The Adventure's of Seals

New Website!!! Check it Out!

2011-06-15T13:47:00.001-07:00

Hey all! Just letting you know that my blog address is changing. I am going to be starting a weightloss blog fresh with a new address it is www.shrinkingcarriewww.blogspot.com. I will be updating this blog daily with my weightloss and daily happenings. I hope you all will follow and support me on my way to becoming a healthier person! First post should show on June 16th! I am so excited!

Pete and Repeat.....

2011-05-25T13:55:00.001-07:00

Raise your hand if you have seen Dustin wear this shirt.....

Now raise your other hand if you've seen Dustin wear this shirt more than twice.....
Now raise your left foot if you've seen Dustin wear this shirt more than 5 times......
I'd ask for the left foot if I didn't know you would all fall over.

Meet Dustin's favorite green shirt, if you haven't met it already. My number one job as a housewife is to make sure this green shirt is clean for the first Monday that Dustin has off every other week. I'm not kidding. I didn't see this as too much of a problem until I started looking through some old pictures and noticed how many times I spotted Dustin in this shirt.

Dustin at Christmas (looking thoroughly amused I might add):

Dustin hanging with Hanna:

Dustin and his new four wheeler (that we bought on a Monday and for those of you that know that we are poor, rest assured that we got a deal of a lifetime on this thing and so we couldn't pass it up, and yes we are still poor):

He loves this shirt so much that by day 3 of his 7 days off that he has every other week, I have to hide the shirt so he won't wear it until it is clean again. His excuse for wearing it more than once is that "nobody saw me in it, I can wear it again!". After going through my pictures, EVERYONE has seen you in it my love, and maybe we should have forgone the 4 wheeler and bought you some new shirts. Just a thought.

Pretty Puree's for Tummy Troubles!

2011-05-16T08:38:00.000-07:00

Some of you might know that I have had a frustrating couple of months with my baby girl and her sensitive stomach. Here's a little background: Around the middle of March, I had to stop nursing because my milk was drying up and I felt like Hanna wasn't getting the nutrition that she was needing, so I started her on formula. I was very frustrated when I quit nursing, and sad. I had done everything that I could do to keep my milk supply up. I was eating over 3000 calories a day, drinking 100 oz's of water, drinking mother's milk tea, and taking the supplement Fenugreek. After gaining about 10 pounds from having to eat so much I decided that the best thing to do for both me and Hanna was to stop nursing. This, for some reason, was a really hard decision. I have loved my nursing period and now it's like Hanna is gaining a little independence and getting older. I'm not going to lie, I cried a little.
When I went to the Dr. she told me to start solids in April. So I did some research to try and get a plan in action for how I was going to do this. I could not find any kind of timeline for how much to give her or how many times a day to start with. I knew her little digestive system was new and so you have to introduce them slowly. I didn't know what slowly meant and so I just went for it. After a couple of weeks, I had a baby that wouldn't sleep at night, and was crying a lot because her little tummy hurt. So of course, I sought the advice of my friends on facebook and besides a good cereal that was recommended, I was also recommended a book call "Cooking for Baby". It has a healthy way to introduce fruits, vegetables, and other foods into your babies diet without upsetting their stomach ages 6 months-18 months.

I had a super fun weekend making baby food. So far, Hanna has tried the Butternut Squash, Pears, and Zucchini. She has slept better the last few nights and I am hoping that this will be trending.

Here are some pretty pictures of the colorful puree's:

The before pic's of pretty pears, and apples.

Pears getting ready to be steamed.

Finished product for apples, and pears. The picture doesn't do it justice. The colors were so beautiful! And because of my blending beast the Vitamix, I didn't have to remove the skins so there is that much more nutrition in these baby foods.

Butternut Squash. If you don't have one of these 3 cup Cuisinart food processor's you should totally get one! I probably use it 4 times a week at least! Best $40 I've ever spent!

Finished product for butternut squash, sweet potatoes, zucchini, and sweet peas. So beautiful!

For any of you who might be impressed by this feet, don't be. You to could make baby food for your little one. It took me one day and I have enough food for probably two months! Next time I will calculate how much money I am saving by making it myself. Also, once you have frozen the food into little baggies, it stays good for up to 3 months and is still healthier for your baby than bottled baby food!

A little SPRING in my step!

2011-05-01T09:33:00.000-07:00

I love this time of year, and I can't believe it's already May! My goal this year was to get in at least 1 post per month to update what is going on in the Seals household. This month has been filled with traveling, trying to revive dead grass, and a lot of firsts for our little Hanna Bear!

At the beginning of this month Hanna, Dustin and I got to go to Utah to visit Gramma for the first time since Christmas! Hanna had so much fun spending time with Gramma and Dustin and I got a few precious moments to ourselves (thanks mom!). We got to go to a Jazz game and rode on Trax for the first time (I know that is lame, but we had fun!). We also got to visit Dustin's long time friends Jared and Jill Bumgardner, and I got to see Dustin act giddy as a school girl while him and Jared hugged a jumped around (it's been about 4 years since we've seen them). We got to chill at Grandpa Johnson's house, and have some fun talk time with the fam. Did I mention I forgot to bring my camera, so I didn't get to capture any of these precious moments :( On our way home we got to stop for the day at Grandma and Grandpa Beighley's to spend time with Dustin's family and try to prepare a little for Easter. What a fun and crazy home that is!

We came home from Utah and it was back to the daily grind, and dead grass. We haven't really spent a whole lot of time on our yard since we moved to this house and it shows. Growing up in a home where the yard won the beautification award twice, my dad would be so ashamed of the yard right now! Also, I now have a fear of mowing the lawn because my dad was so particular, I thought there has to be something really crazy about the lawn. Come to find that my dad really enjoyed mowing the lawn unlike most people who think its a chore. Haha! So this is the "to do" for the next summer is to try and make something out of this yard we have. Right now we are searching for some trees so that our poor western exposed lawn can get some much needed shade. Also, we need to find some bushes or flowers to plant in our "flower bed" that won't die in the sun. I will post pictures and keep this updated, maybe that will force me to make it beautiful!

Here is how nasty it looks right now:

On the Hanna front, she is growing like crazy and it seems that she is learning new things everyday! She just started eating solids and so far she really likes carrots, apples, pears, and apple flavored rice cereal. She has gained 2 pounds since March and she is finally starting to get a healthy appetite. We were starting to wonder who her "real" parents were. She rolls everywhere and is sitting up really well. She also babbles like crazy and has the funniest scream. Funny thing: out of the blue she started taking a pacifier....weird? But it has been a life saver come nap time and bed time. She is finally taking 1-2 hour naps, thank goodness! She'll even cuddle with me a little now that she has a pacifier, and she fell asleep in church which NEVER happens. She is definitely her daddy's girl, she can't sit still just like Dustin.

Here is Hanna rolling over in her crib, I thought it was funny and cute!

Hanna after a jar of sweet potatoes. I think I need to get a little better with the delivery of food!

Hanna also had her very first Easter. How fun it was to find a cute little dress to dress her up with! I even made a bow to go in her hair. Hopefully, the first little craft that will lead to many more!

My adorable little Hanna bear:

Here's a close-up of the bow:

And lastly for the month of April, we just got in on Bountiful Basket's. Which thanks to my friend Vanessa, now comes to Grand Junction. I just got my first haul of fruits and Vegetables yesterday and they were so pretty I had to take a picture.

Hopefully May will be just as eventful in the best way!

Little Blessings!

2011-03-22T07:48:00.000-07:00

On March 13th Dustin and I got to participate in Lynxx Lien's Baptism. Lynxx was in our primary class last year and was one of our favorite kids. He is smart as a whip and cute to boot! Dustin was honored in being able to perform Lynxx's baptism, and I also got to speak on the topic. Primary has been such a special calling for Dustin and I. We have gotten to know so many wonderful people by being able to teach their kids or serve in the primary with the amazing presidency, other teachers, and music leaders. I've made so many friends and I am sad that my calling has come to an end. I can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for Dustin and I next!

Awesome Pancakes!

2011-03-04T06:47:00.000-08:00

Since I've been home, I've made an effort in trying to make more recipe's that are healthier, but delicious. I have become a huge fan of Jessica Seinfeld's blog "Do it Delicious". She has yummy recipes that are healthy and satisfying. Some of them are exceptionally good and a little more complicated to make. So when I make one of these recipes i have to brag a little about how fantastic they turned out. For anyone who wants an amazing pancake recipe try the following:

Julian’s Pancakes
Makes 16 pancakes

Dry Ingredients
1 cup whole raw almonds
1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats (not instant)
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all purpose flour
2 tablespoons ground flax meal
2 teaspoons Chia seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

Wet Ingredients
2 whole eggs
2 egg whites
1 cup 2% milk
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla

Blend almonds and oats in the food processor until fine. Add in flours, flax meal, chia seeds, baking powder and soda, and salt and pulse until mixed. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine eggs, egg whites, milk, ricotta, maple syrup and vanilla. Using a whisk or rubber spatula, add in dry ingredients and combine until mixed.

