Tara's Weight Loss Journey

Easter Homeschooling Freebies!

2010-03-25T20:26:00.000-07:00

My friend Alexis over at Shepherding Kind Hearts posted a great blogs about Freebies that are being offered over at CurrClick. You definitely don't have to be a homeschooling mom to do this :) Go take a look!

Yummy Yummy Pesto

2010-03-25T19:58:00.000-07:00

Tonight I made a REALLY yummy sandwich for dinner & I promised Daniel I would write down what I did. I grilled a 3oz. piece of chicken & heated up one of my 100% whole wheat yummy buns (no sugar of any sort in it)

For my pesto sauce, I used 2T. of the Kraft Reduced Fat Mayo made with olive oil (this is my new mayo & I love the taste of it). Then I took some basil (I bought some frozen already chopped at the health food store. SO convenient to just pop a cube of it out & use it!), squeezed a clove of garlic in there, some fresh ground black pepper & a tiny bit of extra virgin olive oil (I don't have to count the calories of olive oil as long as I don't heat it). Mix that all up, put it on the bun that I toasted, grilled chicken on top with a tiny bit of shredded reduced fat mozzarella cheese & you have an amazing sandwich. Yummy & 345 calories (I ate it with these Green Giant veggies & quinoa)

I keep telling Daniel how good it tastes & he told me I have to stop because it sounds so good :) I promised him & Jared I would make it again this weekend.

I can't believe I am going to do this!

2010-03-21T15:55:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, I took our car to be worked on & noticed a woman's gym next door. I looked it up online when I got home & thought it sounded great but sort of forgot about it. Last Saturday, I met up with the walking group from our church at Lake Miramar. The woman in charge, Lauren, said she worked at Breathe, the gym I had seen. Knowing that, I emailed her a bunch of annoying questions :) Starting Tuesday, I am going to do a 14 day trial to see how much I like Breathe.

The last time I was in a big gym was back after I had Jared. He was probably 2, so 9 years ago. Daniel paid extra for me to have a trainer since I didn't know what the heck to do. They paired me up with this giant, buff, young, handsome guy. I'm sure most women would be thrilled. Me? I was mortified. This guy had to take my measurements in the middle of the gym, all while chatting it up with his weight lifting friends. I remember using one machine & him sitting there talking to a couple friends about going out that weekend. Wow, that didn't make my anxiety go through the roof or anything!

But now, after losing 30 pounds with pretty much just changing the way I eat, I am ready to kick it up a notch. I like that thought of a gym being all women & also knowing someone that is already there is a HUGE plus for me. Since they don't have child care, I will be going at 5:45am (*yawn*) & then hopefully I can go back most nights as well. Weekend mornings I'll go as well. I promised myself that I will go in there with an open mind, knowing that I usually try to find things wrong with a place so I never have to go back :)

The first day, I am going to Lauren's class called RPM. The description is: RPM™ is the indoor cycling workout where you ride to the rhythm of powerful music. Take on the terrain with your inspiring team coach who leads the pack through hills, flats, mountain peaks, time trials, and interval training. Lauren has assured me I won't die & that I can do it. I'm holding her to that :)

But, what do you eat?!?!

2010-03-10T09:16:00.000-08:00

When I first started Prism, I couldn't imagine what in the world I would eat without white flour, sugar AND having to eat 1000-1200 calories a day. I struggled & panicked at first but I think I am doing pretty well with it.

For breakfast, I tend to stick with the same foods. I will take a whole wheat tortilla & fill it with low-fat cheese, hot sauce & 3 egg whites (250 calories). I also make Marlene's "Pancake's", which are 270 calories with my SF syrup. (I'll post the recipe at the bottom of this post). I like these when I need something sweet in the morning. Another thing I will have is a Fage Greek Yogurt with a little stevia & vanilla in it, plus 2 slices of 100% whole wheat toast with fruit spread on it. I'm sort of stuck on these 3 breakfasts right now but it's working for me so I'll keep it for another week or so, alternating them & then look for something else so I don't get too bored.

