Booby traps

Hey all!  So, I have let a week go by now without a significant post.  Oops!  Last week was a busy week. Last week was scattered with all kinds of food booby traps.  Last week was, well, let's just say it's in the past. 

Here's a brief rundown of the food minefield that I went through.  Ouch!  I stepped on a lot of booby traps! 

Wednesday was an appreciation snack a thon for our worship pastor at choir practice.  I took healthy snacks of sliced peppers and celery with hummus.  I had the healthy stuff but, I also had a brownie.

Friday was our ladies prom at church.  I did good and ate before I went.  At prom, I made some bad choices involving cupcakes and cream puffs.  Prom was so much fun!! 
Girls just wanna have fun...That's all they really want...ohhhhh... 
Yes, my friends N, A, and I all rocked on the karaoke and J was a great backup dancer.  I definitely got a great workout at prom from all of that dancing!!  After prom, I was like a high school girl looking for a prom night romance.  I made REALLY bad decisions.  I may or may not have gotten myself involved in a one night stand with bacon cheeseburger sliders and french fries and chocolate lava cake.
*hangs head in shame* 

Saturday was my family's bonfire, chili cookoff, fall fun extravaganza.  I was competing in the cookoff so, I made my chili close to the way I usually do.  It is high in fat and sugar.  But I know it tastes good that way and I wanted to win.  I won. :o)  My sweet momma got trophies and a certificate for all of the participants but, the concensus said, I win. ;o)  I may have won the cookoff, but I did not win in my decisions on eating.  I had chili and crackers and cupcakes. 
chili and crackers and cupcakes, oh my! chili and crackers and cupcakes, oh my! 
Wait, it's supposed to be lions and tigers and bears isn't it.  Oh well.  Chili, crackers, and cupcakes can be just as dangerous.

Sunday was no breakfast cause I slept until 11:30a. (We got home at around 2:30a)  I don't remember lunch but, dinner was leftover chili.

Yesterday was weigh in day as you may have noticed.  I lost 2 lbs.  That's fantastic that I still lost after eating junk!!  I guess a couple meals of bad choices is better than bad choices every day.  I just wonder how much I would have lost had I not given in to the temptations before me.

This week starts week 3 for me and week 2 for Josh.  I decided that I am going to try to stick with South Beach phase 1 for the rest of this week and maybe the next.  Then I will transition to phase 2.  I just don't think I am quite ready to add back any carbs, whole wheat or not, and keep my will power.  I will phase them back soon.  I think I may start phasing in fruit again next week.

Like I've said before, this is a journey, not a quick hike.  I will keep going toward my goal despite setbacks.  I'm not going to beat myself up over last week.  The past is just that.  It's the past.  All I can do is keep moving toward a healthier future.

Is that all?

Hey friends!  Just wanted to check in with you and let you know that I have not forgotten about you!  I will be back tomorrow with a nice long blog to entertain and inspire the masses. :o)

I wanted to hop on here and let you know that today was weigh in day!  I lost 2 lbs.  Good, but not great.  I'll share why tomorrow. 

Geezy Doodles

Oh geezy doodles I'm tired!  (I don't know why I put it that way.  I think I just coined a new Brandyism.)

My weekend food choices were pretty good with a little really bad thrown in the mix. :o)  Here's a quick rundown:

Thursday-
had the usual breakfast
lunch at Qdoba with the S2J girls.  I did good and had a salad with black beans, salsa roja, and chicken
I don't remember dinner but I think I fixed some chicken and veggies.  I know it was healthy because I would remember it if it was bad.

  ...I am slowly going crazy, one, two three, four, five, six, switch.....

Friday-
the usual breakfast
lunch at McDs with my baby boy.  I had the Southwest Chicken salad.  It has corn and tortilla strips on it (probably equivalent to 2 tortilla chips) so, slightly not SoBeach approved but still healthy and very good!

Friday night dinner is where it starts to fall apart for the weekend. 

