounds!!!

I have been doing great other than that. I only had 22 points on Saturday and 21 points on Sunday, not counting the chocolate cake and popcorn. Those I put towards my 36 flex points. Yesterday and today, both 21 points. No salt at all. Just fresh fruits, whole grains, oils, dairy, and protein & fiber. I've been drinking a little extra water trying to flush the sodium out of my system, too.

I really hope the salt lets go of me soon. I don't want to carry these 4 pounds through the end of this week.

I've really set myself up for failure, you know? All I have is 4/10ths of a pound to my goal and I've brag all about how I'm GOING to do it this week. Ugh!! Why do I keep doing that to myself!!!???

One more step closer...

2010-03-06T23:06:00.003-05:00

Well, I'm getting closer and closer...

Weigh in today!

I lost 1.6 lbs!!!

Yay!!!

I'm only 6/10ths away from my interim 100 lbs Weight Watcher's goal.

I'M GONNA DO IT!!!

The cool part is, what's gonna happen next week. See, at Weight Watchers, they've been having challenge going on for the past 9 weeks. Its "The Momentum 2010 Challenge" and it's a 10-week long event. Each week they talk about specific things to focus on like tracking, filling foods, activities, tips & tricks, eating out and stuff like that. Well, next week is week 10, the last week of the challenge, and my leader said it's going to be about celebrating our successes and there's going to be a "party" of sorts. Now, I"m sure it's not going to be a real party, but the idea is for all of us to share our successes and celebrate them together. Well, here's the cool part, if I can lose 6/10ths of a pound next week, then the party will be MY PARTY!!! We'll all be celebrating my 100 lb loss (again, kinda). Okay, now I realize the party won't be all about me. He he! I realize it'a all about ALL of our accomplishments and successes. But secretly I can say the party was all for me, right? =D I mean, can't I??

But seriously... I really feel like I'm headed in the right direction this time. And I really feel like this time its for real. I've had my ups and downs for sure over the past (almost) 3 years. And I've thought I've had my head going in the right direction many times before only to sabotage myself or derail my progress unintentionally on purpose.

But this time feels different. I really feel like I'm so much more equipped this time. I feel focused and aware. I feel like I'm seeing everything I need to do to lose weight clearly in front of me. It's like a weight loss master to do list. But an easy one. A short one. I just wish I could bottle it and sell it. Wouldn't that be a hoot! If you want to lose weight, just spray a little on every morning.

And I'm really feeling good in my own skin.

Now, all that being said, I have to confess that I had a bit of a splurge today. I mean, my day was going great and I stayed under my 21 points. Well, that is, until tonight... I decided to make my mom's Texas Sheet Cake. I've never made it before but she's always been telling me it's like the best chocolate cake I'll ever try. Well, so, I just had to try it, right? Well, maybe not, but I sure wanted to. And the best part was, I had all the ingredients in my cupboard. Now, how can you go wrong with that, right??

Here's the scary part. I entered the ingredients into Weight Watchers Recipe Builder and you'll never guess how many points one slice was. You might want to sit down for this one. It's a whopper. If I divided the cake (which was baked in a 9"x13" baking pan), it was 21 points per slice. Yup, you read that right... 21 POINTS!!! Yes, for ONE SLICE!!! Now, granted that's if you cut the cake into 8 pieces, which makes a piece about 4" x 5", which is really too much cake, but it's about the size of a slice of cake you'd get at a restaurant, right? If I divide the cake into 12 pieces, it would be 14 points per slice. So here's the really bad part. I had one 21 point piece and one 14 point piece. So over the course of about an hour, I ate all my flex points for the week. Aaahhh!!

But I tell you want... she was right... my mom said it was the best chocolate cake I'd ever taste. Oh man!! It was moist, chocolaty, and heavenly!!! It should be, it had 3 sticks of butter, 2 cups of sugar, buttermilk, eggs, flour, cocoa powder, etc., etc. All the good (bad) stuff.

Now, here's the good part. My daughter is coming over tomorrow and taking the rest of the cake home with her. There's no way I could resist that cake if I left it in my house.

(P.S., if you want the recipe, I can email it to you. Is that wrong of me to peddle such horrible food on my weight loss blog??? Maybe I shouldn't have put that last sentence in here. :)

The results are in from the doc...

2010-03-02T18:58:00.003-05:00

Well, I had my follow up visit with my doctor about my knee. It doesn't look good. He said (A) I have minor degeneration in my medial & lateral compartments, which is basically the padding between the knee joint. And (B) degenerative disease in my patellar tendon, which is the tendon that connects the knee cap to the top of the chin.

So, the medial and lateral degeneration (A) will likely build up calcium deposits what will chip off and I'll have to get removed. This happens as the pad basically start wearing out.

And then the degenerative disease in my tendon (B) will only get worse. The more I run on it, the worse its going to get. No way around that.

But he referred me to a sports medicine orthopedic specialist who can help teach me things that will allow me to continue running. He said the specialist can show me exercises that can be done to help compensate for the weaknesses and recommend ways of running or equipment to wear to help compensate.

But the part that bothered me the most is that he said degeneration like this is normal in someone who's in their 50s and 60s but not in their 40s. I forgot to ask him, but I'll bet its because I've been twice my normal weight most of my life.

All this time, I thought I was perfectly healthy being overweight. I always got great check ups. No high blood pressure. No high blood sugar. No abnormalities in my liver or kidneys. No high cholesterol. EKGs always perfect. I've always been in perfect health, even when I was almost 300 lbs. But I guess I wasn't.

I've made my knees 20 years older than they really should be.

I've also been having pains in my upper arms, but in the bones, not the muscles. It hurts when I have to lift them above my head. And heaven forbid if I wake up in the middle of the night with my arms above my head! Its excruciating!

He said that might be related to the degenerative disease. So when I go to the specialist, I'm going to mention it to him and see if there's anything that can be done about that as well.

I'm suddenly feeling so old. :|

On the flip side, my weight loss is going strong. I lost another 4/10ths this past week. That's 5 weeks in a row, now, that I've had a loss.

I've lost a total of 5 lbs over the past 4 weeks. Woo hoo!!!

I've got my head in the right place, now. I know I can do it this time. I want to be back down to below 100 lbs before my 3-year anniversary of starting Weight Watchers rolls around. That's on May 12th of this year. I'm only 2.2 lbs away from that goal, so I really should have no problem reaching it.

Would be really cool if I could reach my Weight Watchers goal of 155 lbs by then. I'm not going to set myself up for failure, though. The old me would have figured out how many weeks it is between now and May 12th and figured out how much weight I would have to lose each week to be at goal by then. But I'm not going to do that to myself. I've learned that I don't work well under pressure—weight loss pressure, that is.

Nope, I'm going to take it one day at a time, one week at a time and we'll see where I am by then. All I know now is that I'm on the right track.

The funny thing is that I've known how to do this all along, I just didn't do it. I guess I'm the type who likes to find out how to beat the system and then get by with as little work as possible to accomplish the goal. Well, that does not work in weight loss! And its only taken me 3 years to learn that.

I think I know enough now about weight loss that I could write a book about it. I know what to eat, how much, when, what types of food are good and bad for weight loss, exercise, etc. I know how to lose weight. But the actual process of losing weight isn't what's been tripping me up, but I never realized that. Its the mental and emotional part of losing weight that's the hard part. That's the hidden danger for me.

Speaking of writing a book, I'm still reading though Dr. Colbert's "I Can Do This" Diet and its really getting good. He's so thorough. This last chapter, that I've reread twice now, is about cravings and why the body craves certain foods and how to stop cravings. Its very interesting. Maybe on my next blog, I'll share with you some of the things he talks about. It's really amazing.

But for now, no more running until I can see the specialist. I sure miss it. I'm afraid the longer I don't run, the hard it's going to be to get started running again. And it was so hard to get started.

I think I'm gonna make it...

2010-02-17T21:56:00.006-05:00

Well, first, I wanna say, thanks, guys, for all your encouraging words. Thank you for every last word. Your encouragement has helped me flesh out the thoughts in my head about this whole marathon debacle.

I have to say it was terribly hard at first. When I wrote that last blog post, I was pretty devastated. I think I surprised myself at how much I was looking forward to that silly marathon. I say "silly" now. Now that I've been able to put it all into perspective.

There were so many hurdles to get past as the day of the marathon approached. I'd been planning things like what I'd eat the week before, when I'd start packing, what I'd take with me, and what to replenish with during the race. And I'd gotten just about everything ready to go. So I was in "go" mode. I think that's why it hit me so hard.

I have a follow up appointment with the doctor on Thursday to find out if it was anything more than tendinitis. I had it Xray'd.

I haven't been running and I miss it terribly! I feel like a lazy blob. I just felt so empowered when I was running. Now I just feel defeated. I feel like its going to be so easy to fall back into my lazy self--the one who was lazy and didn't exercise.

On the upside, I've been losing weight again. Week before last, I lost 2.4 lbs and this past week, I lost 1.4. Not bad! I think I'm getting my groove back.

I've been eating every 2-3 hours. And yummy, healthy stuff, too. I'll have a big bowl of bran flakes (or wheat flakes, or rice flakes, or corn flakes) with vanilla almond milk and I'll sprinkle in some chopped walnuts and a few dried cranberries.