Lunch was harder before we could have WW bread & tortillas (We can now have 2 slices of 100% whole wheat bread a day & we can also have 2 WW or corn tortillas. We are supposed to have 2 grains a day & no more then 3). One thing I made last week was chicken salad (shredded chicken, reduced fat mayo, apple & raisins.) It was really good but lots of calories (350 calories for 1 small sandwich) so I am trying to figure out a way to keep the taste but lower the calories. I do some leftovers for lunches too. I made healthy tacos last week (extra lean ground turkey with taco seasoning, corn tortillas that I made into "shells" in the over, lettuce, cheese, sour cream & sauce. It was about 350 calories for 2 tacos & 1/2 c FF refried beans). Having that the next day was yummy!

I also grab lunch when I am out & about. I have favorite meals at certain places & I stick to them. I like grilled chicken & green beans at KFC, grilled chicken & pinto beans at El Pollo Loco, a baked potato with reduced fat sour cream & a side salad with Light Ranch at Wendy's, a 1/2 Chicken cobb with 1/2 c vegetable soup at Panera's (My new absolute favorite & at 35o calories total, it is sooooo good!)

Dinners are harder because we have to get Daniel from work at 6pm & if I don't have something already prepared, we end up grabbing fast food a lot. Last night, I made the healthy tacos again. I plan on making Raspberry Balsamic Chicken tonight, probably with a baked sweet potato & fresh green beans. One of our favorite meals is Spaghetti Squash Casserole. It sounds weird at first but it smells just like lasagna as its cooking & is all veggies, minus the cheese on top :) I also like to do lean steaks & veggies, lean pork chops, fish like tilapia or salmon & I've also gotten LF turkey sausages & sauteed those with some Pam & red and green peppers.

I don't snack during the day at all anymore. That's HUGE for me because I used to always be eating. I save enough calories (I like to save about 200) for a snack around 9pm. Nighttime used to always be my heaviest snacking time. Kids were in bed, TV was on & Tara was eating. I give myself those calories so that I don't end up starving then & grabbing cookies or candy. Now, I will eat a Healthy Choice fudge bar (80 calories), a brown rice cake with 1T cream cheese & 1 T fruit spread (about 160 calories depending on what I put on it), sometimes I will have a Fage yogurt or a Cascade Fresh yogurt. The truth is, I don't feel deprived. This has been easier for me then when I did Weight Watchers. I don't know what it is (gotta be God though because how else could I do this???) but the weight is falling off me (28 pounds in 7 weeks) and that is VERY unusual for me.

If you are one of my Prism sisters & ever need help with ANYTHING or if you want anymore info on Prism, please don't hesitate to ask.

Marlene's Pancakes

4 egg whites

1/4 cup low-fat cottage cheese

1/2 cup uncooked rolled oats

cinnamon (I usually use pumpkin pie spice instead)

1/4 tsp.. vanilla approximate

1/4 tsp. almond flavoring approximate (I don't use this)

Blend in blender all the above ingredients. Cook as you would any other pancake in a non-stick pan. I top with 1/4 c. SF syrup that I heat in the microwave. I have heard of other people making it more like a crepe or putting crushed nuts & fruit on top.

Time to Weigh In

2010-03-03T10:10:00.000-08:00

It's been 6 weeks since I started this journey called Prism. I have seen such a change in myself, not just weight loss but healthwise & even the way I view myself. I had had amazing support from my family (Daniel has been so supportive!), my online friends & my Prism support group. I actually got called skinny at the meeting last night. I haven't been called skinny in YEARS (probably around 12-13). I've been the person that has tried Weight Watchers too many times to count & while I lost 25 pounds after having Jared, I thought I could eat whatever I wanted after that & gained it all (and lots more) back. I would go to my weigh-ins & lose 1-2 pounds each week, if that. I was very discouraged when people around me were losing 5-7 pounds each week.

I went into this journey thinking there was NO WAY I, candy every night & soda all the time Tara, could give up sugar & white flour. The flour I was ok with at first but we are able to add in 100%whole wheat bread & let me tell you...my toast this morning tasted AMAZING :)

I am so proud for all my Prism Sisters & am so incredibly appreciative of their support.

Now, on to the weight loss & measurements :) The formatting on here is being a turd so I am only posting the inches I have lost :)

Weight Started at 210.5, Now at 184.3 26.2 lb lost
Neck 1 in
Upper Arm 3/4 in
Forearm 1/2 in
Wrist 0
Finger 0
Bust 4 3/4 in
Chest 1 in
4" above navel 4 in
Waistline 3 in
4 " below navel 2 1/2 in
Hips 3 1/4 in
Upper Thigh 1 3/4 in
Calf 3/4 in
Ankle 0
Arch of foot 1/2 in

I am so shocked at amazed at my numbers. 26.2 pounds lost in 6 weeks (with healthy eating! Go figure lol) 23.75 inches GONE! Why would I eat go back to eating how I used to eat? No thanks!