We went to our church's fall festival and they were serving fried chicken, rolls, potato salad, candy apples, and Twinkies.  They also had funnel cakes for sale.  I successfully avoided all but 1/4th of a twinkie.  I was really drooling over the funnel cakes though! When we left, we went to a new chinese place close to church and I had Kung Pao chicken with no carrots.  It was not white meat chicken but still, a better choice than fried chicken.  I avoided the rice and egg rolls which is a huge accomplishment for me.

Bad food total for the weekend: 1/4 a twinkie.

Saturday-
 I had the usual breakfast and then went to get some awesome deals at Baby Mania. I brought pistachios as a snack because I knew I would want one after all of that intense deal finding.
After I got home, I rushed around a bit and had to head out to a baby shower about 1 hour away.  There really was nothing in the house that I could eat in a hurry and I didn't have any time so, I would just have to stop for lunch on the way.  I made a good choice and avoided the drive thrus.  I got a fresh salad with chicken from QT and a bag of cashews and I ate the salad piece by piece like finger food while I drove.  Thankfully, I like dry salad ingredients.  I went to the baby shower prepared to avoid the food and cake.  I took a SF pudding with me (I did not eat it).  I managed to avoid the pasta and other unapproved foods on the buffet because I was full.  Thank you QT for carrying good salads.  I was all geared up to avoid the cake.  But they had sugar free cupcakes.  Hmmm...my brain reasoned...it has flour but, it doesn't have sugar...it's not near as bad as the regular cupcakes....you can have one.  Enter my well meaning mother who did not know what was going on in my head.  "Sugar free is not as bad as the regular ones.  I don't think it will hurt to have one of those."  Yes!  I'm sold!  I'll have a sugar free cupcake please.  Mmmm...that tasted good...oh, wait..excuse me...I need to go use that restroom.  Yes, apparently my body decided to reject the cupcake.  I think my body was insulted that I would have a cupcake but not give it the real thing.  Yeah, that's it.
Dinner was chicken and black beans that my dear sweet hubby fixed while I had a complete bratty fit over nothing.  My dear sweet hubby.  Oh how I love him! I have now been visited by the lady fairy and am craving pizza. 

.....Crazy going slowly am I, six, five, four, three, two, one, switch...

I give in to temptation and eat one of the cupcakes I brought home for Josh and Levi.  It really was too sweet after two bites and made me wanna barf. :o(

Bad food count for the weekend: 1/4 twinkie, SF cupcake, regular cupcake.

Sunday-
I overslept and didn't have time for breakfast.  This is the first day I have missed breakfast.
So hungry...drank some coffee and chewed gum to tamp down cravings.  Thankfully, I sat in first service so, I had no excuse to go to the breakfast room after choir.
Lunch- I picked up lunch for us on the way home from church because we were in a hurry.  I had a Southwest Chicken Salad from McDs and a cup of chili from Steak n Shake.  Normally, it would have just been the salad but, I was really hungry since I missed breakfast.
Dinner-We were going to go to O'Charley's in Fenton but, we got some horrible service and that didn't work out.  Ended up at Qdoba.  I'm weak.  I could not stomach one more salad!!  I had the queso burrito.  Yes, it had queso cheese, white rice, and a flour tortilla.  It was tasty too.  Oh lady fairy, why do you have to jack around with my appetite?!!  After my carb a thon at Qdoba I was having mad cravings for ice cream.  I came home and had SF pudding with peanuts.  Before bed, I found a chocolate bar from the baby shower in my purse (I don't know why I even brought it home!).  I ate it.  ....bad to the bone...bbbbbbad...bbbbbad..

Bad food count for the weekend: 1/4 a twinkie, SF cupcake, regular cupcake, queso burrito, chocolate bar.