Then for my morning snack, I'll have a banana or an apple. Then for lunch I'll have a half of a sandwich (usually a pb&j or a turkey w/lettuce & onions) and some sort of 100 calorie snack (Little Debbie has been making some yummy one's lately.

Then for my afternoon snack, I'll have a Chobani greek yogurt and before dinner I'll have an orange or an apple.

Then for dinner, I'll have something like a greek salad or steak kabobs, or a couple of home made tacos, or a Subway turkey sub, or a slice of cheese pizza, or a bowl of corn chowder (weight watchers recipe), or, well you get the idea. Then I'll have a snack about an hour after dinner, either a 100 calorie snack or a yogurt or a piece of fruit.

But here's my secret...

Wrigley's Extra Sugar Free Gum

I have a stick after lunch and another after dinner. And sometimes another one after my evening snack. I don't know what I'd do without it. Bob on the Biggest Loser says to chew it between means to curb your cravings. For me, though, I chew the spearmint (or winter blast, etc.) because it makes my mouth so minty so that I can't eat anything. It's not that I don't want to eat anything, it's that I can't because anything I put in my mouth would taste terribly minty. It's like trying to eat something right after you brush your teeth in the morning. I just tastes terrible. So far, so good, it's help me stay away from the snacking.

So anyways, I'm back at it. I'm now 2.6 lbs away from getting back down to my Weight Watchers' interim goal of 100 lbs. I hit the 100 lb mark last June. I'm hoping I can get back down there before June comes around again. I think I can do it!

Horrible, horrible news...

2010-02-08T22:59:00.002-05:00

Last weekend, during the last 5 miles of my 15-mile run, my right knee started hurting. It wasn't unbearable, just hurt a bit. I was able to finish, no problem. But it was sore as heck for the rest of the day. But by evening... all better!

All last week... no problem at all with the knee.

Yesterday, I got 3 miles into my last 15-mile run before the big marathon next Sunday and my knee starts hurting. So, not wanting to push it too hard, I started speed walking. It felt much better. After another couple of miles, it started hurting again. So I started walking at a regular pace. It got worse.

After 7 miles I had to call my husband to come pick me up because it was excruciating. I was limping like a cripple.

I went home, kicked my feet up and it got better. Just a slight twinge of pain. This morning, no pain at all.

I went to the doctor this afternoon, though, just to make sure it was okay and that I'd still be able to run the marathon next Sunday.

The doctor said no.

No running for two to three months.

(Pause while I wipe the tears away and compose myself.)

I ... can't ... run ... my ... marathon.

He sent me to get an X-ray done but he suspects I've torn a tendon or ligament. Either way, he said if I keep running on it, it'll only get worse.

I do not want it to get worse. I want to be able to run for the rest of my life.

I don't even know what to type next. I'm just so beside myself with sadness. I don't know how to type tears. I can't believe I can't run my marathon...

I asked him if I could see if I could switch to the half marathon and just walk it. I didn't figure they'd let me walk a full marathon, but maybe a half marathon. He said he'd rather me not push it but that decision was up to me.

I got to talking about it with my husband tonight and he's right, I won't be happy with walking a half marathon. I've already proven I can run the distance of a half marathon so walking it would only be like putting an ballerina on stage, starting the music, but telling her not to dance. What would be the point? So I walked a half marathon. I could do that any weekend.

The doctor said I pushed too hard too fast. I really did try to take it easy. I started out with only 4 miles at a time, then 6, then 8, then 10, etc. I had no intentions of ever running 26 miles before the marathon. I had hoped that the most I would run would be maybe 16 or 18 miles. And I only made it up to 15 miles. So I really didn't push too hard. And whenever I felt too tired or sore or over exerted, I'd stop running or I would take a rest for a while.

But what the doctor said made sense. He said, "first of all, you're not a spring chicken any more. You're over 40. Now, there are plenty of marathon runners over 40, but runners don't have that much weight on them." He said, "now, don't get me wrong, I know you've lost over a hundred pounds (which is commendable and I'm so proud of you for losing) and I know you're still trying to lose the last 20-30 pounds, but you still have those extra pounds hanging around that put extra stress on your body that healthy runners don't have."

He's right, you know. It makes total sense. I was always perplexed as to why I couldn't get my pace up any faster. I think I always knew but I just didn't want to admit it. It was the extra pounds that I have hanging around that are slowing me down. That, coupled with the fact that I've never run like this in my life. The last time I was "active" I was a teenager. And on top of that, I've only been running long distance since the beginning of December. Put all those things together and you get someone who isn't prepared for a marathon. And that's where I am right now.

I just don't know what to do now. As soon as I'm done typing this, I'm going to see if I can get a refund for the entry fee and cancel the hotel reservations. Its the last thing I want to do, but there's no sense wasting the money on something I KNOW I won't enjoy doing—walking, that is.

I asked the doctor if it was okay if I started running again in June, when the marathon training starts. He said definitely. June is perfect. He said to take it slow this time, though.

So, dear marathon, I'll race you one day, I promise I will, but it'll have to wait until my body is ready. Maybe next year.

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One week before my first ever marathon...

2010-02-06T19:37:00.004-05:00

Weight Watcher's this morning was nice. We talked about the Wizard of Oz story and how each of us have it inside of us to succeed, we just have to realize we've got it. Hubby went with me, which is always great. And Jen was there too. Jen is the woman I replaced at the job I'm at now. She left work to have her 2nd child. That was 3 years ago. Just a few months later, I started Weight Watchers and she was there, too. So we've been WW buds just about ever since. She met her lifetime about a year and a half ago. She only had 50 lbs to lose—I say "only" because of my 130 lbs that I have to lose to reach goal.

Anyway, Jen had quit coming to WW for the past few months. I was afraid she would start gaining it back, so I called her out on Facebook. Publicly guilting her into coming back. It worked, and she started coming again. It ends up she has gained almost 20 lbs back since she reached goal. I had no idea it was that much! I'm so glad she's started coming back. I would hope that someone would do for me what I did for her if I ever started gaining my weight back again. Of course, I have to lose it first. :)

I tell you, I've been having SO much fun playing racquetball with my husband. I'm really quite bad at it, but considering I've only played it 3 times in my entire life (and those 3 times were last week), I think I'm doing pretty good. :]

Tomorrow morning, I'm going for another 15-mile run. I'll take the same route as last Sunday. It was beautiful! I've already loaded up on carbs so my energy should be good. Weather.com says its supposed to be in the low 40s but it will feel like the mid-30s. So I'll definitely dress warm and in layers. I won't forget my hat and gloves this time. Last week was brutal! I'll watch my water intake too so I don't have that painful final 5 miles again. Live and learn.

So my marathon is a week from tomorrow. I can't believe that this time next week I'll be sitting in a hotel room dreading the next morning. I would LOVE to finish in less than 6 hours so I can get a picture of me crossing the finish line, but I know that's unrealistic given my pace as of late. I just hope I can find the finish line once they tear it down after 6 hours.

I hope I get the marathon medal, too. It's a beautiful Olympic-type ribbon medal (artists drawing of the medal shown here). It says on their website that "all finishers will receive a commemorative medal". But I wonder if that means you have to finish before they tear down the finish line?

All these questions will be answered next Saturday when I check in and get my race packet and t-shirt.

So until then... Cara, stop stressing about things!!

Oh, and I lost 1.4 lbs at weigh in this morning!! Yay!!!

I've lost 1.4 lbs before SO many times. And I've lost these same 1.4 lbs SO many times before. I don't want to lose these same 1.4 lbs ever again. I'm so tired of losing these same 1.4 lbs. I've got to get that in my head and get focused. I'm so sick of losing and losing and still being 20-30 lbs away from goal. It's very tiring.

Oh, and one more thing... I won another case of Chobani yogurt. Can you believe that??!! I love LOVE Twitter!!

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Viola! She came back from the dissappearing act...

2010-02-03T19:06:00.003-05:00

Wow, here I sit, 2 weeks since my last blog post.

Ugh.

I think I've been a little... well, maybe alot, apathetical lately. (Yes, I think I just made up that word.) I think, more than that, I've been stuck. Not just in my weight loss. In my life.

My work has been HORRENDOUSLY horrible lately, and each day it just seems to get worse. My department functions best with a 6-person team. It functions minimally with a 5-person team. We're now down to 3. The word "overworked" has taken on entirely new meanings for me lately. And the worst part is that it is effecting the rest of my life.

I actually yelled at my mother-in-law the other day. She's the absolute SWEETEST person and I totally snapped her head off.

I went to my boss the other day and told her I just can't take it any longer. I'm no quitting. I just told her that I simply can not go on like this any longer. Something has to change.

She's working on it.

But in the mean time, life is still rough for me. For all 3 of us in the department.

And I know this is effecting my weight loss. Heck, its effecting the rest of my life, why not weight loss too. Three weeks ago I gained 3 pounds. Two weeks ago I lost 2/10ths. And last week I gained 2/10ths. I know its the stress.

I've been taking strides to try and combat it and I'm hoping it's helping.

Like, for example, I did something last night I've never done in my life before... I played racquetball. That's not me in the picture, but I'm sure I had a few moves like that last night. WHAT a BLAST!!