I promise I will post some "During" pics by the weekend :)

3 weeks

2010-02-09T11:10:00.000-08:00

Today marks the end of week 3 in my Prism journey. The first Phase is 6 weeks so I am halfway done. When I went to that first introductory meeting & heard that I was going to have to give up sugar & flour AND eat 1000-1200 calories a DAY (I honestly used to eat that about 3 times a week for breakfast alone!), well let's just say I wasn't hugely optimistic. However, during that week before going to my first meeting, I figured I had nothing to lose (pun intended). I was unhappy, I was angry at myself for being fat & lazy, I was embarrassed, I was scared. I had done Weight Watchers many times before but I never really learned WHY I ate the way I did or other ways of eating. With WW, I would skip the veggies & good stuff to save up my points for those desserts or candy. But once I started Prism, my body started to change & feel so much better.

I was a "closet eater". I finally admitted that to Daniel the other night & he said he knew but he didn't know all of it. He knew I would go to the drugstore & buy candy and come back & "hide" a pack (or 2) so the kids didn't see it. I didn't like sharing my candy :) But, I did it more then that. If I drove through McD's for sundaes for everyone, I would get 2 for me (I would hide one in the freezer) PLUS I would eat an ice cream cone on the way home. I would go to the frozen yogurt place after the kids were in bed & get the biggest container they had & fill it up with yogurt, sprinkles, candy. A day didn't go by that I didn't have candy.

I have also learned that I CAN do this. 1000-1200 calories/day sounded like nothing when I first heard about it. I have not gone over 1200 in 3 weeks & I feel fine. I take my time eating, I try to fill myself with fruits & veggies. I am constantly looking for new recipes because if I don't have things in mind to cook, I panic. I freeze healthy soups & casseroles so I can have them for lunch. I used to go through a drive thru probably 4 times a week (and that is only weekdays, weekends we went out to eat A LOT). We don't eat out as much because there are so few places that have things I can eat. I am so tired of salads & that's about it for healthy things. I will say that there are things you can eat out & still be healthy though. I had a great veggie plate & some brown rice at Pick Up Stix last week that I would have NEVER gotten before I changed my eating habits (I was an orange chicken & white rice girl).

One thing that I need to work on is soda. Oh, how I wish I was one of those people that hated soda! Obviously I gave up regular soda & for the first week on Prism, I only drank water. Week 2, I started drinking a diet soda here & there. This week, I've had more diet soda then water. That's one of my bad habits sneaking in there again. If soda is not in the house, I drink all my water. If soda is here, I grab for that soda first. So, from this day on, no more soda is coming in the house. I need that water!

I will say that I can see a difference. Daniel says that my face is thinner & my jeans actually fit & some are loose :) Before, I had that dreaded muffin top but I always tried to cover myself in a sweatshirt. I can't wait until I can wear regular clothes & not feel like I have to cover myself with a big, bulky sweatshirt!

I've also been reading a lot of weight loss blogs for the inspiration. If these people can lose 100 pounds, I can lose the 50 I want to lose. I don't even care if it takes me a year...I am not giving up & I am determined to be the healthy, thin me that I know I can be :)

Insert Witty Title Here

2010-01-30T19:48:00.000-08:00

I haven't been updating the last few days but there isn't really any reason why :) I have been doing really well, eating within my calorie limit & doing the Wii Active about every other day. I have noticed I have more energy, I don't have stomach aches like I used to & my pants are looser :)

I am really enjoying the Prism program because I am not only learning how to eat but also looking at why I used to eat so much awful food & also how to not get back into my old habits.

Hardest thing I have done is not eat the chips & salsa that were right in front of me at Chili's today. I used to dive right in & eat plenty, then have my meal & about 4 sodas. So, after having my soup, salad & 1 Diet Coke, I felt great.

Well, enough of the boring, mundane posts :)

One week down....