Thankfully, today is a whole new day!
 .....This is a new day, and I have a new life.  I'm walking in freedom, from the inside.  It's my beginning, a brand new way of living.  I'm heading the right way.  Because of You I say, this is a new day....
Today was WEIGH IN DAY!!  I got on the scale this morning and....drum roll please....I lost 6 lbs!!!! Yay!!  Maybe I can do this thing! :o)  Despite a few bad choices last week, I feel like I did well overall.  The amount of bad stuff I ate for the whole week, before I would sometimes eat in just one day.
Today's choices were good ones.
Breakfast was the usual
Lunch was some yummy lentil soup by Progresso
snacks were pistachios and peanut butter
Dinner- I made Thai spiced pork tenderloin and baked eggplant, asparagus, and bell peppers.  It was yummy and I discovered that I like asparagus.  Eggplant is still gross.
Dessert- SF choc. pudding and peanuts.

Oh, one more thing before I go.  My handsome hubby has decided he wants to do South Beach with me.  He started his phase one today.

Now, I'm so tired, I'm about to passsssssssssssssssssssssss....sorry, dozed off...about to pass out.  Good night and veggie dreams to you all.

First off, I'd like to thank the academy

Wow.  I am floored by the support I have gotten from friends and family in the past 3 days!  Seriously, I am feeling really blessed tonight to have such great people in my life.  It really is such a help through the day and cravings to know that someone cares enough to see me succeed.

Awe, I'm getting all mushy. I better stop or I'll start craving a cupcake. ;o) (Any kind of emotion usually sends me to carbs, that's a whole other blog.)

I'm really inspired by rock stars I know like J, D, K, and J.  These are ladies who know how to stick it out for the long term.  I want to be like them when I grow up.  It makes me want to sing...did you ever know that you're my hero....and everything I would like to be...okay, I'll stop....I can fly higher than an eagle...no, really, I'm done...cause you are the wind beneath my wings.
Okay, it's out of my system.

Today, day three, went well.  Breakfast was eggs and turkey bacon (I'm totally starting to dig eating breakfast!). Lunch was a turkey roll up, cucumbers, grape tomatoes, and a dab of SF/FF honey mustard(It is also gluten free, cholesterol free and something else free.  It would only be better if it was cha-ching$ free!) Snacks were peanuts and a dab of pb. Dinner was a yummy stew/soup I made of lean beef, fire roasted tomatoes, mushrooms, black beans, green beans, and peas.  It was delicious.  I did have a 2 in. square of Levi's whole wheat tortilla "pizza". But, it was all healthy stuff and teeny so, I'm good.

I'm finding this a bit easier so far than I expected.  I have had some cravings but, they have not been out of control. Maybe it is because I have not ventured out of the house much in the past 3 days.  Tomorrow will be a test.  Levi and I have our Secret 2 Joy play date/study and we usually all go to McDs after.  I want a salad. I want a salad.  Sorry, I was practicing convincing myself.  The funny thing is, I think I really do want a salad.

I was telling a friend Monday night that my motivation behind this is different this time.  I think that is going to be the difference that keeps me going.  I will share that motivation with you soon.  It may even be my next post.  We'll see.

Until then, you will just have to wait with anticipa....

Holla' if you're hollow

So, let me share with you a little more detail about what I'm doing right now.  I have decided...to follow Jesus, I have decided to foll....oh wait...sorry, I broke into song...anywho, I have decided to do a 2 week detox of sorts to begin my new lifestyle.  I am following phase 1 of the South Beach Diet.

I know. I know.  "Diets don't work" blah blah.  Well, I'm not really dieting as much as trying to change my habits.

Here's the thing.  I have a serious addiction to all things sugary.  It's bad.  I sorta need to go to sugar rehab.  Just call me...angel in the morning...no, don't call me that, just call me a sugarholic.  Our would it be sugaric?  Sugarolic? I digress.

The first two weeks of South Beach encourages lean meats and fish, eggs, low fat milk, most veggies, legumes, and nuts.  You are not allowed any breads, pasta, potatoes, rice, fruits or anything sugary.  I need that.  I need to be away from the deliciousness of cake and cookies, oh and cream horns, oooooh and cina...wait, I started fantasizing a bit there.