We're going again tonight. Hubby used to be an avid racquetball player. So now I'm learning. And what a workout!! I'm sore in places I haven't been sore in in many many years. The weird thing is I'm sore in my gluteus maximus.

What a mental break, too. I had SO much fun!!! Can't wait to go back there again!

Oh, and guess what else I've been up to?

15 miles!

I ran 15 straight miles this past Sunday!

The marathon is 11 days. Yikes!!! So be thinking about me on Valentine's day. I'll be the one huffing and puffing their way to the finish line.

I'm sure I won't finish in under 7 hours. Can you imagine running for 7 hours straight?? I can't. I can't even imagine what my body is going to do after 7 hours of straight running. Kinda scary to think about.

But I'm totally looking forward to it.

Oh, by the way, thanks Blueraspberry for emailing me with your concerns. It got me motivated to blog again. I just love you guys. You keep me on the straight and narrow. I tell you, blogging is the absolute BEST!! Don't you agree??

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Greek yogurt like no other...

2010-01-21T22:35:00.000-05:00

I think if you guys know anything about me, you know then when I find something I like, I have a tendency to shout it from the mountain tops. Well, I've found something I like.

Actually, found it about 4-5 months ago and it's really been helping me with my diet (as in food choices, now restrictions from food).

Chobani Greek Yogurt.

Have you guys ever tried it? I've tried other greek yogurt brands and frankly they all grossed me out. They had a very sour taste or were WAY too thick and gooey, and—and this is the most important for me—they were all WAY too expensive.

Not Chobani.

Their texture is thick and creamy, but not heavy at all. The fruit flavors are amazingly fresh tasting. I don't feel like I'm eating sugared down yogurt or artificial flavors. And I love the size of tub that it comes in, it looks larger than regular yogurts although it's the exact same ounces as the rest of them.

The best part is the HUGE amount of protein in every serving—14 to 19 grams!!! It keeps me fuller longer and is a great recovery after my morning runs.

Before I go much further, I have to say that they asked me to taste test 2 of their newest flavors, raspberry and strawberry-banana. And they sent me one container of each flavor. Who am I kidding, I would have done this even if they didn't ask me or send me free product.

First I tried the strawberry-banana. I have never been a fan of strawberry-banana flavored anything. It always tasted like it was too sweet and had a fake flavor like kool-aid. Not so with Chobani's strawberry-banana. I could taste fresh bananas mixed in with fresh strawberries. It was amazing.

Then I tried raspberry. Oh my gosh was it divine! The raspberries tasted like I was eating fresh raspberries straight from the produce section. These weren't sugared down, sweetened raspberries, these were real honest to goodness tart raspberries. Lets face it, raspberries, by themselves, are not sweet. But mixed in with the sweet creamy flavor of the yogurt it was the perfect balance.

I don't think these flavors are available in the grocery stores yet. And so far, in my local stores I've only been able to find blueberry, strawberry and peach. But as luck would have it, those are my 3 favorite flavors anyway.

(Oh, and by the way, Publix has them on sale right now 10 for $10. The sale goes until Feb 5th.)

They also have honey, pineapple and pomegranate. I can't wait to try the pomegranate. Oh, and I tried the pineapple in December when I won a whole case of yogurt FREE from a game I played on their website.

It's called SPOONS. You have to follow @ChobaniNicki on twitter and whenever she says "ok, Spoons has started" you click on the link which takes you to their website and all you have to do is click on a spoon and you win a free case of yogurt. The trick is, you gotta be quick, with over a thousand twitter followers the game usually only lasts a few seconds.

I just won again today. I'm going to try their honey flavor this time. Can't wait for the case to arrive.

By the way, if you guys go to twitter and start following @ChobaniNicki, be sure to tell her @mag_maker (that's me) sent you. :)

You can follow them on Facebook here. They're always coming up with new recipes and great ideas to incorporate greek yogurt into your daily menu.

Have you guys ever tried Chobani? What's your favorite flavor? Have you made any recipes with greek yogurt?

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Weight loss newsletters...

2010-01-18T19:18:00.000-05:00

I love getting email newsletters. Do you? I subscribe to all kinds. Different one's like crocheting, running, social marketing, music, movies, radio shows, design, publishing, health & fitness, cupcakes, crafts, charities, baking, and of course lots of weight loss newsletters. And I've found a few weight loss newsletters that I really like and want to share with you.

The first one I really love is from Eat Better America, which is distributed by General Mills. I love this newsletter because, well, #1, it looks nice. I love it when something looks professional and put together. Secondly, I love that all of the recipes are healthy. They feature recipes that have healthy substitutes. I've tried a few and they've always turned out very nice and tasting great. And lastly, it always has coupons you can click and print out. Here's a link to their most recent newsletter.

Another newsletter I like is, well, pretty much anything by Martha Stewart, but the one I'm enjoying currently is the Whole Body Action Plan which is a 4-week plan to start the new year off by making healthy eating choices and moving more (she offers different "healthy" newsletter type challenges throughout the year and you have to sign up for each of them). Their first week started with a detox, which I have to admit, sadly, that I did not follow. But I plan on doing it soon. I'll let you know when I do. Here's a link to the most recent newsletter.

Never Say Diet is one I've subscribed to for years, almost since I first started losing weight. Their part of iVillage.com which, if you haven't been there, you should. There is just TONS of great info on there for women. They have a section on their website called Your Total Health that has articles about just about every aspect of your health. I've actually been a member of iVillage since the late '90s. Anyway, their Never Say Diet newsletter is a short and sweet tidbit of nutrition. Sometimes its fitness tips, sometimes nutrition, sometimes recipes. I really love it! Here's a link to one of the newsletters.

Oh, of course there's Weight Watcher's newsletter. I don't think you have to be a member to get it, either. I have to confess I don't always read it, but I have found some wonderful thing is it before. Like this one article about the different kinds of ice cream and how you can tell what you're getting just by what it's called. Like did you know that "slow churned" is just another word for "whipped". Basically they churn it extra long which adds air to it so you actually get less ice cream and more air than regular ice cream. So it's better for you. Here's a link to a sample newsletter.

KimBenson.com is another good one. She's lost over 200 lbs and her newsletter is full of motivation, tips, recipes and of course products that she sells (that are all extremely healthy). I don't have a link to her newsletter but here's a link to her website where you can sign up for it.

I'm on the look out for some more good ones. Which one's do you subscribe to?

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Where would I be without you...

2010-01-16T11:56:00.001-05:00

Wow, what a week!!

I'll start off by saying... I think I ate EVERYTHING that came with in a 2 block radius of my mouth.

And secondly I want to say... I gained 3.4 lbs.

Hmm, I wonder how those 2 sentences relate? I wonder!

Am I surprised that I gained 3.4 lbs?? ... NOT ... AT ... ALL. I wholeheartedly earned every ounce of that gain. And actually, I think I really needed it. I think I get this way every few months where I just take one week and throw caution to the wind and eat like I used to eat when I was 275+ lbs.

Am I proud of it? No, not at all. I'm not ashamed of it, though, because it is what it is. I did the proverbial "facing the music" this morning (where the heck did that saying come from I've always wondered).

Now I've gotten it out of my system and I'm ready to get my head back in the game. I think its just because I've eaten all of the food that normally haunts me and so I have no desire to eat it again. Almost like, "well, I did that so I don't want to do it again" at least not any time soon. I'm sure I'll have another week like that in the months to come, but it won't be any time soon.

You know I was re-reading your comments from my last post and I think you guys might be on to something. I think Jinxxxygirl might be partly right saying that I can live with the weight that I am now. I can. I mean, when I look at myself in the mirror, I see a healthy, normal looking woman. I don't see myself as overweight, although technically I am. I need to drop another 20 lbs before I won't be considered overweight by most doctors' and dietitians' standards. But I am happy with the way I look. Although, that being said, I'm still disgusted by the fat rolls that are still hanging around my middle section, that's for sure. I'm not in any way, shape or form happy at all with those.

And Brooke, I never really thought of it that way, but there is a fine line between contentment and complacency. I'm not at all content with my current weight or body image, but I'm very complacent with my weight loss efforts. I do need to find a bigger distinction between the two. I'm so focused on the scale, too, but I'm not entirely certain I want to break that dependency.

That being said...

Gina, you're brilliant. Why didn't I think of that. I've already been able to break my scale addiction at home—I don't weigh myself on the scale every day. In fact, I will only weigh myself at home on Saturday mornings before I go to weigh in. But what if I didn't do that. And what if I did ask Barb, the WW secretary, to not give any indication as to whether I gained or loss and I just didn't look at the results. I wonder if that might help me stay more focused. Gina, I think you're onto something. If I didn't find out if I gained or lost then I wouldn't know if I had any "splurge" room and I might be more apt to stay on track and not indulge or splurge like I normally do when I've found out that I lost.

And Donna B, you're right, I do need to have more faith in myself. I'm stronger than I give myself credit for being. And Kelly!, you know, I do need to get my mindset off of me "being stuck" at this weight. I know the mind is a very powerful weapon. If I can change my mindset to how far I've come, which I have a tendency to take for granted SO much, and get back to thinking that I'm still headed in the right direction, maybe that'll help me stay sane through this process.