2010-01-26T13:03:00.000-08:00

At the end of today, it will be one week since I started Prism. I feel really great. After I got my gallbladder out in July 08, I would get really bad stomach aches if I ate things that were too fatty. So, you can imagine with eating 1200 calorie breakfasts how often I had stomach aches. Just about every darn day. I haven't had one all week! I am sure my insides are thanking me :)

Tonight I will go to my Prism meeting & I am hoping that everyone in the group made it over that 4 day hump & is doing well, too. These women seem like they are going to be a lot of support & inspiration.

I started the 30 day challenge on the Wii Active yesterday & was hoping to do that again today but Ryan has decided it's a "No Nap" day so far so I can either do it with him up & he might think it's fun to do with me (or he'll yank on my pants & scream at me the entire time I do it) or see if he goes down soon. The last 2 nights he hasn't been sleeping until 11:30 & then 12:30 and before starting Prism...well, I know I would have eaten a ton of food to try to make the tension go away.

Ok, maybe I will hop off here & have Ryan work out with me. Ought to be interesting :)

Day 5 is over & done!

2010-01-24T23:05:00.000-08:00

Today was Day 5 of using Prism. I felt much better today & I was more prepared with my food. I thought I would post my menu for today. Right now, I am trying out different things to see what I like so some of my foods don't really go together but that's ok :)

Breakfast
3 slices turkey bacon (60 cal.)
1 brown rice cake w/ 1 T cream cheese & 1 T fruit spread (155 cal.)

Lunch
1 cup chili con carne soup (Leftover, I made it the other night, will post recipe soon) (147 cal.)
1/3 c. LF colby cheese (90 cal.)
2 stalks celery with 2 T cream cheese (88 cal.)

Dinner
1 serving Spaghetti Squash Casserole (I left out the parmesan cheese & the olive oil...used Pam spray instead) (188 cal.)

Snack
1 Pear (96 cal.)
1 more rice cake like above (155 calories)
1 FF Cascade Fresh yogurt (110 cal.)

TOTAL: 1089

I feel really good today & very optimistic! I have 4 more helpings of the Chili soup in the freezer for this week & also 4 more servings of the squash casserole :)

P.S. I had a dream last night about Skittles. I just thought that was pretty funny :)

Starting Over...Again

2010-01-23T19:19:00.000-08:00

How many times have I started this blog over? Oh, lets just say lots & lots. I always have good intentions of losing weight & eating right but it never seems to last very long. I have hit my highest weight ever (minus being pregnant with Ryan). I am tired of being fat, tired of eating foods that I think are going to make me happier or less upset, tired of being uncomfortable in my own skin.

On Tues, I attended my first Prism meeting at our church. Prism is a weight loss program but it's a lot more too. The program is broken up into Phases, with the 1st one being 6 weeks. There are about 12 women in the group with me. Each day, I have a little reading to do, some questions (thinking about how I am going to succeed or about my previous eating habits) & a few bible verses. Then I eat between 1000-1200 calories a day. I can have all fruits & veggies (except potatoes, which I can have in a later Phase), all lean meats, I can have oatmeal, high grain cereals, brown rice, brown rice cakes and all dairy, but they suggest low fat or non-fat.

The cravings on Day 2 & 3 were BAD. I had migraines from the lack of caffeine & sugar. I was so used to having several large sodas a day. Tonight, I figured out that in the week before I started this, there were about 3 mornings that I drove through McDonald's & got a breakfast over 1200 calories. JUST FOR BREAKFAST! What in the world was I thinking? Why did I think that was ok to do to my body?

Something unique, at least in my opinion, about Prism is I'm not supposed to weigh myself for the whole 1st Phase. So, 6 weeks of no weighing myself. It sounds hard but I think I am ok with that. In the past when I have tried losing weight, I have lost weight very slowly & would always get discouraged. I am hoping that by waiting the 6 weeks, I will see a big change :) I am also hoping that by cutting sugar/sugar substitutes & flour out of my diet, something I have never done before, that I will feel so much better & lose the weight to be a healthy person for once & all!

I have decided I will post my starting measurements & weight. Here comes the hard part:
Starting Weight: 210
Neck 15 1/4 in
Upper Arm 14 3/4 in
Forearm 9 1/2 in
Wrist 6 1/2 in
Finger 63 mm
Bust 46 in
Chest 42 in
Area Above Waist 41 in
Waistline 45 in
Abdomen 45 3/4in
Hips 45 1/2 in
Upper Thigh 25 3/4 in
Calf 15 3/4 in
Ankle 8 1/4 in
Width of Foot 3 in