Using a large skillet, heat on medium-high. Add cooking spray or butter and measure 1/4 cup per pancake. Let cook 1-2 minutes per side, depending on how well-done you like your pancakes. Top with real Vermont maple syrup and fresh berries.

Also, check out her site! A link is on the sidebar!

What Happened to February?

2011-03-01T15:56:00.000-08:00

Man, this stay-at-home-mom business makes the days melt into each other. I Love every second of it, as Dustin says I am "Living the Life".
This last month seems like everyday was filled with one thing.......naps, or lack of naps to be precise. I have been reading a book called "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" ever since Hanna was born. I myself, am a very scheduled person and so I have been determined to get Hanna on some sort of schedule so that I can stay sane. She, on the other hand, has a different agenda. She loves to be awake even if that means crying endlessly. The day starts off great. She take a morning nap by 9:00, but only sleeps for 40 minutes, which according to the book is not a restful nap. But she wakes up happy so I let it slide. Then we go to the gym where she gets to spend some fun time with the kid's club ladies while mommy works out. She always falls asleep and takes what the book calls a "baby power nap". This gives her just enough nap to stay happy for about the car ride home and then she is a cranky pants again. She goes down at about 12:30 for her second nap and again, sleeps for about 40 minutes. This nap leaves her not crying when she gets up but by 2:30 she is a mess. I try to put her down for a third nap and she is not having it! Or if she does take a nap it is about 20 minutes and then I get to let her be whiny until about 6:30 when I get her ready for bed. I also start dinner at about 6:00 because Dustin gets home around 7:00 and she cries almost the entire time I am making dinner. Ugh! The book says it should start getting better around 4 months, and that they will take less naps, but the naps they do take will be longer. I'm starting to think the book is a lier, or my child has something wrong with her. I just want her to be healthy and happy, is that so wrong?! I guess every child is different and I have to learn what works for her.

February has been a changing month for Dustin and I because we finally renewed our gym passes. Dustin is pretty pumped about working out which is so refreshing. Usually, its me pulling him kicking and screaming. We are planning on trying to have another baby in January 2012 and so I think that has motivated both of us to get in shape. Hanna has been hard enough. My back is killing me from picking her up and down and I need to have energy because pretty soon she'll be crawling all over the place! Dustin and I have made a commitment to each other to get healthy.

On the Hanna front, besides the hole nap taking fiasco's, she is becoming the sweetest baby. She truly has a personality of her own, and is the joy of my life. On Sunday, February 27 she rolled over for the first time. I was so excited, I was practically screaming with happiness. She was looking at me like I was a crazy person. She has also discovered her tongue. She rolls it all over in her mouth and sticks it out like a lizard. It is so cute! She also has come to finally like her swing. It only took her four months. I almost put it on craigslist to sell. I am finding, now that she is starting to use her hands better, that we have no toys for her to play with. So our next goal is to slowly build her toy collection. I started with link a doo's, that I hang from her carseat. They are really helping her motor skills.

Not a bad February, and with the weather getting warmer March should be even better. Hopefully I will get some more cute pictures (and maybe even some videos) of Hanna. Until then, here's a cute picture of Daddy and Hanna in her bear eared jacket.

Hanna's Baby Blessing

2011-01-26T05:29:00.000-08:00

Hanna got blessed on January 23rd, 2011. Dustin was so nervous. I have never seen him with that much anxiety. For those of you that know him, he is such a laid back guy. He did great! It was short and sweet, and he covered all of the important points. Hanna was so excited to have her family in town. Uncle Garrit got her to her first laugh. Of course, I missed it and she wouldn't do it again, and it seems every time I get out the camera to get some good footage of my adorable little girl, she clams right up! Here are some pics from the day!

I am so glad that we finally got to take a 4 generation picture. Even if the background is my kitchen cupboards!

Our first family photo!

The Girls!

The Boys!
Thanks to all the family members that made it! It really made the day all the more special! We love you!

New Happenings in the New Year!

2011-01-18T19:55:00.000-08:00

It's a little late to post my New Years Resolutions, so I won't bore you with every little detail. I am now officially a stay-at-home-mom. That is my exciting 2011 New Year happenings. I didn't completely resign at my job, but I will only work when they are in a bind and I can help them out by putting out fliers when I feel like making a little extra cash. I am so blessed to have a great boss that likes me enough to not want to let me go.
All this staying at home business has got me evaluating the way I spend my day. Hanna hates her car seat and has had a little cold this last couple of weeks so I try to limit my going out to twice a week for no longer than an hour and a half.
Here is the list of things I've been doing to keep life interesting:

1. Turning off the T.V. at 10am. I am addicted to the television. Even if I'm not watching something, it is always on in the background. Instead I have made a playlist of kid friendly music to listen to on a loop that satisfies my need for constant background noise. I have however, found a new love in the sitcom "The Old Adventures of New Christine". I turn the T.V. off as soon as that show is over. I am not allowed to turn the T.V. back on until 4:00pm, because that is when Oprah is on and that is when me and Hanna have snuggle and take a little nap together.

2. Reorganizing every nook and cranny of my house. It started with my master bathroom and then a light bulb went off that I should go room to room and organize the crap out of it! I have now moved all of my food storage out to the garage and had Dustin put up shelving so that eventually we will be able to park in our garage (novel idea).

3. Healthy living. I figure that with me nursing, now is the time to try and lose weight, and get healthy. This is always a work in progress, and I'm hoping one day I'll get there. I have been trying to spend more time cooking, now that I have the time, and am trying to go after healthy recipes. Today I made Applesauce muffins with organic applesauce and carrot puree. They were delicious. Just the right amount of healthy. I really want Hanna to have healthy childhood eating experience and I hope she will gain a taste for fruits and vegetables while she is young.

4. COUPONING! I don't now why the dictionary doesn't recognize this word as an adjective because it should. Dustin and I are trying to pay off our car and to help us out, I am trying to coupon our way to debt-free living. It is a fun and addictive hobby. I get so excited when I get my Sunday paper and look for all the coupons that will save me hundreds on my grocery bill. Not to mention the great food storage we are getting by stockpiling our savings.

5. Photography. This is purely a hobby that I will just be using with little Hanna. I want to have tons of pictures of her while she's growing up. Dustin got me camera for Christmas and I'm trying to learn hoe to use it. I'm having so much fun taking super cute pictures of my little babes!

In closing I will leave you with a picture of my muffins that I made this morning. I am very proud of myself because they were made from scratch and they are healthy!

Bath Time!

2010-12-13T12:54:00.001-08:00

Hanna loves bath time!

Hanna Elisabeth Seals 10/25/10

2010-12-03T14:43:00.000-08:00

I know, I know, it's been over a month since our little Hanna has been brought into this world and I haven't blogged about her birth! And what a great story it is. I need to write it out before I forget it!

Sunday, 10/24/10
My midwife decided that we should induce me since I had gestational diabetes and they didn't want me to go over my due date just in case of complications. Dustin and I went to the hospital at 9:00 am and they hooked me up to all sorts of machines and put an IV in (yuck!) and started me on a pill call cervadil (sp?). They told me that I should be in labor within 5 hours and we should have a baby by 6:00 that night. So we waited and waited and watched a lot of tv and nothing was happening. Thank goodness a "Parking Wars" marathon was on A&E (Sunday tv is so boring!). By 5pm nothing was happening and so I asked if it was ok for me to go home and if anything happened I would come back. They discharged me at 5:30 pm and as soon as I got in the car I started feeling contractions. When we got home my contractions were a lot stronger and about a minute and a half apart. I went in to lay in my bed and felt like I was going to throw up so I decided it was time to go back to the hospital. We went back to the hospital at 10:30 PM and I was dialated to a 5 which meant I was in active labor. They readmitted me and hooked me back up to all the machines and had to put in another IV. I hate needles, they are a phobia, and so the IV and the anesthesia were the worst part of the whole labor!

