Homecoming

Homecoming

Once a year my brother returns to Central PA with his

family and a group friends from Central Florida. For the past five years the sound of an air pump, pumping up air mattresses has been the official start to homecoming weekend at our home. After everyone is settled in and has a place to call home for the weekend the fun begins.

Starting off with my parents annual garage party Friday evening. Then Saturday we had an early morning wake up to finish preparing food for the tailgate and the quick trip to the Beaver stadium. Once we reach the stadium and set up our tailgate it was not uncommon to hear

WE ARE...PENN STATE chiming through the air.

This year I was not feeling the best and not wanting to let Mo

down by going home to watch the game after tailgating

I added more layers and we made our way to our seats.

Sitting there amongst 100,000+ people I fellasleep by the second quarter of the game. After, I was jolted awake by a gust of wind we enjoyed the halftime show and the remainder of the game on the edge of our seats cheering

The PSU NITTANY LIONS

on to a victory.

As quick as everyone came they start leaving on Sunday to return home and back to their normal lives. Then enters Cheenee who searches for everyone going from room to room with that sad puppy dog look of

Where did everyone go?

With the excitement of the weekend behind us we start looking forward to next year and seeing everyone again.

My weight loss journey definitely hit a mountain the past couple of weeks with preparing for our company and not feeling well. I did not go to Weight Watchers or exercise as much as I would have liked. I have no result for on my journey this week but I plan on getting back on track and look forward to reporting my results on my next post.

Until next week....

Hidden Treasures

Hidden Treasures

On a typical Sunday morning I find myself getting out of bed 2 hours earlier than Mo. Why, to drive to the neighborhood convenient store and buy the Sunday paper. The extra bonus is I also use this little trip to give another love in my life a car ride.

It's not like I really read the paper well maybe the comics and my horoscope, but when I return home I find myself going through all the pages with gusto just looking for hidden treasures. What are these treasures you might ask, well to most people they are known as coupons. When the smell of fresh brewed coffee finally does it's job waking up Mo he comes to greet me and the mess I created while cutting out and sorting my coupons. At this time he doesn't really say anything but I know he's probably thinking is this really worth your time. I then start going through the store flyer's to see if I can match the coupons to anything the store may have on sale and I start my shopping list.

When I return home from my trip to the grocery store Mo is always there to help me carry everything into the house. He never asks how much did you spend, but he does ask "How much did you save?" This is when I proudly tell him how much the bill was before the coupons and then what I paid. I always get a "Good job Honey." from him at this point. I am not what you would call an extreme couponer but I will say I have been able to cut my shopping bills in half.

Here is a good resource site for more information on couponing:

http://thecoupondiva.com/home/

Stumbling through yet another week of this journey is what you might say I have done this past week. I have been getting discouraged because I see how far I have yet to go to reach 180 lbs. I need to start focusing on smaller goals and not let the little weight losses of lately get me down. At least it's going down and I'm not gaining should be on the forefront of my mind but at this time it's not. So for all of you out there reading this some words of encouragement are greatly needed.

I will be unable to attend a Weight Watchers meeting this week due to being extra busy. So my results will remain the same for this week however, I do plan on starting the C25K plan on Wednesday morning again.

Till next week...

Emotional Eating

Emotional Eating

Depression, boredom & stress are just some of the emotions that have triggered me to eat unnecessarily. I have been blaming my extra pounds on how I have been treated by others and how stressful life is at certain times. The realization is that I have turned to food for comfort and this comfort is only temporary. Making me feel good for about five minutes then badly after I realize what I have done to myself.

This week I have had a break through with emotional eating and I am proud of myself for not turning to food. Without going into details, being in an interracial marriage has many challenges and many of my challenges are not with my husband but with his family. I have recently discovered another blog that really hits home. Mo was reading it last night and got freaked out with how similar our lives are.

Check it out:

http://bigbadblondebahu.blogspot.com

I started the week planning to gain a little. Discouraged with the .5 & .6 weight losses and thinking maybe I could trick my body to lose with gusto again. I began eating from the basket of chocolate at the office, ice cream sundaes, pizza, tacos, & french fries the basic what not to eats when trying to lose weight. See below for how this worked out for me.

It is finally official canning season is over for me. I finished with the BBQ sauce I mentioned last week. When I got to the point of adding the spicy heat in I called Mo up to the kitchen and he worked his magic. With the end resulting in a slightly sweet & hot smokey flavored sauce making both of us very happy that we took the time to make our own.

Exercise was on my mind and I did manage to walk on the treadmill 3 out of the 7 days last week. My back is feeling much better now and I did try to run some yesterday but there is still a twinge that hurts more when I run. This leads me to believe I need one more week of walking but I am going to increase my time. It has been hard pulling myself out of bed at 6am since it is now dark at that time and there are no birds singing outside my bedroom window to make me want to get up and go. I will have to work on rearranging my schedule to get my exercise time in but it will happen.

Here is the latest results:

Weight: 271.6

BMI: 42.5

C25K: On hold yet another week.

91.6 lbs until the adoption process begins.

Until next week...