So, Screwdestiny and Miz and blueraspberry and MaryFran I just need to buckle down, stay focused and make the right choices TODAY. And restart my focus each morning and keep going in the right direction.

I'm not going to focus on where I'm not.

I'm not going to focus on how far I haven't come.

I'm not going to focus on where I wish I was.

I'm going to focus on where I am now, how far I've come and rest peaceful in the fact that I am still headed in the right direction and I will make my goal. I can do it. I will do it.

Thanks everyone. You guys always keep me going. What would I do without you??

Oh wait, I know... back up to 275 pounds.

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I'm still in the game, but...

2010-01-09T22:50:00.003-05:00

Miracle beyond miracles... I lost 3.6 pounds this week!!

Huh??!!

I guess you were right, Jess, it came off just as quick as it came on. That almost NEVER happens for me, though. My track record is easy on... near impossible to get off.

Funny thing is, I did pretty much the exact same thing I did week before last as I did last week. Weight loss.... I don't know if I'll ever figure it out.

I think that was why I was so darn frustrated last week. I just can't figure it out. Most of the times, it all seems so nonsensical. I feel like Alice stumbling through Wonderland sometimes. I hear things and see things that seem to make sense and then all of the sudden they change form and I have no idea where I am.

I mean, I think I got this thing pretty well figured out... fruits & veggies, whole grains, lean meats, milk, water, oil, portion control, regular exercise, journaling, and accountability. It's all neatly packaged in my "guidelines to losing weight". But... why does it work some weeks and not other weeks?

I was talking with my daughter about it today and I think I might have discovered my problem. Whenever I have a good day, I have a tendency to loosen the reigns. Whenever I break even or gain, I buckle down and stick to my guns. That's what I used to do with I weighed myself every day. If I was up that morning, I'd be sure to eat only 21 points for that day and exercise so I'd be down or at least the same the next day. Then as soon as I was down, I'd eat "regular" which is not that good. I'm not sure how to break this cycle, though.

I somehow need to get my head into the space where it doesn't matter how much I gain or lose. That no matter what, I need to stick to my points and exercise regiment. I'm really not sure how to do that, though.

I truly appreciate all your comments from my last post. I don't really want to throw in the towel. I really don't. I want to be skinny so bad. It's all I think about most days. I just keep envisioning myself looking like the Biggest Losers at their final weigh in.

Take Helen Phillips, for example. She was 47, I'm 43. She started at 257 lbs, I started at 265. She's 5' 6", I'm 5', 6".

Now, granted, I have no plans of getting down to 117 lbs. That's just ridiculous! But why can't I get down to at least 145 lbs? What's so wrong with that? Why am I STUCK at 165-170??!!

I just keep seeing all those Biggest Losers and how skinny they look and I wonder why I can't be that skinny. People keep telling me, "maybe this is the weight your body wants you to be". But what if it's not the weight I want to be?

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Can I throw in the towel now??

2010-01-02T22:04:00.000-05:00

I have been having the hardest time, lately. My old demons of food addiction have been creeping up on me alot lately. Its really made me rethink all of my weigh loss accomplishments. Have I really come as far as it looks?

This week, I gained 3.2 lbs.

So that's the outward assessment of my weigh progress for this past week. But my inward assessment is that I feel like I'm slipping back into the old me. Now, I haven't been bingeing or hiding my food or eating in secret and I haven't been really over eating (too large portions) but I have been craving food and eating what I crave.

A craving is a good and natural thing. Most times. Our bodies will tell us when it needs certain foods. Right? So what do you do when your body tells you it needs a cheese quesadilla? Or fried chicken? Or chocolate cake? Or cheese fries? Or how about hand made potato chips covered in blue cheese, cheddar cheese and bacon? Why does my body possibly need these things??

It doesn't.

These are cravings in my mind and in my emotions, but most definitely not in my body.

But they feel the same. It really feels like my body wants these things. I feel it all over. My head tells me. My stomach tells me. My heart tells me.

I heard Dr. Oz say this week that we get cravings for only 10 minutes at a time and all we have to do is (drink water first) ride out those 10 minutes doing something else (distraction) for the craving to pass and then we'll be okay. What?! My cravings last for days! Sometimes weeks. What's up with that?

And while I'm "satisfying" these cravings (by eating all these bad things), I feel vindicated, comforted, and completely satisfied. Even afterwards I usually don't feel bad about eating them. I usually feel like I've just set through a productive therapy session or a deep conversation with a friend who has helped me work out my issues. I rarely feel guilty for giving into these cravings.

Now, sometimes my stomach makes me feel "guilty" by tossing and turning after I've eaten these bad things (like it feels right now because I just finished a half a brick of cream cheese and half a bag of Ruffles).

Its weird, because sometimes I do great when these cravings hit and sometimes (like now) I don't handle them well at all. The problem is, the times that I don't handle them well usually set me back anywhere from 2 to 10 lbs and then I'm right back where I was a year ago.

I'm so mad I could scream!!

I am now at the exact ... same ... weight as I was on September 20, 2008!!!

I know... take this one day at a time, Cara. I can't keep looking back. I know. I have to get a grip. I just want to throw in the towel and surrender to this whole weigh loss thing.

If it wasn't for how disgusted I am with the fat rolls lazing around my waist and drooping on the under side of my arms between my elbows and armpits, I swear, I'd give up and raise the white flag! But it makes me so much more mad that I have to carry around these extra fat rolls.

And what also makes me mad is the extra skin hanging around. I really think I'd be 10 lbs lighter if I didn't have all this extra skin hanging on me. I can't (won't) get surgery to get rid of it so I'm just stuck with it, I guess. I would have thought that after almost 3 years the skin would have gone back, but it hasn't so I suppose it never will.

Can you tell I'm just stinking frustrated!?!?

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My run this morning didn't turn out quite how I'd wanted it to...

2009-12-27T17:05:00.008-05:00

Miracle beyond miracles... I lost 8/10ths of a pound this past week!!!

Huh??!!

I debated about weighing in at all. I went to bed Friday night saying, "I'm definitely taking a no-weigh-in-pass tomorrow". After all the cookies and cupcake pops and whatever I wanted to eat for Christmas dinner, there was no way I could face another big gain. I'd gained 3.6 pounds the previous week for eating the exact same way as I did this past week.

And I'd told myself I wasn't going to do this either. I was going to make it through these holidays without gaining... or if I gained, it would only be just a smidge. But here I was, sitting there Friday night looking at my building tummy on the night before weigh in knowing that is exactly what I'd done.

But when I got up Saturday morning, I decided I'd weigh in. I figured, if I gained, I'll surely lose it right back off during the coming week and then I'll have no proof of losing anything. I remember doing that last summer: I gained 7 pounds in one week then I took a no-weigh-in-pass and over the next week was able to get 5 1/2 pounds off but when I weighed in, it showed I'd gained a pound an a half. I didn't want to do that again.

So I weighed in. And lost. Saweet!

I'm thinking it was probably because my 3.6 lb gain last week was really just water gain and then over this past week, I really did gain 3 pounds and it all washed out as an 8/10ths loss.

Well, whatever it was, I was SO stinking surprised and happy for the loss.

So this morning, I got up and headed out for my 12 mile run. I mapped out 2 possible routes last night and when I woke up this morning, I decided to take the more scenic of the two. So, I told hubby my route and headed out the door. I got to the end of the driveway and he popped his head out the door and shouted "be careful". He'd never done that before. It kinda spooked me, like, uh oh, is there something I should be watching out for??

It was cold (50 degrees) and overcast (not a bit of sun)—perfect weather for running! I wore layers and gloves so as I got warmed up, I could peel off the layers and get into the grove.

So after about 3 miles, I turned onto this long, straight stretch of pavement (maybe a half a mile long) that leads from the main thoroughfare to a footbridge that goes over a major interstate and I spotted two hooded individuals almost all the way at the other end of the path. They were walking the same direction as I was running. One was wearing a black hoody with long pants and the other had a gray hoody with long shorts on. I slowed my pace down because I didn't want to catch up with them.

Now walking, I got to the end of the long, straight path and looked up at the roundabout walk way that leads to the interstate overpass and saw the 2 of them trudging along. I stopped and watched them slowly walk across the overpass until they were out of my sight on the other side. Then I started running, very slowly, up the roundabout.

When I got to the end of the overpass, I could see them just every once in a while, but not steady. When I got down the other side of the other roundabout, I saw them at the end of the long pathway that lead to the other thoroughfare on the other side of the interstate and saw that they'd turned right—the exact path I was taking. I started getting real scared because they did not look like they were exercising, in fact they just looked like trouble.

I saw the tops of their hoods cutting through a parking lot to the right, rather than them staying on the sidewalk at the other end of the path. Then I could only see just the gray hood, which was odd because the black hoody was taller than the gray one. Then all of the sudden, the gray hood popped straight down out of sight. Like it was all of the sudden trying to hide from something. THEN, like 5 seconds later, a cop car drove by. Man, that really got me!!

I was walking again because I wanted to stay as far away from them as possible. When I got down to the end of the pathway and was about to turn onto the sidewalk (right where I last spotted them) another runner crossed right in front of me traveling on the sidewalk that I was about to turn onto. Whew! I tucked in behind him and stayed as close as I could to him until I got past the last place I'd seen those hoodys.