Monday, 10/25/10
At 2:00 AM the nurse let me get into the hot tub. Our Hospital just got a new tower, and a total renovation and so I was lucky enough to be in a brand new birthing room! The tub felt so good that I stayed in there for 5 hours! The bad part was that it slowed my labor down. My contractions were now about 5 minutes apart. Dustin and I walked the halls trying to get my contractions to increase. I felt a little silly in my gown walking around the hospital. There were a lot a people telling us good luck and looking at me with pity on their faces. At 8:00 they broke my water thinking that this was going to speed things along. When two hours later I was still at a 5 and they didn't see any increase they decided to put me on pitosin (sp?). I really didn't want to be put on it because I heard how hard and fast they made your contractions, but I figure we needed to do something. So they hooked me up and started giving me doses that increased at double every 15 minutes. It git me to a 7 by 1:00 PM and then it all stopped again, no progression. They then started talking about a c-section, which scared me because I have never had any kind of surgery before and the recovery time was much longer. It wasn't apart of my birth plan, but I guess a lot of this stuff wasn't apart of my plan. I told them to do what they need to do. They said they would give me one more hour on the drip and see where I was at. They checked me at 2:00 pm and I had dialated to an 8! Hallelujah! I wasn't going to have to do c-section after all. I spoke way to soon. They decided they would give me a couple more hours, which turned into 3, to see if I could get to 10. Did I mention that I had no drugs because I was trying to do natural child birth? I was in an enormous amount of pain when they checked me at 5:00 PM and I hadn't moved from an 8. I was so frustrated and they Midwife decided that we needed to do a c-section. I was scared, Dustin was scared (but stayed strong for me) and then everything went really fast. I signed all sorts of forms they got me ready for surgery in about 10 minutes and I was off to the surgery room. After tugging and pulling and being numb from the stomach down I heard a baby cry, and it was our beautiful little Hanna. Dustin brought her over to me and I seem to forget the events of the past 2 days and time stood still for a moment. She was perfect. the most amazing little girl that I had ever met.
They wheeled me into the recovery room and poked me and prodded. They gave little Hanna her first bath, and we tried breastfeeding for the first time. What a truly amazing experience this had been! I had no idea how much this little person would change my life and how much love I would have for her!
A big THANK YOU to my mom! She waited on me hand and foot for almost 2 weeks! Stayed up with the baby so I could sleep. I am truly blessed to have such a wonderful mother that I love so much, and who loves me! I love you MOM!

I am posting pictures from the hospital, they aren't the best, but how good can you look after just having a baby!

Baby on Board!

2010-04-18T14:22:00.001-07:00

As you can read by the title, there is exciting news in the Seals household! Dustin and I are expecting a little baby seals in October. I thought this day would never come, and now that it's here it feels like we weren't even trying for that long. So many things to think about and prepare for, I feel a bit overwhelmed!
I am now 13 weeks along, and just finally started feeling better from the first trimester's nausea. I've quit wearing perfume, and all of our cigarette smoking clientele make me want to hurl. Oh! I also had my very first hormonal outburst the other day, that was fun for Dustin! Nothing like having PMS 24/7! This may sound like complaining, but it is not. I am thankful everyday for this experience, even if I cry for no reason at all!

P.S. Dustin was so excited that he had to order this little Colts Peyton Manning jersey for our little gummy bear. He says the baby will wear it no matter if it is a boy or a girl. I'll have to get a nice bow to match if it's a girl!

I Am Thankful!

2009-11-28T19:36:00.000-08:00

When I knelt down to say my nightly prayers on Thursday night, I was excited to pray and tell God all of the things I am thankful for. I love to have a prayer where I ask God for nothing and can express my gratitude for all of the wonderful blessings that are already in my life. Here are just a few:

I Am Thankful for........
My wonderful family, who lets me know that I am loved and missed, every time I talk to them.
My Family on Dustin's side who show me unconditional love, no matter how long its been since I last saw them.
My adorable nieces and nephews, their innocence remind me of why we're here and where we are going.
My crazy kitty who keeps me company on the nights Dustin work. (and keeps the monsters away!)
My friends that will wake up at 2:30 am to go to the black Friday Sears sale for a new washer and dryer.
Both Dustin's and my job, and that we get to work for wonderful, honest, and personable people.
Belonging to a wonderful church, that brings, and will bring me an eternity of happiness.
Facebook (I know that's weird!) and how it helps me keep in touch with family and friends.
My co-workers, who help keep me sane through those hard work days, and keep me laughing.
My mom, I know she's making a big effort to call me more often, even if I complain the whole time I'm on the phone.

And most of all I am thankful for my loving husband. His patience and understanding are such an example to me. I know he loves me unconditionally no matter how crazy and irrational I can be. I love being married to my best friend and I am thankful everyday that I was blessed with such a special person in my life.

I hope you all had an amazing Thanksgiving!

The Beast

2009-11-28T19:17:00.001-08:00

I've been meaning to post for a while, not because a whole lot of interesting things have happened, but enough to tell about, I guess.

This contraption is what I call "The Beast". Is slices, it dices, it grinds wheat, and anything else I tell it to do. Anyone may know that my work life lately has been crazy! A girl got fired at work, and the next day a girl quit, and the next day a girl went into the hospital. After a few weeks of stress, my boss has hired a stellar new team, he also decided to get me an early Christmas present, a Vita-mix. I have been talking about how badly I wanted one of these appliances since I saw the demonstration video that my boss's wife let me borrow, but knew that there was no way that I was going to talk the hubby into letting me get one. Hasn't Dustin learned that when I set my mind to something that I want, eventually I will find a way to get it? Since then I have made yummy smoothies, salad dressings, and even soup in this blender. I am equally excited every morning when I get to make a protein shake, because I know every seed will be crushed into oblivion. It's amazing and worth blogging about!

I Think I Fixed It!

2009-10-02T16:51:00.000-07:00

I've had a few comments that since I changed the background to the pink, you weren't able to leave any comments. I think I fixed it, so please comment away! I'm having a rough month so any words of encouragement, if you're still even following the blog, would be appreciated!

If You Don't Have Anything Good to Say, Then You Shouldn't Say Anything at All!

2009-09-27T08:18:00.000-07:00

I think about updating my blog every Sunday, and every Sunday I get on the scale and my eyes bulge a little more. My thoughts are exactly what the title of this post says. When I get my S*** together, and have some good new to report that is when I will post.

I love Fall! But I can't help but have a bit of a sick feeling in my tummy when I know what October to January bring..........food based holidays. If you're an alcoholic stay out of the bar. If you're a food addict, stay away from the holidays. I think I'm going to have to learn how to love exercise, so that I can overcompensate for these buffet's on steroids that are coming up in the following months.

Check back for future posts with positive content. I hope it isn't too long a wait, or should I say weight! (Do you see how I made that into a clever little pun, I thought so, you're so smart!)

One Woman Show!

2009-09-13T07:37:00.000-07:00

It's a lot easier to start a new lifestyle of eating when the rest of your life is running the way it normally does. I didn't plan to have the week I had this past week. I know, every time you try to make a change for the good, there always has to be something to throw a wrench in it. I did make very good decisions with my eating, but I stayed the same when I weighed in today. I'm not complaining, but it does show that even though you are eating less, that doesn't always equal weight loss.

My work has been a roller coaster ride this last month, and to top it all off I am now pretty much alone in the office. My insurance agency has the largest clientele in Grand Junction. Over 5000 in the book of business. The office usually runs with 4 full-time fully licensed staff members. Right now it is just little old me. On Friday I felt like the phone was surgically sewn to my ear for 5 hours. It took me 3 1/2 hours to finish my lunch, at my desk, in between talking with clients. Every time I would get off of the phone with one person, I would be given 3 more messages. Not to mention the emails that I been neglecting.

The point is that no matter how hard I tried to plan to eat right, the time was not there during the day. When I went home at night I was so mentally tired that I sat and did nothing. I only went to the gym twice. This next week will be exactly like last week and so I need to make goals and commitments today so that I can plan for the whole week to be running to catch up.

I'm going to start eating breakfast at home. I've been eating it at work normally, but lately haven't had time to eat until like 10 or 11.....not good. I'm going to go to bed at a decent hour, and get up to go to the gym everyday. This can only help to handle the stress. And last I will pack my lunch the night before so that I have the time to plan it. I feel much better when I've made some achievable goals. Bring on this next week!

Some Great Things are Happening.

2009-09-06T07:30:00.000-07:00

My mind is so full I am ready to explode! First things first, I weighed myself this last Monday and the results were depressing. Another gain to 260! This is ridiculous, why was I living on liquid to just go back up. So I put on my big girl panties (under armor compression shorts) and did what I needed to do. I went to the gym 4 times this week at the butt crack of dawn did interval cardio, and circuit weight training. After not being able to raise my arms or sit on the toilet because of the pained muscles I weighed in today at 254.