First Sign of Success

First Sign of Success

I have found myself packing up summer clothes and pulling out my fall and winter clothes. You might say I was pleasantly surprised when I tried on my work pants that were stored away for the summer. They are no longer tight and a little on the loose side. On that same note Mo & I went to a wedding on Saturday and while looking for something to wear I pulled a dress out of the closet that I bought a size smaller and basically forgot about it well now it fits. Then another ah ha moment hit me on this weight lose journey, all my hard work is working. Which leads me into my next problem do I pack up my summer clothes or donate the now? I'm leaning towards packing them up, so I can see how far I've come in the spring.

Realizing how good exercise makes me feel I so wanted to get on my treadmill more that once last week. When I could not even carry a laundry basket down 10 steps without saying ouch, ouch, ouch... I know I made the right decision in taking the week off. With the help from my chiropractor and ice pack I now feel that I'm ready to get back on the treadmill and start with a slow walk for a week. Then if all goes well get back to the C25K plan.

Canning season will soon be coming to an end for me, however I still have a box of tomatoes and I am planning on making BBQ sauce with them. Here is a link to the recipe I will be using.

http://www.freshpreserving.com/recipe.aspx?r=138

I can't wait to try it and I will be sure to let you know what Mo & I think of it.

Here are my latest results.

Weight: 272.4

BMI: 42.7

92.4 lbs until adoption process begins

C25K: Plan on hold for another week due to previous back injury, But easing my way back into it by starting to walk on the treadmill.

Till next week...

Rest

Rest

This past weekend Mo and I helped my brother-in-law and his wife move into their new home. The first thing I did when we returned home from helping out was take a two hour nap after waking up I went directly to bed. I now realize since the weight is coming off I have been more active and it is okay to take a day off to rest.

I need to take it easy this coming week because I managed to hurt my back not from helping out with the move but from rushing around the house and not paying attention to what I'm doing. For the coming week I will not be doing the C25K plan. I will be strictly sticking with my points plus target to aid in my weight loss.

Once again planning ahead came to my rescue in this weight loss journey. I packed my salads and snacks for the days I would not be home while helping with the move. This also allowed me to enjoy a nice dinner with everyone without going over my points target.

Here are the latest results:
Weight: 273.0
BMI: 42.8
93lbs until adoption process begins
C25K: on hold

My lesson for the week was it is okay to rest every now and then.

Till next week...

Preparing for Winter

Preparing for Winter

Just like the squirrels hunting for nuts to put away for the winter. I too have been preparing for the long winter ahead by canning and freezing. Corn, tomatoes, green beans, peaches, eggplant, relishes, jelly & grape juice are just some of the summers bounty that I tuck away in my freezer and pantry. Canning & freezing not only helps keep down the cost of food in the winter months, but I also know what is in these foods. There is no sound more gratifying then the pop that a seal makes or nothing more frustrating than trying to stuff a full quart bag into the 1 inch square space left in the freezer after spending hours in the kitchen. However, in the end it is worth all my time and effort when we sit down to eat home made tomato soup, or enjoy a good ole peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

Since I have been up to my elbow in tomatoes lately Mo and I have enjoyed a BLT or two in the past week.

Here is my twist to this classic Sandwich:
* 2 Slices of bread (toasted)
* 1 Oz. Chevre goat cheese (I buy a herbed garlic at a local farmers market)
* 3 Slices Morningstar Farms veggie bacon strips
* 2 Thick cut slices of tomato
* 1/2 C. Spring salad mix
* 1 T. Hellmann's light mayo
* Salt & Pepper to taste




Work from bottom to top, on one slice of toast spread the Chevre then add the warm bacon, tomato, salt and pepper to taste, spring mix, then on the remaining slice of toast spread the lite mayo and top to complete this yummy BLT. We have been enjoying our BLT with a fresh ear of corn.

Yesterday I started week 1 of the Couch to 5K plan (C25K). I want to do the plan as intended however with the extent of my workouts lately week 1 is a piece "o" cake for me. I will be doing the following: M.W.F. running (C25K plan) & T.T.S.S. walking. Watch for my progress with my weekly results.

Here are the latest results.
Weight: 274.8
BMI: 43
94.8 lbs until adoption process begins.
C25K: Week 1 in progress

It was a great week for me on this journey now all I have to do is repeat, repeat, & repeat again.

Till next week...

Celebrating Too Much

Celebrating Too Much

With the satisfaction of completing my 30 Day challenge I decided to reward myself with a glass of wine. Then the next day I didn't exercise and things just kept going downward from there for the rest of the week. Then yesterday Mo asked me if I had been exercising. I was honest and said "NO, that I haven't had enough of time". Then he gently reminded me of what my goal was and how much we both want it.

This morning I got back on the treadmill and while on it I came up with a new challenge. I want to be able to run in 5K's next year. So the Couch to 5K program is my next challenge. Here is a link: http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml to the program I will be using. I will keep you informed on how I'm doing with this challenge as I go along so watch for my progress.

I have never been so happy that my weigh in day is monday. Weight Watchers was closed this monday because of Labor Day so my results for the week will remain the same as last week. I did however try to weigh in this morning on my way to work and the Weight Watchers center was not open at that time. I am not going to avoid the scale this week. I will go in and face the results of my celebrating however it will be after I have published this post for the week.

The lesson I have learned this week is not to celebrate with food. I will have to come up with a different way to celebrate my successes.

Till next week.