But man was I just darn scared.

There was another runner coming up behind him, about 50 feet or so, so I was sandwiched between these 2 male runners and felt somewhat safe. But I was so spooked I didn't think I could go on. The next part of the path was totally secluded and meandered through farm land through a tunnel of beautiful canopy trees. I just didn't think I could feel safe running through that usually beautiful part of the trail.

So I called hubby to come and get me.

I ran towards the closest public area I could find which was a small shopping plaza. He stayed on the phone with me until he got there.

I'm so mad because I felt so strong and so empowered when I started the run, but once I saw those two guys, I felt so helpless and scared. It's a shame our world has come to this. Sad.

So, needless to say, I didn't get to run the full 12 miles. I only ended up running 4 miles. But when I got done, I looked down at my heart monitor and it said I'd burned almost 800 calories. I think it was because my heart rate was up so high during the encounter with those two guys.

Oh, well, I'll just keep on running in the mornings throughout the week. Then next weekend, I'll run the other route. It's a more public the whole way. It follows a major 4-lane road the whole way. So I'll get to smell yummy car exhaust the whole way. Would rather be able to inhale the beautiful smell of trees and flowers, but at least I'll be safe.

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My manditory 30-minute lunch period...

2009-12-24T12:09:00.004-05:00

I'm sorry I haven't had much time to blog lately. Had it not been for this "forced" 30-minute lunch at work, I probably wouldn't have been able to blog until after Christmas. Both my bosses (before they left on vacation) said that the "higher ups" would let us go around lunch time today. So I was planning on that. Then the "higher ups" sent this email around:

* Closing Early Today - Word has come down that lunch today should be only 30 minutes and then everyone can leave at 2:00 p.m. to get started on their Christmas holiday. If you opt not to take a 30 minute lunch, you still need to stay until we close. Have a WONDERFUL Christmas!!

And this one came an hour later:

If you are taking a 30-minute lunch, it needs to be 11:30-12:00, 12:00-12:30 or 12:30-1:00 with everyone back no later than 1:00 p.m. Thanks!

How sweet... not only are they letting us go in the middle of the afternoon—2 hours past lunch time—but we have a 30-minute mandatory lunch. Oh, and by the way "Have a WONDERFUL Christmas!!" with 2 whole exclamation marks! Wow.

So here I sit, just finished eating my vending machine lunch, well, what I could find. There's absolutely NOTHING healthy, low-cal or remotely good for you in any of the machines. Would it kill them to put a piece of fresh fruit in there? How about a yogurt? Or even a "reduced fat" anything! I had to resort to a 2-pack of mini White Castle burgers. Yuk! And so this means, I'm going to have to either go running tonight to work it off or eat uber light tonight for dinner to make up for it.

I know, I should be grateful. They could have let us go home a half hour early.

Ok, enough of my groaning!

This past Saturday at weigh in, I gained 3.6 pounds. Yea, that's right... 3.6 lbs!! Why? I didn't track my food and didn't weigh myself all week. I basically winged the whole week. Won't do that again!!

This week, so far, I've done good. I've only had 3 cookies and they were small ones. One each day. I went on a LONG run Sunday morning—10 miles. That's the longest I've ever done in one stint. I did great, too. When I got done, I felt like I could keep going. So next Sunday, I'll try 12 miles.

I've been reading alot about marathon training and they all pretty much say the same thing—do a long run once a week at a very slow pace then 3-4 short runs during the week at a faster pace. The smaller runs will build up my speed and the longer one will train my body to run farther. So that's what I've been doing. I ran 4 fast miles on Monday and 3 fast ones on Tuesday. I'm taking a break today and tomorrow and will run another fast 3-miler on Friday.

Did I tell you they canceled my marathon? It was scheduled for Jan 24th in Clearwater, FL, but due to some sort of permitting issues it had to be canceled. So I found another one that I like MUCH better. It's in Gainesville on Valentine's Day. It's what they call a "Five Points" marathon which is to raise awareness to the five types of blood donation. Very cool. I'm a huge advocate for giving blood so it sounds like a perfect fit. And the route is through the Univ of FL campus, mostly, and by a lake at one point. Looks great. Can't wait!!!

What have you guys been up to? Oh, yea, that's right, Christmas. :]

Merry Christmas everyone!!!

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Mr. Squarepants is still grounded...

2009-12-13T12:56:00.003-05:00

Weigh yesterday went better than I'd expected. I lost a full pound.

I tell you, though, it was a rough week. Remember I hid my scale in the closet last Saturday? Well, it was hard not weighing myself each morning like I've been doing for the past 2+ years. I found out that my weight each morning would dictate how I ate for the day. If I was up a couple of tenths, I'd back off and eat ultra smart for the day. If I was the same or was down at all, I could eat normal (and by normal, I mean on plan). I had no idea how to eat the whole week. I just kept saying, "I hope it's okay that I'm eating this."

So evidently it worked out. Or there's another theory... Because I gained 6/10ths last weekend, this could just be my body compensating for the gain. Who knows.

I've decided to give it another week, though. I'll keep Mr. Squarepants in the closet another week and see how things go at my next weigh in. I'll just do the same thing I did this past week and see how it goes.

How did you guys do without weighing yourself last week?

I wanted to comment on some of your comments from my last blog post:

Debbie, did you watch the Biggest Loser finale? The comment you left on my last blog post reminded me of it. When the skinny version of the top 4 contestants walked out on stage and their fat version was standing there right next to them. Wasn't that amazing!! I love it when Rudy patted the butt of his former fat self. Was awesome. That's how I need to keep imagining myself. I keep forgetting how fat I used to be. So I can give my old self that big hug you mentioned and tell her I did take care of her. So cool.

Miz, no I haven't read Born to Run, but its on my wish list. I just have 4 or 5 books ahead of it that I've committed to reading before I get it. But what an amazing book. You guys should check it out. Among other things in the book, he talks about the problems we've had with our feet, etc. since the invention of running shoes in the 70s. He sells these shoes called "Birthday Shoes" that make it feel like you're running barefoot. Here's an excerpt of the description of the book: Isolated by the most savage terrain in North America, the reclusive Tarahumara Indians of Mexico’s deadly Copper Canyons are custodians of a lost art. For centuries they have practiced techniques that allow them to run hundreds of miles without rest and chase down anything from a deer to an Olympic marathoner while enjoying every mile of it. Their superhuman talent is matched by uncanny health and serenity, leaving the Tarahumara immune to the diseases and strife that plague modern existence. With the help of Caballo Blanco, a mysterious loner who lives among the tribe, the author was able not only to uncover the secrets of the Tarahumara but also to find his own inner ultra-athlete, as he trained for the challenge of a lifetime: a fifty-mile race through the heart of Tarahumara country pitting the tribe against an odd band of Americans, including a star ultramarathoner, a beautiful young surfer, and a barefoot wonder.

It's so funny that ScrewDestiny said "who wants to run a marathon in the winter?". You obviously live up north, huh? =D Me, I'm in Florida where you could ONLY run a marathon in the fall or winter. Preferable in the winter. After February, who could stand the heat to run 26 miles. Ugh! Thought that was cute, though. :)

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Whoda thunk? Me? Train for a Marathon???

2009-12-09T20:44:00.000-05:00

I'm making an official announcement...

"I am going to run a marathon."

And I started training for it today.

Okay, well, not officially training for it, but as best as I know how.

I stopped by the local running store yesterday at lunch and talked to the lady behind the counter about running a marathon. First, I have to admit, I really expected her to laugh out loud or at least snicker when I told her I wanted to run a marathon. I even hesitated after I said it waiting for that response. But she just smiled and looked at me like I was absolutely serious. Well, I am.

I asked if they had any marathon training coming up or if she knew of any marathons this coming Spring. She said their marathon training was coming to an end. It started in June and will end in January. She said there are a couple of marathons in January, but not much after that. Darn!

She suggested waiting until the next marathon training course and aim for running a marathon next fall. But this isn't all bad. Because right now, my pace is WAY too slow anyways. At my current speed, it would take me... oh... 7 HOURS to finish the race. And I've heard they have sweepers that come along and pick you up off the street if your pace is too slow. How humiliating! I'm running along, running my heart out, and some bus comes along and says "excuse me ma'am, you're running too slow, you have to get off the road". Okay, well, I'm sure it won't happen exactly like that, but still. I need to get my pace up a bit.

So I talked to her about how to do that and she suggested something that I can't believe I didn't think of! I remember when I first started running, I'd run for 30 seconds then walk for 2-5 minutes til I caught my breath and then repeat. That's exactly what she suggested as a way to get my pace up. Run full out for 30 seconds then run at my regular pace for a couple of minutes until my heart rate comes back down off the ceiling. Then keep doing that until I can go for more than 30 seconds at a time, etc.

I'm so excited!!! That's exactly what I did this morning. And I had so much fun doing it.

I can't believe I'm blogging about having fun running. Me??!! I was almost 300lbs 2 1/2 years ago. If you'd have told me back then that I'd be training for a marathon now, I would have laughed so hard and loud people would be looking at my like I was a crazy woman. It still baffles me how I can actually get out there on the road and run for more than 5 minutes without keeling over and passing out. Really!