I've had a lot of revelation this week, and I thank good friends that think of me even when we haven't spoken in a long time. I had one friend remind me of what I use to be like. I hadn't thought of that person in a long time, that girl that use to be me. It's weird when you see yourself from someone else's point of view. Its eye opening. It feels inspiring to be reminded of things you use to take interest in. And not just interest but you actually applied it into your life. I speak of diet and exercise. At one point in my life, it was my life. This was a short period of time, but I was healthy and happy. Don't get me wrong, I am happy in most aspects of my life. I have a wonderful, supportive husband, a weird cat, a job with a boss who cares about me, WONDERFUL family and friends. The one area of my life that is frustrating the hell out of me is my health.

The second answer to a prayer would be an email that I received from a friend that I haven't spoken to since I was 19. She had been reading my blog and even though we hadn't spoken in so many years she wrote me an unbelievable email that was coincidentally a subject that had been on my mind for the last couple of years. I've been doing some research on vegetarianism for the last few years. The lifestyle has always made sense to me, but I have always been scared to make the plunge and turn my diet upside down. After speaking with this friend and checking out some of the information that she has supplied me with, I'm ready to make the plunge. I hope to not get any negative feed back on this, I will be getting plenty of protein and vitamins and minerals. All I can say is you can find an opposing side to any diet if you want to find it, there are pro's and con's to every kind of way of eating. This is choice that I have thought about for years and I feel really good about this decision. I know that I will have support system no matter what I do, hence the WONDERFUL family and friends.

Here's to new beginnings!

I'm Still Here! Don't Give up on Me!

2009-08-23T19:41:00.000-07:00

I need to get back to the task at hand! The fire fizzled, what are you gonna do? I promised in the beginning that I would blog good or not right. So here it is, the good, the bad, and the ugly. My current weight is 256. This is 12 pounds higher than my peak weigh loss with optifast. I feel like I have been running to stand still, and all that hard work is creeping back slowly but surely.

I don't know if any of you have checked out the blog that me and my friends have started. Its on my sidebar, its called the weight loss accountability buddies. If you don't see me writing on my own blog, check that one, my friends are pretty relentless when it comes to tracking your goals. I've made some good friends in Colorado!

Sometimes I find it hard to write when there is nothing good to talk about when it comes to my weight. I am in a frustrating period right now. It seems everyone is getting pregnant around me and although some days it motivates me, other days it makes me sad and discouraged. I think the balance between those days is leaving me at a stand still.

One issue that I have been having lately is that my schedule is all out of whack. Optifast through me off eating wise and I've got out of the habit of making regular meals and keeping a supply of good foods at my house. This week me and Dustin are sitting down and budgeting and planning. I am too structured of a person to go willy nilly with my food and exercise. I am also going to be starting to exercise in the wee hours of the morning again. Man, I'm tired even writing that, but it is something that needs to happen.

Will this ever get easier?

Do you hear that?

2009-08-09T16:28:00.000-07:00

Do you hear that........it sounds like a spark..........no, a fire.......that's been lit under my butt? I just had a moment that I am going to ride out. I cannot say the event that started this fire, but I am glad that it happened. Shame on me for losing my focus, and forgetting to keep my eye on the prize. I am looking forward to the gym tomorrow, so much that I am a little excited. I can't be to hard on myself, I have accomplished the goals that I have made for myself the last two weeks. I laid off the carbonation and exercised regularly, but I can't help but think that I am moving backwards. I have gotten more active in my life. I play tennis every Wednesday and I volunteered to assistant coach a girls softball team with a friend. Why is it that I can't find balance between exercise and food? I can do one or the other, but never both at the same time.

Wish me luck this week, and pray that the fire stays blazing.

A Eulogy for Carbonation.

2009-07-23T18:11:00.000-07:00

Goodbye dear friend you will be missed, all the lovely tin cans that I have kissed. You quench my thirst on hot day, but the next days exercise I will surely pay. You woke me up when I was tired, sometimes at night you made me wired. This is my very fond farewell, I'll break the chains of addiction hell.

I know, I know, how many times have I tried to quit caffeine and carbonation? More than I can count with all fingers and toes, but alas, I must continue trying. I have been food journaling for the last couple of weeks and I figure it does no good to go to Subway and get a 32 oz. Dr. Pepper. Do you know how long I have to run to work off those fabulous 400 calories that are in that soda? I don't even want to say it, it makes me tired!

Great news this week, I have been consistently going to the gym and I even went and played Tennis on Tuesday night. I truly suck at tennis, but I had a lot of fun sucking, and my arm is sore which means I did some good for myself, physically at least. Me and a couple of my friends are thinking of making it a weekly effort and I am excited to get outdoors and keep myself busy.

I'm sure many of you are wondering about optifast. I have taken a hiatus and have not been attending my classes. I am burned out on optifast, it helped me shed 30 pounds and that is nothing to scoff at. It has helped me gain some good eating habits and going to the classes have helped immensely. I still do the shakes throughout the day, but let's be honest a liquid diet is not very feasible . Dustin made a comment the other day to the extent of "do you think they might be angry because your bringing down there average weight loss?" this was meant to be funny and we both had a good belly laugh. I've had a rough couple of months and I have been losing small amounts of weight, but I can lose small amounts of weight on my own. Anyway, the point is that I still have weight goals and I am still working towards them. I am still planning on sharing the experience, good or bad, every week. Thank you for the support to anyone who reads this blog, you have no idea how much support you lend to me. Everyday is a struggle when you have had a never ending goal that seems to be the only goal you have a hard time conquering. It is good to know that there are people helping you along the journey!

Watters Family Reunion 2009 & Quick Update!

2009-07-12T17:06:00.000-07:00

What a wonderful couple of weeks I have had! This last weekend was the Watters Family Reunion 2009, and good times were had by all. We kicked the weekend off by having an adult dinner at Los Hermanos, I'm going to go ahead and speak for everyone when I say it was the worst food, and the worst service I've had in a long time. It will make a great memory for years to come, I'm sure, and for that it was worth it. It was especially great to see all the Watters extended family that we only get to see every couple of years, if we're lucky! Day two started for me with meeting all the golfers at Aunt Cathy and Uncle Ron's for brunch which was delicious. It started to rain a bit but of course in true Utah fashion the weather changed in 5 minutes and continued like that throughout the day. It didn't take much for Ryan and Tyler to talk me into all you can eat sushi at the Sushi House for a top off from brunch. I was so stuffed that when we went to the park at 6 for Dinner and games I wasn't very hungry, but that didn't stop me from having some of gramma's baked beans (yum)! What a fun reunion! I am so thankful that I have such a wonderful and close extended family!

Here's a little update for my dear Shauna on weeks 12 and 13 of Optifast. I know you are all on the edge of your seats. I've had so much fun with Fourth of July and the Family Reunion I have been off the wagon for a couple of weeks! But never fear, I did work out diligently last week and I have nothing planned for a couple of weeks so good things should come to pass in the upcoming posts! I am to the transition phase of the program and that means I get to start introducing food back into my diet. This shouldn't be to challenging considering that I have been "slowly" introducing food into my program since about week 3. Eh? What are you gonna do but move forward, right?

Love you Shauna!

Week 11

2009-06-26T08:21:00.000-07:00

Finally some good news to report.......I lost 4 pounds this week! I had a really great talk with the Behavioral Therapist, Cheryl, this week. We are going to be meeting once a week for the rest of the program to keep me on track.

Realization of the week: You have to change your lifestyle to fit the program, not fit the program into your lifestyle. I promised Cheryl I would write this down somewhere to keep reminding myself that it is about making a life change and not going back to old habits.

Action taken this past week: Got rid of my cable:) So far, this has been a great action. I find that I am discovering old hobbies that I once really enjoyed. My house is starting to get clean on a regular basis, and I have finally been listening to full albums of music I have bought off itunes. I've started journaling and it has been very therapeutic. It has really helped me re-evaluate my life and how I spend my time.

Things that made me smile this past week: I can now fit into almost every shirt in my closet (accept for my two goal shirts). Everyone at work thought I got new clothes, but really they are some shirts that I have had for at least 3 years, and have not been able to fit into.
I had my Physical assessment with the exercise specialist and she said that I have a great resting heart rate and I am in the 100 percentile for strength for my age. She said that each test that she gave me I continually impressed her with what great shape I was in for my weight. I took a copy home so that I could prove to Dustin that I was strong for a girl. He has a way of comparing me to men and what girl can live up to that when it comes to muscles?