After this two weeks, some things can be added back in. Like fruit and the occasional whole grain pasta.  I think when my two weeks are over, I will be doing a modified version.  A cross between the south beach guidelines and weight watchers that I think will really work for me.

So, here's the scoop.  As I write this, I am at the end of day two.  Day one went relatively easy.  Despite the fact that the majority of the groceries in my house were not approved foods, I feel good about how I did.  Breakfast was a couple of scrambled (microwaved in a cup) eggs with chili powder. Yum.  I had to wait kinda late to eat them though cause eggs usually make me sick if I eat them too soon after getting up.  For lunch I had a cabbage salad and a grilled chicken breast.  For dinner, Josh wanted to go out.  WHAT?! PUMP YOUR BRAKES HUSBAND! This is my FIRST day on this thing!!  I wanted to face my fears though so, out we went.  I ended up having Steak n Shake chili (not too bad) with NO crackers and onions and lf cheese and a side salad with balsamic vinaigrette.  I was also having mad carb cravings by dinner.  When they brought out Levi's grilled cheese, it literally winked at me.  And I do not like to be hit on by grilled cheese.  So, I had to put it in it's place and eat a corner. ;o)  I don't feel guilty about it though.  1/16 of a grilled cheese sandwich with no other carbs the rest of the day. Holla!

So, now I sit typing at the end of day two.  Oh day two why must we be enemies.  I have done pretty well today.  I am going to bed feeling good about today's choices.  I have not strayed from my approved foods at all.  However, I HAVE BEEN HOLLOW TONIGHT!!  This morning started out great.  Breakfast was an egg and 2 slices turkey bacon (really yummy).  Lunch was a giant cucumber sliced like chips and a turkey, mayo, alfalfa sprout roll up.  Dinner is where it started.  I had this organic split pea soup which was one of the only soups I could find that didn't include sugar, carrots, potatoes, or pasta.  I added raw onion to it for some crunch since I can't have crackers.  They are a formidable replacement.  The soup was mediocre and didn't really satisfy.  That's when it hit me.  You have peanut butter and bread.  That soup would have been so much better with a pb and syrup sandwich.  Oh, now I want waffles and toast and doughnuts.  My brain went on a total carb meltdown!  By now I've convinced myself that I'm still hungry so, I have a turkey/sprout roll up.  I need sugar.  I'm proud of myself.  I made SF/FF cheesecake flavored pudding and topped it with sunflower seeds to replicate crust.  It was yummy and hit the sugar spot.  But, I still feel hungry!  I know I'm not really hungry and it is all in my head but,
holla!  Today, I'm hollow.

The fat lady is singing

So, here I am.  I am the proverbial singing fat lady.  All of you people who have said, "I'll ________ when the fat lady sings," well, your luck has run out.  Get to it. :o)

Seriously though..

I'm starting a journey.  One that I've started many times before and well, let's just say, I got lost.  Alot.  

The thing about that is, when you are on a journey and get lost you have a choice.  You can stay lost in the woods, curl up in the fetal position, and cry until you are too tired to feel sorry for yourself anymore or you can lace up your boots, start walking, and find your way back.

I've been curled up and crying for too long.  It's time to pull up the big girl panties, put on my really sexy heels and march my way to victory.

It's time to lose this weight.  It's time to get healthy.  It's time to learn confidence and embrace the gifts God has given me.  It's time.

I will probably lose my way a few times, but that's okay.  I'm not going to curl up and cry about it.  I'm going to keep walking. 

I'm determined to succeed.

I'm sharing this because this is my battle cry.  I need a battle cry.  I can't fight this silently.  I've tried.  So, I'm shouting in declaration, though the battle may rage on for some time, I will win.  I will not be defeated.

I'm embracing the truth.  The truth is, I can succeed.  I will succeed.

So, my song for today is taken straight from our worship service this morning at church.

"God has a plan.  It's not to harm me, but it's to prosper me and to hear me when I call.  He intercedes for me, working all things for my good.  Though trials may come, I have this hope."

I have this hope.