I think that's why I'm so smitten with running. Because I can do it. I never would have dreamed that I would be a runner. Not in a million years, much less 3 years. But now that I can run, I just want to run as much as I can.

So step one... increase my pace.

Oh, and you remember how I decided not to look at the scale all this week? I'm really having a hard time with that. The scale is still in the closet. I miss it terribly, though. I don't know how I'm doing without it. Like, am I down or am I up. Do I need to eat less or eat more? I don't know what I'm doing. I feel so out of sync with everything in my life right now. Mr Squarepants is haunting me from the closet. Make him stop!!!

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I think I've completely lost my mind...

2009-12-08T19:58:00.002-05:00

I did something real weird this morning. I'm almost embarrassed to mention it. I think I'm going to come off sounding very bizarre and maybe even mental.

So, I told myself before I went to bed last night that I was going to get up and go running this morning. So I set my alarm clock for 5:30.

I actually got out of bed about 6:15. Getting up out of that warm, comfy, cozy bed is about the most impossible thing for me to do. I swung my feet over the side of the bed and sat up and said to myself 'I do not want to go running'. But I got out of bed.

I went in and brushed my teeth and as I'm looking in the mirror I say 'I do not want to go running'. I pull my hair back in a pony tail then walk over and start putting on my workout clothes. I stop and look at my sneakers and say 'I do not want to go running'. I put my sneakers on.

I sit back down on the end of the bed. I contemplated just staying right there for the rest of the morning. I thought, who'd know, right? I'd be the only one who knew if I didn't go running, right?

Then I stood up and walked to the kitchen and fixed a bowl of bran flakes with almond milk (quite a good combination for a pre-workout). I sit down on the love seat and eat my cereal while watching the Today Shoe. They're talking about Tiger Woods again. Ugh! I'm so sick to death about hearing about that man's problems. Why don't they just leave him the heck alone!!!???

As I sit there eating my cereal, you guessed it, I said to myself 'I do not want to go running'.

I put my empty bowl in the sink, grab my purse and iPod and head for the door. I tell hubby good bye and grab for the door knob. I say to myself 'I do not want to go running.' I hesitate for just a sec. Hubby asks me what's up and I say 'nothing' and walk out.

I get in the car and drive to the gym. I arrive at the gym and have to park in the back of the lot because they're a bit crowded. I turned the car off and picked up my iPod & cell phone and I look at the cell phone in my hand. It's blinking. That means I have a tweet or an email waiting for me. So I unlock it and look to see who's tweeting me. It was Ali Sweeney (of Biggest Loser and Days of Our Lives). Yea, she's a twitter buddy, though I'm sure she doesn't know me from Adam. But I like reading her tweets. She's fun to follow.

I sit there in the car, after I've read all possible emails and tweets and I start starring at the people on the tread mill. 'Look at them,' I say, 'Sure looks like an awful lot of effort'. I look at this one lady who's younger than me and running faster than the rest of them. I think, 'I wonder if I look like that when I'm running.' But I stay sitting in the car watching the people exercise.

I sat there for about 10 minutes. I couldn't find the will power to get out of the car and go work out. Seriously! I just sat there!

I never got out of the car.

After about 15 minutes, I guess it dawned on me that I was not going running so I turned the car back on and headed back home.

Can you believe that? I went through all that effort to get to the gym but I never got out of the car to actually exercise. Have you ever heard of anything so strange in your life?? I know I haven't!

In fact, if I'd have read one of your blogs that you had done this, I think I'd think that something was a little "off" upstairs.

The thing of it is, I really did want to go running. I went for an 8-mile run on Sunday and thoroughly enjoyed it! I took Monday off because I pushed it a little too hard on Sunday. I was actually looking forward to getting out there again. Maybe it was the gym that was turning me off. I had even thought about going for a run once I got home from "not running" at the gym. I love running on the road SO much better than on a tread mill.

So there it is. I'm weird. I think I'm a little off my rocker. You agree?

Oh, speaking of Twitter. Check this out. I tweeted to Ali Vincent (the 1st female winner of Biggest Loser) about my 100 lb loss and how she inspired me to lose it and look what she tweeted back to me:

Can you believe that? How cook is that. Ali Vincent thinks I'm a rock star!!

Well, I gotta get off here because the Biggest Loser Finale is about to start. I can't wait to see who wins. Would be SO cool if Amanda won!!

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Mr. Squarepants is grounded...

2009-12-06T00:23:00.002-05:00

Weigh in this morning... I've been weighing myself at home all week watching the scale inch its way down closer to the 100 lb (loss) mark. As of last Saturday's weigh in, I was only 1.8 lbs away. This morning, on my scale at home, I was doen 8/10ths from last week. Before I left to go to weigh in, hubby asked me how I thought I'd do and I said I was down around 6 or 8/10ths. He gives me this big hug, wished me luck, and off I go to weigh in.

So I weigh in and Barb, as she holds up her hand and pinches her thumb and forefinger together, says "just a little bit".

So I get my booklet back from her and it says 6/10ths. Whew! I breathed a sigh of relief.

So I go sit down and get ready for the meeting and I decide to tweet my loss. I go to pull my phone out of my purse and realized I left it home. Bummer. I hate when I do that. I feel so naked without my phone.

So I sit there and do the math in my head to see how close I am to getting back down to the 100 lb mark. I pull my booklet back out of my purse. I open the booklet and see the total number of pounds lost to date is 97.6. Wait a minute. Last week it was 98.2! What the heck?! Am I missing something??

Then it hit me... I GAINED 6/10ths of a pound!!!

Again... What the heck??!!??!

How on God's green Earth could I have gained 6/10ths of a pound? My scale at home says I'm down 8/10ths. That's a huge spread. I know there's always been a 1 pound difference between the home scale and the WW scale, but the numbers I was comparing was from how much I weighed BEFORE I go to weight watchers. So when I say how much I weighed last week and compare it to this week, I'm comparing the number on my home scale, only.

I was so mad I threw my weigh in booklet back in my purse. I crossed my arms and started to cry.

...

Then I pulled myself together and put on a brave face and congratulated everyone else on their losses. The lady next to me lost 2 lbs which made her reach her first 5%. I was so happy for her.

So I make it home and walk in the house and go straight for the piece of cake that was sitting on the stove (leftover from cupcake pops I made for the company craft fair yesterday). Hubby stops me and asks me how I did. I tell him all about it. Then I head for the cake again.

He stops me and says "wait a minute, come here". He scoops me in his arms and cuddles with me on the love seat. He says he doesn't want me to do anything I'll regret and he wants me to take a minute before heading for the cake. I cry in his arms for a bit and then pull myself together. What a sweet man. He just wants me to meet my goals and be happy. I'm so lucky.

So, two things...

#1, there is definitely something wrong with my home scale.

#2, I just hid the scale in the closet. I've never been able to go a whole week without weighing myself, but I'm going to try doing that this week. I feel like I've put the scale in time out. Like I've grounded my scale or something. We'll see how it works out. Wish me luck.

P.S. I did eat the cake. And I did not regret it. :(

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Trying to keep everything in perspective is hard...

2009-11-28T21:40:00.000-05:00

Weigh in this morning was a bit encouraging but a bit discouraging too. Mainly because of what I THOUGHT I'd weigh in at. Boy, doesn't the mind play tricks on you about your weight loss? The further I go down this weight loss journey, the more I am convinced it's 95% mental and 5% physical.

So I told you already that I lost a pound on Thanksgiving day, right? And yesterday (Friday) I was even better (food- and exercise-wise) than I was on Thursday. I ate a healthy breakfast (home made fried potatoes, a slice of whole grain bread with light butter and a sliced apple = 6pts). Then a sensible lunch (Steak N Shake southwestern hot dog (chipotle sauce and pico de gallo), cottage cheese & pineapple ring, and veggie soup = 13 pts) and a half a piece of pecan pie (5 pts). Then I went running last night for almost an hour = 3.75 miles. All in all, a pretty great day, right??

Then why did I gain 1.8 pounds between Friday morning and Saturday morning??!!

How could I lose a whole pound on Thanksgiving, but gain it back plus another 8/10ths the next day by eating better and exercising more?

Very frustrating.

So when it was all said and done, my official weigh in at Weight Watchers was down 1.2 pounds from last week.

This is when I have to make it all come into perspective. I have to look at the big picture.

My body is going to fluctuate from day to day. And sometimes, for no reason whatsoever. This I have to keep remembering. This is why most weight loss programs tell you to NEVER weigh yourself on a daily basis. Most will call for a weigh in once a month. But at the most frequent is once a week. But never more than once a week or heaven forbid once a day.

So I have to take those 1.2 pounds and be proud of it. Heck, it wasn't too long ago that I would have jumped up and down and screamed for losing 1.2 pounds in one week.

So I'm inching my way closer back down to that ominous 100 lb loss mark. I only have 1.8 pounds to go to get back down to my 100 pounds lost. So, it might take me another 2 (or more) weeks to do it. I can't rush it. I can't obsess over it. That will do me no good whatsoever. In fact, if I think back to one year ago, that's what started me on my spiral out of control. I obsessed over it too much.

Take a deep breath. Be patient. And be happy with your great loss, Cara!