Week 10

2009-06-19T15:02:00.001-07:00

Blah, blah, blah......lost 1 pound.......blah,blah,blah.........recommitting.......blah,blah,blah.
I just want all of you to know that the blah, blah, blah's are because they are just words. Words are nothing with no action and I can talk as much as I want but until there is action they mean nothing. I don't want to try to write another inspiring blog entry that leads to me losing 1 pound! So for now wait and see.....I will show you how dedicated I am with my actions and then try to inspire with my words because we all know the saying "Actions speak louder than words". My actions will be screaming!

Week 8 & 9

2009-06-12T08:25:00.000-07:00

I am going to go ahead and pronounce these last couple of weeks a success because of a 2 lb weight loss, and here's why:

1. It was my 30th birthday on May 30th and after a bout of depression over turning the big 3-0 I gorged myself on Sushi and birthday cake. I got many positive messages about thirty being the new 20 and that your 30's will be the best decade thus far, but I'm not buying it. Especially when the only people I know who are in there 30's are Dustin, and People who live in Utah. All my Grand Junctionite buddies are still enjoying their youthful 20's. My movie buddy is 19! Let's just say that if she invites even one of her friends to go to the movie's with us I feel like a chaperon!

2. Had a fabulous girls weekend in Arizona. What Supportive Sisters-in-law I have! Millissa went walking with me everyday, and Jen made sure to not have any junk in the house. I even made an absolutely under no circumstances could we go to an Italian restaurant law, and everyone stuck to it. (Pasta is my downfall!)

3. Homemade chocolate tort. nuff said.

After a thoroughly inspiring behavioral class last night, I am once again recommitting myself to the shakes and nutrition bars. I want so badly to have another 5 pound loss and I know it will happen if I stick to the plan.

10 more weeks to go!

Girls Trip 2009!

2009-06-10T20:06:00.000-07:00

What a wonderful idea to have a girls trip, I wonder who came up with that fabulous idea? This last weekend all the Johnson girls got together to spend a fun weekend with Jen in Arizona. It was so fun to see all the girls in one place, and leave the husbands at home, even though we talked a lot about them.

Day 1. We got Pedicures and Manicures. See if you can guess who hands and feet belong to who.
For dinner that night we went to a delicious restaurant called Kona Grill. I had a sweet salmon that was to die for! Talk about melt in your mouth! Afterwards we shopped around at the outdoor mall, and did I mention that the weather couldn't have been better. I know it was raining all week in Utah, and Colorado, but it sure did make for a bearable climate in June.

Day 2 we started the day out with a little swimming. We took Ryan and the kids on this trip, and Ryan said one of the funniest one liners that I will always remember, "Google is the big talkers nightmare." I laughed for a good five minutes, I can't even remember what we were talking about to make him say that. If your nor laughing, you probably had to be there.

Later, we went to a Dentists office to get Facials. That's right I said a Dentists office. Jen has a friend that does facials on the weekend in her husbands Dentist Office. It was a little nerve racking to sit in a dentists chair, but after a while of not hearing the zing of a drill, you got very relaxed.

That night we went to the Cheesecake Factory and sat outside to enjoy the lovely weather. Can you believe that I didn't gain a single ounce this weekend! For Reals!

Day 3 we had a lazy Sunday watched Maddie play Wii and make Wii characters of all of the family. That girls got creativity in her. Speaking of Maddie, in case Jen doesn't write this down, One morning Maddie wok up at 6:30a.m and Jen asked her why she wasn't sleeping in like she normally does and Maddie replied "Not when we have customers". She meant not when we have guests but from then on the entire weekend we were known as "customers", what great customer service we had!

Day 4 we shopped til we dropped and caught a plane back to Utah where Millissa turned into Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Warning: Millissa should be sedated before she flies. When the plane landed Millissa was all but kissing Angela and I's faces for putting up with her on 2, count them, 2 plane rides. She was completely different person after we got out of the airport and returned to her lovely self.

All in all it was a super fun weekend and I got a great split pea soup recipe out of it. Jen your the best for putting up with all the girls. I love all you guys and can't wait until we can do it again!

Week 7

2009-05-30T08:11:00.000-07:00

Holy cow can you believe that I am half way done with the active weight loss phase of optifast! Check out my Rifle Falls post and then you'll see why I lost 2 pounds this week. I know, your thinking "2 pounds is great" but not when your living on 800 calories a day people! Not to mention that I burn more than that in one workout!
Marion, the lady who weighs me in every week gave me a classic look when I stepped on the scale, "don't give me that look Marion" I say, but I know what I've done. I tell her about my fun holiday weekend and she says to me " there will be plenty of time for the occasional BBQ when you are done with the program". She is so right. You hear that Marion, I said YOU ARE SO RIGHT! SO what's the word of the week? Focus? Wow, that was pathetic.....say it again.....FOCUS!
Next weekend is Arizona and i am going to remind myself that seeing my mom and sisters is reward enough! Food is not the reward! What will my suitcase be full of? Protein bars and optifast shakes, yay!

12 weeks to go!

Memorial Weekend at Rifle Falls!

2009-05-30T07:52:00.000-07:00

Its hard to believe that we have officially lived in Colorado for 3 years! What's even harder to believe is that we haven't seen most of the gorgeous outdoors that it has to offer! Last weekend we had a rare happenings of Dustin actually having a weekend holiday that he didn't have to work (trust me, these are rare!). We got an invitation to go up to Rifle Falls for the day, to BBQ, and hike around the falls. We had such a good time commuting up with Vanessa and Ross Young and there cute little two year old Abigail. The falls are beautiful and it was such a perfect day for hiking about. It was about 65 degrees, which made it even colder when the water balloon fight broke out between Dustin, Shad, Oliver and Ross. Good times. I got a few pictures, but then my camera gave out on me. Here is a little bit of the falls:

Week 6

2009-05-22T08:14:00.000-07:00

This week I was fortunate enough to catch a super awesome debilitating cold. It put a bit of a damper on the major weight loss, but I still managed to pull off 2 pounds without any gym time. I will take it, a loss is a loss!

What a boring life I lead with nothing to talk about except weight loss! We are trying to be more interesting I promise.

Dustin got a promotion about a month ago to a Foreman. This was a surprise considering all the layoffs that are going on right now in the oil field industry. We are hoping that this is an indication that his job is secure with his company. We are thankful that we have jobs right now with the economy the way it is. Dustin's boss is the Rifle Stake President and we are blessed to both be working for members of the church. With this promotion means that Rifle may became our new home sometime in the next 5 years. For those of you who don't know where Rifle is, its about an hour east of Grand Junction on the way to Denver and about the size of Richfield, Utah. We're going to have to buy some four wheelers and start using them as cars with a town so small. I swore I would never live somewhere that was smaller than where I already am, but I guess you can never say never.

I hope everyone has a fun and safe holiday. I miss not being close to the Orem and Spanish Fork cemetery, and not being able to decorate the headstones. It has been one of my favorite things to do since I was young. Every memorial day I think of all the amazing family I've lost, but will be re-united with soon enough. I know they watch over me today and feel there presence in my life. Garrit and Tyler, I will be waiting to hear how old the oldest head stone in Spanish Fork Cemetery is. Look high and low no stone unturned. I love you guys!

13 weeks to go !

The Incredible Shrinking Woman!

2009-05-17T09:08:00.000-07:00

January 2009.........................May 15 2009

The title may seem a little egotistical, but I am just so excited to finally see some results! I see the biggest difference in my midsection. The first picture was taken when I was trying to lose weight on my own in January and since that was the weight I started at, I thought that would be a great before picture.

Another exciting thing is that I went shopping with my friend Teralyn on Saturday and was trying on some summer clothes and I went down a size! I was so amazed I just wanted to buy a whole new wardrobe, but then I remembered that this is just the beginning and there are going to be even bigger losses in the future. Life is Good!

Week 5

2009-05-14T20:04:00.000-07:00

So normally I update on Friday morning while I'm at work. It is a great way to pass the time until the weekend. But I had such a great week, I had to write it down tonight!
I had an amazing week and lost 5 pounds!!!! That makes a total of 20lbs, which means I have finally jumped over the 16 pound hurdle! For anyone who hasn't read all of the past posts, I have this horrible way of starting diets, losing 16 pounds and then falling off the wagon.

I almost felt like I was starting over after having had such a bad last couple of weeks. These behavioral classes that I have been attending every Thursday night have been such a huge support. It feels good to be in a group that can relate to the same things you are going through, and give advice on how to deal with food triggers.

Pictures are coming soon I promise, I'm having an issue with my camera.

14 weeks to go!

Week 4

2009-05-08T08:08:00.000-07:00

I think the word for the week is pride. Pride is what holds me back and this week I ate a big slice of humble pie. When I started this program I thought that the odds were in my favor. I am the second youngest person in the class, I'm already excercising regularly, and I know all there is to know about health, right? WRONG. Come out of the clouds Carrie and face the reality that is your weight. I didn't lose anything this week and its because I became prideful and thought that I knew it all. Apparently I think I'm smarter than the Dr. will someone please hand me my degree?

I did have an excellent class last night on accepting change. We wrote down all the Positive things that were to come with this and some of the negatives. The only negative that I could think of was that I am uncomfortable when my food habits change. Why is that. I am an adaptable human being. I can change jobs without being nervous, I can go to a movie by myself, I can move to a different State and make the best of it, but why oh why is it that when you start messing around with my food habits things become so unfamiliar. With all the change I welcome in my life food is the one that always comes with a fight.

This week I am embracing change and admitting that I don't know everything. Maybe these classes are helping after all.

Only 15 more weeks to go!

Week 3

2009-05-01T07:34:00.000-07:00

Good news for this week! After not losing anything last week, the Dr. altered my diet to intake more calories and this week I lost 4 lbs.! Amazing!
My goal this last week was to get out and do more activity. We rode bikes on Saturday, we bought bushes to plant in our front yard, and we mowed/fertilized our lawn. I also cleaned my house for about 6 hours and scrubbed, on my hands and knees, every tile in my house. Man were my arms stiff the next day.
I did cheat and go out for sushi, but my stomach had shrunk so much that I could barely fit one roll in! I also had a can of green beans one night, I know, I'm horrible. The thing is with this program its not junk food you miss. Its the good things that you miss like fruits and vegetables, chicken and salmon. Its not forever I tell myself at every meal. I will post a picture next week!
16 weeks to go!

Week 2

2009-04-24T08:15:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately week 2 was not as successful as week 1. I was shocked when I went to the Dr. and saw that I had not lost any weight. How Could that be?!?!?!?!? This is frustrating when you feel like you are making so many sacrifices to lose large amounts of weight in a week.
The Dr. feels that because of my age I need more calories in a day than just 800. He has advised me to add an extra shake in the day so that I am eating 6 times a day instead of 5. I am hoping that it will will improve my workouts. I have been so tired these last few weeks it has been hard to stay active when you feel like taking a nap 24/7.
I told the staff that I wouldn't get frustrated unless I didn't lose any weight the next week. Then I would start knocking Dr.'s heads around!
This week I get to start the tomato soup drinks which totally beats chewing up sun chips and spitting them out! I am excited for a little salt!
Only 17 more weeks to go!

First Week On My New Program!

2009-04-16T08:21:00.000-07:00

So the good news is that I finally feel like I am on track again. The bad news is that in my almost 3 week downward spiral I gained back most of the weight I lost in the first place.
The new program is extreme and crazy, but keep in mind that it is Dr. monitored and it is only for people who have at least 50 lbs. or more to lose........ I'm not just trying to get ready for swimsuit season here! It is a weight loss program called Opti-fast. It is basically an 800 calorie diet that consists of only liquid shakes that you drink 5 times a day (you see why I say extreme and crazy!). So far I have been on it a week and I have lost 11 lbs. It has been a hard week because I got headaches from the lack of caffeine and sugar. They also said that a side effect for the first couple of weeks is lack of energy, which would explain why I have taken a nap everyday since last Thursday, and I'm not a nap person! The Program includes a Doctor, Dietitian, and a Behavioral Therapist. You also have to attend a group session every Thursday night for two hours. For the first 13 weeks you drink nothing but these shakes and its what they call the Active Weight Loss Stage. The second stage is called The Transition Period, this lasts 6 weeks and they slowly start adding meals back into your diet. The last phase is maintenance and attending group sessions. They say to look at it as a vacation from food.
My first day was last Friday the 3rd, it was perfect because that was when I was hosting Bunco at my house (sarcasm). I know that was probably a stupid idea to start that day, but I thought these are the kind of struggles that I will be faced with in the next few months so I mine as well start now. Have you ever tried getting ready for a party and not be able to taste your own food to double check that it tastes good? I would put a little in my mouth and then spit it out into the sink. It was a good time, let me tell you!
Then there is Easter! Poor Dustin did without his chocolate bunny this year and had leftovers instead of the traditional Ham and Funeral Potatoes, what a sad life! My neighbor even offered to bring him over some leftovers and he supportivly declined. I have a wonderful supportive husband. Another up side is that my kitchen has never been cleaner!
Week 1 Down only 18 more weeks to go!

Drastic Changes

2009-04-05T13:26:00.000-07:00

So I'm doing a little different of an update today because there are some changes that will be coming up this week, and I thought I would inform you all on what changes are going to occur. I didn't do a weigh in this week, but I have some exciting (I don't know if that's the word I'm looking for?...) things that are going to make some drastic differences, but first I probably need to make an explanation. This is some personal information, but then again I have already told you how much I weigh, so I guess it can't get any worse!
I know some of you know this already but, for those who don't, the decision to lose weight came because me and Dustin have been trying to have a baby for the last 3 years. Before we moved to Grand Junction I saw an Endocrinologist and she told me she wouldn't touch my situation until I lost some weight. She didn't want to put me on fertility pills and she assured me that I will get gestational diabetes if I got pregnant at the weight I am now. I wanted to get pregnant naturally and healthily (is that a word?) so I tried many things to help out my situation, exercise, South Beach Diet, Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig........you name it I tried it. Every time I lost about 16 lbs. and then I couldn't get past that. I started feeling uncomfortable with the changes I was making, and scared to death that I might actually succeed. Why would I feel like that? What is so scary and uncomfortable about trying to be your best self? The icing on the cake was when I started getting outrageous headaches and my Doctor told me they were due to the fact that I was borderline Type 2 Diabetic. How could I have let myself get this way? I'm not sure but, in the last week I had an awakening. I truly believe that anyone who is over 100 lbs. overweight, isn't just overweight because they like to eat, I think that they eat because of something else. Obviously, I am not sure why I eat. I don't know what void I'm trying to fill in my head.
Recently, I spoke to someone who has lost a great deal of weight (they wish to remain nameless). I finally cornered the person and asked point blank what are you doing!? I didn't notice just the weight loss, but also their attitude had completely changed. I could tell it was more than diet and exercise. They told me about a special program that was put on by a Doctor in my area that helps to lose weight, but the reason that so many people were having success is that in order to stay on the program you have to attend a group therapy session once a week kind of like over eaters anonymous. I guess I would consider food an addiction that needs to be treated. My friend who was on the program said that was why it was working because they were treating more than just the basic diet and exercise.
My point is I am going to see the Doctor on Tuesday to have an orientation and then I join the group on Thursday. Thursday will be my new weigh in day, and I will post updates every Thursday from here on out. The Program is 19 weeks long, and I will give more details as they come.
Thanks for reading me rant, but I am not giving up on my goal no matter what I have to do to get there. I know there are precious souls waiting for me to succeed!

Coming to My Senses

2009-03-29T15:51:00.000-07:00

You will all be happy to hear that after a week of not thinking about weight, diet, and exercise, I have finally come to my senses. After doing all the "right things" since January, I forgot how gross you feel after not thinking what's going in your mouth. I have felt sluggish, tired, and bloated. So back to the drawing board for a plan of action.
Thanks, for the encouragement this week everyone who left comments, they help me out so much, and give me great suggestions! It makes me excited to get back on track this week, and I am surprisingly excited to go back to the gym tomorrow!
Not to much to write about this week, you all already got the downer post last week so I will just say onward and upward and their will be good things to report next week!

Sarcasm Much?

2009-03-22T16:27:00.000-07:00

First I just want to start out with the fact that I have had a positive attitude so far this whole year, so please forgive the negativity you are going to hear from here out.
I love to gain weight. I tell myself this because I have to, if I didn't like gaining weight then it wouldn't happen so frequently. This is the sarcasm I speak of. This week was horrible!!! It;s when you think you've got something nailed and then a giant hand smacks you to the ground and says "not so fast silly girl, its not that easy!" Your good for the majority of the time you say no to the plate of cookies a client brings into you, you go to the healthy side of the mountain chick ladies candy van and get pistachio's instead of the chocolate caramel clusters that you are dying for. This is just one day of my week. So when I think back on the sacrifices that I am making in my daily life, like losing sleep to go to the gym at 4:30 am every morning even though when your alarm goes off your so tired you could cry, it is easy to shed a tear when you step on that scale and it reads 2 lbs. heavier than the week before! And the worst part about it, is that you want to binge on something fatty and sugary and horrible for you, but when I look in my fridge all I have is healthy crap like light yogurt and fruits and vegetables.....ahrrrrrrrrrrg, I can't win!
I don't have a plan of attack for the coming week like any other week that I've had a gain. Somedays you just want to throw yourself a pity party and not get out of bed. How do you get out of a rut like this?
Forgive my moment of weakness, I'll be a new person next wee, I promise!