On a slightly different subject, I've started reading a new book that's, so far, really great. It's called "Dr. Colbert's "I Can Do This" Diet". It hasn't been released yet (supposed to be in January), but I've received an advanced copy from the publisher (with the hopes that I'll review it on my blog). Its an extremely thorough book, let me tell you. It's not light reading, for sure. But its amazing. I'm learning SO much about weight loss and how our bodies respond to different types of plans and foods, etc. Here's what the publisher says about the book: "you'll discover the top five reasons why diets fail; explore weight-loss fundamentals; overcome roadblocks including insulin resistance, neurotransmitter imbalance, and hormonal imbalance; and design a program catered to your needs." To me, it seems like an intellectual approach to weight loss. I'll keep you posted on how it goes.

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I've come so far in just ONE year...

2009-11-27T10:20:00.000-05:00

One year ago, I completely fell off the wagon...

I remember the day like it was yesterday.

In July of last year (2008), I started a goal of losing 18 pounds in 18 weeks so by Thanksgiving (of last year) I would have arrived at 100 pounds lost. I just went back and re-read that goal-setting blog and I sounded so full of hope and optimism. It was, after all, only "1 pound a week".

But there I sat, at the Thanksgiving table, a year ago, stuffing my face 'til I couldn't move.

I ate all the chocolates that were laying around the house (my mother-in-law makes these yummy treats where she puts a pecan halves on top of a Rollos on top of little pretzel twists, melts them in the oven and when they're cooled, they're yummy little turtle-like delights).

And for the meal, I had double portions of absolutely everything. I remember seeing my mother-in-law sitting across the table from me eating her Thanksgiving meal on a smaller plate (she had lost 50 lbs on Weight Watchers just earlier that year). I laughed inside to myself. Fooey on that! I'm eating a full plat of yumminess and I didn't care if I gained 10 pounds. I even had extra helpings of pie. And of course I took all the casserole left overs home and ate them again when we got home and for days after that, too. And, yes, I did gain 10 pounds before the week was over.

I remember, months later, looking back at that meal remembering that that moment was the beginning of my self-sabotage. I didn't know it at the time, but I panicked at the thought of actually reaching my momentous goal. Read this old post to see what I'm talking about.

But this year... completely different. I feel like a completely different person. Mentally, physically and spiritually. I'm in such a better space, now.

I started off the day by going for a run. I woke up around 6:30, before daylight, and was so anxious to get out there and run. I sat there starring outside waiting for daylight. I finally headed out at about 10 'til 7 and man was it chilly out there. Of course, no one else was either on the roads or on the sidewalks. A quite and confident run to start the day off right.

I got back in time to throw the sticky buns in the oven to bake real quick. Mind you, these were the real thing. My daughter had assembled them the night before (she came over and helped make the casseroles with me) and asked me to bake them for her before we headed over for Thanksgiving dinner.

We headed out to hubby's parent's house around 9. While the turkey was finishing, we watched home videos. We watched my almost 21-year-old's first birthday party. First of all, I loved seeing her so young and precious. Brought back some great memories. But most of all, I noticed that I am much thinner now than I was then. It was so awesome to see myself 20 years ago and know that I'm skinnier now than I was then. I was probably 210-220 pounds in those videos. Now, 165!!

Most people will look at themselves 20 years ago and say "man I looked so good back then, I wish I was that skinny again". Not me, I was so happy to see how far I've come since those days.

Then dinner time. I ate my thanksgiving meal on that smaller plate. I had half and quarter portions of everything. Though there wasn't much empty space on my little plate, I had maybe 3-4 bites of everything. Instead of 1-2 cups of everything, like last year.

At the end of the meal, I sat there completely satisfied. Not stuffed. Not miserable. Completely satisfied. Then about an hour after dinner, once everyone else's stomachs started calming down, we had pie. I had half a piece of pumpkin pie and a half a piece of pecan pie (my deceased grandmother's recipe—my cousin made the pie and shipped it to me).

I wasn't really all that hungry for the rest of the day. I had a Chobani greek yogurt around 7:30 and that's about all I needed for the day.

I hate to be so boastful, folks, but I'm so darn proud of myself. I'm beaming.

Oh, and the best part...

I weighed myself this morning and I actually lost a pound yesterday!

Who loses one pound on Thanksgiving while still thoroughly enjoying everything the day has to offer?!!

What a great day!

How was your day?

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In the spirit of Thanksgiving...

2009-11-25T07:36:00.004-05:00

I thought today would be a great day to stop and give thanks...

Thanks for my new body.

I'm a hundred pounds lighter than I was 2 years ago and I feel a thousand pounds lighter. In my body, in my spirit and in my soul. My life is changed.

Sure, there are the physical changes. I mean, its so darn wonderful to look down and be able to see my lap. I absolutely LOVE being able to cross my legs. Or even cross my arms in front of me without having to have them press my boobs down. (I'm not crazy about all the flaps of skin that are hanging from me, but hey, those are my trophy flaps, right?)

Then there's the activity part. I'm so much more active now. I used to be a couch potato. Now I just love getting up and doing whatever I need or want to do. Because I know I won't get tired. I used to sweat when I went shopping. Now, I can shop all day and never break a sweat. I love being able to skip up the 3 flights of stairs at work, multiple times a day and not get winded at all. Heck, I ran 6 miles on Sunday, 4 miles on Monday and 2 miles this morning. 12 MILES in one week!!?? Whodathunk!

I've had to get all my rings resized and I think I need to get them resized again because one of them keeps flipping over to where the diamond part falls around to the palm side of my hand whenever I type. I have a little silver chain bracelet that I paid like $5 for, but I don't want to replace it, so I just moved the clasp up to hook into one of the chains, so that there's a strip of chain dangling about an inch long after the clasp. An inch of chain that used to encase my fat wrists. And I'm now down to a size 12 (maybe even a 10, but I haven't been shopping in quite a while). When I started this journey over 2 years ago, I was a SIZE 26/28 and they were too tight on me!!

I love the way I feel about myself. I feel so worth it, now. I feel like before, when I was fat, I was hiding from the world and I wasn't worth anyone noticing me or giving me any kind of credit for anything. And I had to fight for any ounce of respect from my peers. Now... Now, I hold my head high. I am worth it. I am so much more confident in my choices, my actions and my conversations. The weird part was that I always was worth it, I just didn't know it because of all the embarrassment and unworthiness that I felt when I was fat.

Now, I can call my self thin. I even go so far, sometimes, to say I'm skinny. Although, according to most BMI and weight charts, I still need to lose another 10 pounds before I'll be "healthy". But in my heart and soul, I AM SKINNY!

I love this new me. And I'm SO thankful for her. I'm proud to be in the skin I'm in, now.

And I'm SO thankful for my family at Weight Watchers and of course my real family, too—including my absolutely amazing husband. And I'm SO thankful for all of you out there reading my blog. And this is something I want each and every one of you to own. Even if you've never commented on one of my blog posts before, you still read my blog. And that is SUCH great encouragement to me to keep going and keep losing. You know what would make me SO happy. If I could get each of you to just post "your welcome" on this blog post. You don't have to say anything more, I'd just like to send this little piece of thanks out to each one of you and I want you to know that you've changed my life and the way you can own this appreciation is to take it in and just say a simple "you're welcome, Cara". It would make me so happy. It would really make my Thanksgiving PERFECT!

So, what do you say?

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From Weight Watchers to McDonalds...

2009-11-22T18:59:00.002-05:00

I did something yesterday morning that really proved a point. To myself. You remember a few weeks ago when I went all out and ate a fattening ribeye with onion rings and a loaded baked potato and then paid for it majorly by almost throwing up afterward? (Blog post: "One huge moment of humiliation...") Well, along those same lines, I splurged a little just after Weight Watchers yesterday morning and something weird happened. Something that's never happened before.

OK, first of all, I have to say, what sane person goes directly from Weight Watchers to the McDonald's drive in??!!! I mean, really! Didn't anything that happened over the previous half hour stick in my head at all???!! Seriously?!

I don't know why I did it. I could say because I was out of cereal at home. But then I had other things I could fix. I could have fixed an absolutely yummy roasted chicken and onion egg white omelet (I had one just the other morning and it was to DIE for!). Or I could have made 1 point pancakes. Or oatmeal. Etc., etc. But that was my excuse. So I called hubby and asked him if he wanted anything (love his heart, but he's my partner in crime).

So I got a sausage and cheese biscuit with a hashbrown. I like to put the hashbrown in the sandwich and eat it all together. I took my first bite and OH MAN was it heavenly. "Mmmmmm," I said out loud. It's been a couple of years since I've eaten at McDonalds and longer than that since I've had a sausage biscuit, which, by the way, used to be my most favoritist breakfast on the planet (when I was fat).

My second bite was just as good as the 1st. Oh, Man!

Then I turned to hubby and said "A little greasy, huh?". He agreed. My fingers were covered in grease, or I guess butter from the biscuit. I was thoroughly enjoying it, though.

I made it half way through the sandwich and I had to stop and take a drink of water. My stomach started flipping around a little bit. The water helped, though, so I kept at it.