Thank you Oprah!

2009-03-15T16:45:00.000-07:00

So I was watching my DVR'd daily Oprah show on Thursday and it gave me a great tip on how to gag down your daily oatmeal in the morning.........APPLE JUICE! Wow, what an eye opener! I bought the Simply Apple juice that is 100% apples and added a cup of juice instead of water to my oatmeal and vwalaw, delicious non cardboard tasting oatmeal! Add a little cinnamon and man it makes for a good breakfast.
So as if there aren't enough reasons already to lose weight Dustin added one more this week. He decided that for our "corporate vacation" we are going on a carnival cruise to the Bahama's next February. I am really excited and I want to be able to experience my vacation to the fullest, so just one more thing to put in the back of my mind while on the treadmill.
I lost 1 lb this week, and I feel awesome! I can't explain the feeling I get when I know that I am trying to better my life and seeing results. This has been such hard work so far and I am so excited about the changes I'm already seeing! I now weigh 254 lbs.! I will post another pic next week.

Sweet Success!

2009-03-08T15:17:00.000-07:00

This was a great week! I think that the recommitment really paid off. I had some tough obstacles to hurdle.
I had another fun insurance meeting that I had to sit through with doughnuts for breakfast, twix's for snacks and Johnny Carino's cheese stuffed pasta for lunch. This time I planned ahead and brought my own lunch of chicken breast, carrots and an orange. I didn't eat one of the candies on the table and it was easy to say no to the lunch because I had brought my own.
I don't know about anyone else, but when I read about diet and health it seems to keep me on track. I started to read the book "Eat Clean Diet" (I got the idea from my friend Shalee on facebook, thanks Sha!) The first 3 days were the worst! Getting use to eating fruits, veggies, whole grains and lean meats were rough. The foods you eat are all non-processed whole foods. Its nothing that I didn't already know but a good refresher. By day four I was feeling good and felling the effects on the body with a healthy diet. I lost 4 lbs this week! I feel awesome which is great incentive to keep it up! I now weigh 255!

I Have an Awesome Family!!!!!!

2009-03-02T18:01:00.000-08:00

In case I don't say it enough.......I love my family! You guys are inspirational to me and I am truely blessed to have all of you in my life!!! Thanks for the comments!

"I Call Do Over"

2009-03-01T16:59:00.000-08:00

I think there is always a time where you need to recommit to the goals that you have set for yourself. Today I have tried to get myself in the mind set of a re-commitment to my goals. Not that I did horrible this past week, but I was losing sight of the task at hand.
So as much as I try to prepare myself for the weeks Dustin is off, I am never fully prepared. I start out the week having a heart to heart with Dustin saying "I don't want you to treat this week like a vacation", and " We are not going out to dinner, I mean it!", but best of all is the line I hear from Dustin, "sure I'll go to the gym at 4:30 in the morning on my day off". What happens? 4:30 rolls around and I want to stay in my warm bed with my snoring husband. Now, I didn't do bad, I went 4 times, but the hard part is that Dustin actually takes me seriously when I say that we're not going out to eat. Then when I suggest it he gives me the look like, hey, you told me we're not going out this week, but ok whatever you like. This is not great for my moments of weakness. Then I think, I can have salmon, or a salad, or a more healthy choice, but then I look at the menu and anything fried and smothered in cheese seems way more pleasing. Then I go home and feel bloated and overstuffed, you know, the regret sets in.
Needless to say that my weight did not move this week. 259 lbs. Frustration sets in and I think back over the week and analyze where I went wrong? I could blame Dustin for not kicking me out of bed some of those mornings, or even get upset with him that he said ok to going out to dinner when I told him very adamantly that it was not on the agenda. It just felt like one of those weeks that you feel like you didn't do anything right, you throw yourself a pity party and blame other people for your failings.
Oh wait......I am responsible for me?..........and my actions?..........and only I can choose my attitude?........huh. Well then, I choose to recommit myself and not lose sight of my goals. I'm making this journey for myself and for my future.
This week I am recommitting myself and to top it off, I agreed to do a 5K with a friend this summer. I am excited about this new venture, and I can't wait to start working my way towards this exciting step in my life!
One thing I do need this week for a boost is a comment! It does not need to be grandiose or anything big just a "hey I read your blog this week" . It helps to see how many people read this. It is very motivating to see that people are interested in what you are doing in your lives! I love to read the support of the awesome people in my life!

Veggies are Delish, and a Recipe you HAVE to try!

2009-02-22T08:32:00.000-08:00

So I ate lots of green veggies this week and I lost 2 lbs! So now I am 259 lbs.! Not a whole lot to report this week besides the fact that I ate vegetables in handfuls! For anyone who is making the recipes I post, here is one that you HAVE TO TRY!!!!! It is delicious, and it makes you see just how much chicken is in one breast. After pounding out one breast of chicken it looked like a bear claw. I thought, you know I could eat half of that and totally be satisfied. Also, I started tracking my points on weight watchers.com. Anyone that is trying to lose weight and not writing down the food you eat in a day, needs to start. After looking at everything that I have been eating day in and day out I see where my problem areas are and what time of day I get cravings. Try this recipe:

Pecan-Crusted Chicken

Makes 4 servings
Ingredients
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (1-1 ¼ pounds), trimmed (see Tip) ½ cup pecan halves or pieces¼ cup plain dry breadcrumbs1 ½ teaspoons freshly grated orange zest½ teaspoon salt¼ teaspoon ground chipotle pepper (see Note)1 large egg white2 tablespoons water1 tablespoon canola oil, divided
Pecan-Crusted Chicken Ingredients Cont.

Pecan-Crusted Chicken Instructions
1. Working with one piece of chicken at a time, place between sheets of plastic wrap and pound with a meat mallet or heavy skillet until flattened to an even 1/4-inch thickness.2. Place pecans, breadcrumbs, orange zest, salt and ground chipotle in a food processor and pulse until the pecans are finely ground. Transfer the mixture to a shallow dish. Whisk egg white and water in a shallow dish until combined. Dip each chicken breast in the egg-white mixture, then dredge both sides in the pecan mixture.3. Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add half the chicken and cook until browned on the outside and no longer pink in the middle, 2 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and cover to keep warm. Carefully wipe out the pan with a paper towel and add the remaining oil. Cook the remaining chicken, adjusting the heat as needed to prevent scorching. Serve immediately.
Pecan-Crusted Chicken Instructions Cont.

Pecan-Crusted Chicken Tips
Tip: It can be hard to find individual chicken breasts small enough for our recommended 4-ounce (uncooked) portion size. If yours are closer to 5 ounces each, remove the tender (about 1 ounce) from the underside to get the correct portion size. Wrap and freeze the leftover tenders; when you have gathered enough, use them in a stir-fry, for chicken fingers or in soups.Note: Chipotle peppers are dried, smoked jalapeño peppers. Ground chipotle can be found in the specialty spice section of most supermarkets.
Pecan-Crusted Chicken Tips Cont.

Pecan-Crusted Chicken Nutrition Information
Per serving: 281 calories; 15 g fat (2 g sat, 8 g mono); 66 mg cholesterol; 7 g carbohydrate; 29 g protein; 2 g fiber; 430 mg sodium; 376 mg potassium.Nutrition bonus: Selenium (34% daily value), good source of omega-3s.1/2 Carbohydrate ServingExchanges: 1/2 starch, 4 lean meat, 1/2 fat
Pecan-Crusted Chicken Nutrition Information Cont.

Enjoy!