So I'm at about three quarters of the way through the breakfast sandwich, now, and my stomach really starts tossing and turning. Its the weirdest thing. I've never had the sensation of thoroughly enjoying the taste of something while simultaneously having feelings of "tossing my cookies". But, darn it!, I was determined to finish it.

I tried thinking of other things and drinking lots of water. But with each bite I took, I kept getting sicker and sicker. What the heck!?

I finally got down to where I had 2 bites left and I stopped and took a breath. Took a drink. And took one more bite. Then it happened. I had a gag reflex while that 2nd to last bite was in my mouth.

What!? Mind you, I was still thoroughly enjoying each and every bite. Each bite I took tasted far better than the bite before it. Seriously!

I stopped. Looked at that last bite. Took a huge swallow to get the food that was in my mouth down. Then I looked at that last bite one more time. I couldn't do it. I honestly think that if I ate that last bite, I would have hurled right then and there. It was that bad.

I threw that last piece down on the greasy wrapper, which then rolled off the paper and down onto the floor. I had to bend over and pick it up, which was even worse on my stomach. The extra pressure on my stomach did nothing to stop the gag reflexes from coming. But I picked up that last piece, shoved it into the wrapper, balled the wrapper up and ran to the trash can to throw it away. I grabbed some more water. Didn't help much. So I grabbed the Tums. I stood there over the sink chewing the tums hoping my food would stay down long enough for the Tums to make it down. I never wanted food to stay down so bad in my life. I kept imagining that greasy food coming back out and it was a horrible thought.

I took deep breath after deep breath and tried to calm myself down.

That worked. The Tums made it down. The horrible feelings passed. The food stayed down.

Why the heck did I do that to myself? I mean, a logical person would have stopped eating the minute they started feeling queasy, right? But then a sane person wouldn't have stopped by McDonalds after a WW meeting either, would they?

I just wanted that food so bad.

I think for the most part, I'm able to keep my food cravings under control. But every once in a while it gets the better of me. And yesterday morning, it sure got the better of me.

For the rest of the day, I did fine. I ate sensible and on plan. And the good part is I only gained a half a pound from that morning fiasco.

I'm hoping with my good behavior today and my extra running that I did this morning that tomorrow morning I'll be back at the weight I was yesterday morning (during weigh in).

Oh, and some great news (to follow that fiasco). I ran 6 miles this morning. Non stop. No over exerting. Piece of cake! That's a 10K. I just ran it around my neighborhood. My heart rate was still a little high for the first few miles (between 165 and 175) but after the 3rd mile, it started edging its way down. By mile 4, I was down to 160. By mile 5, I was down to 150. And by the time I finished the 6th mile, I was hovering around 143. Saweet!!

But the best part was that during the entire run, from my first step to the last, I was so calm and comfortable. Though my heart was running a race, the rest of my body wasn't. I ran with my mouth closed for I'd say 90% of the run just because I didn't need to breath through my mouth. Breathing through my nose was more than enough air for me. I couldn't believe it. And I can't wait to go running again.

I think I might be turning into a runner after all.

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Measure Up Bowls Contest Winner Announced!!!

2009-11-21T13:29:00.007-05:00

Josie!!!

Just so you know this was fair, I went to Random.org and typed in everyone's name who commented as well as each facebook entry and twitter entry (so if you tweeted and commented, you got multiple entries) and then randomized the list 4 times and then asked them to pick a number at random from the list and Josie's name was chosen.

So, Josie, just email me your shipping info and I'll get the bowls out to you right away. My email address is carashow at gmail dot com.

Congratulations!!

I wish I could send each and every one of you a set of these bowls. They're truly great. If you want to put them on your Christmas wish list, here's the website address: http://shopmeasureupbowl.com/

Also, congratulations to all of you who entered. I'm so proud of how your eating habits have changed to more healthier selections. Listen to all of the wonderful eating habits we all have now...

Rochelle said...: Portion control is half the battle I think!
Lauri said...: I never dreamed of eating cauliflower. Just wasn't going to do it. Then I told Steve about a recipe I had read, so he steamed some cauliflower then pureed it in the blender adding salt, pepper, and butter (or substitute, if you have something you use instead of butter), and it was like eating mashed potatoes. He tried it another time without the blender, just using the potato masher, and it didn't work for me....wrong consistency. But through a blender, great.
Shelley said...: The thing that I never thought I would eat is plain yogurt. And I'll admit it took me a few tries to like it - I add some fresh fruit and it's good - who knew?!? Fage 0% plain is my go-to food.
Georgia Mist said...: Veggies: Never thought I'd come to love them! Quick recipe: 1 zucchini (small), julienned, 1 yellow squash (small), julienned, 1 yellow onion, julienned. 1 clove garlic, diced. Saute in 1 tsp. olive oil until tender, serve over brown rice!
screwdestiny said...: I did a diet for, oh, a couple weeks (ha!), and pretty much the only breakfast-y proteins I could eat were eggs or cottage cheese. I used to HATE cottage cheese. It made me gag. The texture was just so nasty, and the flavor definitely left something to be desired as well. But I was not going to eat eggs seven days a week for breakfast. I need variety, man. Plus, I've always known that cottage cheese is like a perfect protein and it's so good for you and blah blah blah. So I bought myself some cottage cheese and some strawberries and blueberries, and forced myself to eat it. The first few times it did activate my gag reflex about half the time whilst eating it. But I knew it was good for me so I kept at it. And you know what? I kind of, sort of enjoy it now. Only with fruit, gotta have the fruit, but I really don't mind it.
jinxxxygirl said...: I don't think i eat something now that i would have avoided 2 years ago. Its just now i make it a point to eat somethings. Like fruit and veggies . I never would have gone out of my way to 'make sure' i ate some but now i do. And fried foods i never worried about it before now i avoid them like the plague they are.
Stacie said...: The one thing I never used to eat is two-fold: squash and zucchini. I never really knew what to do with it - but there is so much! Now I get it every time I go shopping!
Diane, Fit to the Finish said...: Portion control is such an important part of weight management. One new thing I've learned to like is Greek yogurt. I can't do it plain though.
Josie said...: The one food I had so far that I had never tried before and thought I would absolutely hate is grilled tilapia. I tried it and LOVED it and now I want more of it. There are a lot of foods left that I want to try but was always afraid to...kale, almonds, salmon. I'll face my fears one by one till they're gone.
Leisa said...: I just started my blog http://fifteenfavefoods.wordpress.com to answer that very question. What I would have never eaten before: Broiled broccoli! Now it is one of my 15 favorite foods. If you find just 15 healthy fave foods, weight loss is almost automatic.
HD@Losing Weight-Healthy Heart said...: The one thing I never would have tried is flax seed. Now, I add ground flax to my oatmeal every morning, and I can't live without it!
spunkysuzi said...: I actually eat a lot more veggies now and recently i've been eating them with no dip :) That is huge for me!
Paula Rodriguez said...: I am totally crazy about acorn squash, spaghetti squash and butternut squash... Who knew they were so tasty. Oh, and I'm lovin lentils as well.
Mzchef said...: benefiber powder... great to add to water or yogurt! It fills you up!
Tina said...: I JUST two days ago tried a baked sweet potato. YUM!!! Before this I had only been introduced to them in their slimy can form...BLECH.
Once Upon A Dieter said...: I never used to eat okra, but I discovered they were fabulous sauteed with tomatoes. Also kale. It looked too weird to me. :)
ScrapBook Blessings said...: This is easy for me. Broccoli!!!! I didn't know what I was missing before. I also replaced ground beef with ground turkey. I had to make beef one day for church and my husband wanted to know what that smell was in the house. The grease was just awful, lol.
Georgia Mist said...: Zucchini, Cauliflower, and squash are the veggies I would NEVER have eaten a year ago. Now, I eat them as often as possible. I like to put them in a foil, bake about 15 minutes and serve them over brown rice!
♥ Kenz ♥ said...: I eat so many things now that I wouldn't have eaten before...like...spaghetti squash, baby spinach, eggplant, scallops and fish. I've always known that fish was a good choice, but my answer was "i don't like it." And the same goes for mushrooms for several months ago, I decided I would will myself to like those things...and it totally worked.
Shelley said...: For me, there are two things I would NEVER eat before and turned my nose up at. Spinach and sweet potatoes. Now, I love both...and eat them as often as I can. I add spinach to my daily salad for some variety and some extra iron punch to my diet. And baked sweet potato fries are a great treat. Mmmm....mmmm....good!
wanabskne said...: Growing up my parents never introduced us to any kind of fish dish (not even frozen fish sticks). When I married my husband his family was used to eating fish on a regular basis. As a result of married life and branching out cuisine-wise due to healthy dieting, I have now come to truly enjoy fish. It has become a food that I look forward to eating rather than a food that I am uncertain about. It is now my goal to pass this knowledge and experience on to my parents in hopes that they too will begin to eat healthier meals.

Last Chance to Win a Free set of Measure Up Bowls...

2009-11-15T18:35:00.002-05:00

Tonight I'm going to be choosing a winner in the Free Measure Up contest. To enter, all you have to do is tell me something healthy you eat now that you never ate or never liked before you started on your journey to a healthier you.

Click this link to leave a comment on the post to be entered.

Or tweet about it using the hash tag #measureupgiveaway.

Contest ends tonight at midnight.