Heavy Lifting

2009-02-15T07:09:00.000-08:00

I am conflicted on the way I feel about strength training and weight lifting. On the one hand, I know that when you work your muscles you burn more fat and strengthen your bones. On the other hand, you gain a little weight for the first week and then you have to keep on trudging through that frustration to get to the desired effect. This week I started weight training and that meant a few things for me. The first, is that I had to shorten my cardio which means I had to make it extra hard. Instead of and hour, I worked as hard as I could for 45 minutes. I Sweated like a pig, but it felt awesome! Next I did crunches, back lifts, side lifts, and leg machines. I went to work feeling good and strong, sat all day long and then woke up the next morning........... not being able to move! I guess this is expected the first time you do weights when you haven't done them in a long time. So I do feel a sense of accomplishment even though my weight stayed exactly the same, 261 lbs. I am going to blame it on my muscles growing so big and strong.
The goal for this week is to eat more vegetables. I get all my servings of fruit in every day but I know I am lacking in veggies. This is an experiment to see how they effect my diet. For those of you who don't get enough in your diet here is a great way to get spinach in. I know there are a lot of you that drink attain shakes, and I am on the attain train as well. When you go to make your shake put a handful of spinach with your shake in the blender. I am serious when I say you CANNOT taste the spinach, it does make your shake green, but I repeat you CANNOT taste the spinach! It gives you a lot of extra fiber, vitamins, and nutrients.
And now for the recipe for the week:

White Bean Chicken Chili

1lb. Chicken Breasts
3 cans White Beans
1 can diced Green Chili's
1 cut yellow onion
cumin, salt, and pepper to taste
2 cans chicken broth

What I do is a take frozen chicken and cut onions and cook it in the crock pot for about 5 hours. Then I shred the chicken and add the remainder ingredients and cook for another hour. Sorry I don't have more precise measurements for the spices, but when it comes to cooking I cook like my mom. I keep adding until it tastes good. You can add as little or as much as you desire of the broth, it just depends on how thick or soupy you want it. This is low fat, if you want a little more fat you can add light sour cream and mozzarella cheese, but I promise it tastes very yummy without it.

I hope everyone had a fun valentines and a little shout out, Dustin I love you, you are the peanut butter to my jelly!

Fun With Food Storage

2009-02-08T09:45:00.000-08:00

So I had a productive Saturday. My wonderful friend Teralyn asked me over to make homemade granola (which I have never made). It was fun and tasty. Check out this sealing contraption that Teralyn borrowed from her ward. This thing was serious, keep you hands and arms inside the ride at all times. You can't see it but there is a pedal on the floor that when you press it with your foot the sealer slams down on bag and heats it to seal it shut. It was a pretty scary machine, but me and Teralyn had fun doing food storage and now I have granola and potato flakes for a few years. This year I also vow to learn how to can peaches and such. More pictures to come!

Cherry Chocolates and Laffy Taffies!

2009-02-08T08:43:00.000-08:00

So does the title get your attention. I know your probably thinking I fell off the wagon, but I didn't! 1 lb gone, I am now 261lbs. I am happy this is coming off slowly, and its because I know I am not depriving myself of the things I enjoy. This has made it so much easier to stick to it. The word is MODERATION, say it with me M-O-D-E-R-A-T-I-O-N. This week I ate a few cherry chocolates and laffy taffies.
Every other Wednesday this woman we call the mountain chick comes into our office. She drives around a truck with a camper full of candy and treats. She is such a nice lady that we all have a hard time saying no. So what I did is I got some sugar treats that I have medium feelings for. I like them but I could also do without them. I know, your thinking if you could do without them, then why not do without them. This is an unrealistic goal for me every now and again I have to have something sugary and if I have candy around that I have mediocre feelings for then I am less likely to eat the whole bag. That way I can have a portion size feed that craving and move on. So I got cherry chocolates and laffy taffies. Then I put them in the break room (not at my desk) so that A. I wouldn't keep putting my hands in the "candy drawer" and lose track of how many I was eating and B. I would have to walk back and forth between the break room and my desk anytime I wanted some. Baby steps people. Maybe one day I will be able to give up candy all together. What a great dream!
Thank you, thank you, thank you, for all the great comments last week. Once again I have the most wonderful support system and I get warm fuzzies every time I read your comments. YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!
Great recipe that I tried this week is Kung-poa Chicken. If you like spicy food, and I do mean SPICY then try out this recipe:

Kung Pao Chicken

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut up
1 T cornstarch
1 tsp. oil
3 T chopped green onions
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ to 1 ½ tsp. crushed red pepper
¼ to ½ tsp. ginger
2 T wine vinegar
2 T soy sauce
2 tsp sugar
1/3 c unsalted, dry roasted peanuts
4 c hot cooked rice

Combine chicken and cornstarch in a small bowl. Toss to coat. Heat oil in skillet or wok on medium-high heat. Add chicken. Stir fry 5-7 minutes until no longer pink in center. Remove from skillet. Add onions, garlic, red pepper and ginger to skillet. Stir fry 15 seconds. Remove from heat. Combine vinegar, soy sauce, and sugar in small bowl. Stir well. Add to skillet. Return chicken to skillet. Stir until well coated. Stir in nuts. Heat thoroughly, stirring. Serve over hot rice. Makes 4 servings.

Serve over brown rice for some fiber. It is colorful and delicious! If you have any easy recipe's that are healthy please feel free to email them or post them in the comments.

One Month Down!

2009-02-01T16:27:00.000-08:00

Yes!!!! It has been 1 month since I started my venture. Do I feel better? Yes. Has this been a rough month? Yes. Do I hate asking my own questions and feeling like I'm talking to myself? Definitely. This week my body decide to throw me off a little and lose 2 lbs. I am now 262. The gym is a wonderful thing, it you don't work out I highly suggest it. There is nothing like the end of a workout, I wish I could keep that feeling all day long. It is great when the people at the front desk know who you are and you start to feel the bond with the people who are with you at 5:00 am come rain or shine. A surprising twist: Dustin accompanied me two times to the gym, and not begrudgingly!
So I 'm sure everyone has those goals that start to fizzle and then something happens that makes you go, "oh yea, that's why I'm doing this". I had one of those weeks.
Dustin and I recently applied for Life Insurance. After asking all the really embarrassing questions, height, weight and what not, there is the time where it is a waiting game. This week I got the test results back and they were less than desirable. Now, I'm no dummy, I knew that my results would not be wonderful. I know my ideal body weight for my height, I knew this was not going to be good. Table 4. I know this doesn't make sense to everyone, but a table 4 is not good! I mine as well be a 60 year old smoker. I called our Life center because I am new to life insurance and I wanted to make sure I knew exactly why I was a table 4 so that if I was ever in a situation with a client I knew what was going on. Poor Elizabeth. You could tell she knew exactly why i had been classified a table 4 and that she was trying to break the news to me as lightly as she could. Finally I said "Look, Elizabeth, I know I am not the ideal body type for super preferred, or even preferred for that matter, I only want to now the exact process so that it can help me with my job". She eased after I told her this and it made the rest of the conversation much easier.
Just another reminder why I am doing this, a long and healthy life.
Now, to all that are reading my blog, here is a little chewing out! Please LEAVE A COMMENT! You have no idea how much I look forward to them. These do help fuel me daily, and I promise I read them more than once. And of course, thank you to all who leave comments they have been so helpful! Here's to another great week!

I am thankful this week and this is why.......

2009-01-25T07:47:00.000-08:00

So this week I had another 1 lb loss, and I am thankful for that! This week was Dustin's 32nd birthday. I love my husband sooooooooo much and he is supportive of all the ventures I go on. So, on the 21st when I was getting ready for his birthday I decided I would break tradition this year and go to safeway and get him an individual piece of cake so I wouldn't have to eat any. After telling one of my co-workers this plan she said "you can't buy him a peice of cake it's tradition that you make him one!" After feeling the guilt trip of how I love my husband so much and I should bake him a homemade cake with love, I went to the store and bought the ingredients to make him a delicious birthday cake. He loved it and ate about a third of the pan of cake. I thought to myself you can stay away from the cake for a day while he's at work. I had an insurance class that I was attending the next day and if any of you have ever been to a sales meeting you know that they put all sorts of candy (valentines day candy, the best!) in front with your name tag and they think that all this candy is suppose to halp you stay awake and pay attention. The only thing it did for me is think about how I was not going to give into the temptaion of the candy through the whole meeting. I hope nobody asks me to recap that meeting, because I'm pretty sure I could only rattle out every type of candy that was sitting in front of me. Next, came lunch, pizza.......awesome (sarcastic). Who planned this meeting? So I tried to find the two smallest slices of pizza and ate those, even though I wanted to take a box back to my seat and pig out. Then came the clincher, we got done early, around 2:15, and I made my way home feeling good about all the temptation I had bypassed. I walked into my house and there it was......... the biggest enemy of all........ the birthday cake from hell. A girl can only take so much. I pulled out a fork and set up shop in front of that badboy. I ate about a third of that pan of cake and felt a little ill. After drinking a gallon of water to help flush the sugar through my viens, I looked at the damage I had done to that cake and vowed that I am going to have to find another tradition for my beloved husband. Any suggestions?
Anyway, that is why I am thankful for my 1 lb loss, which now makes me 264 lbs. After this weeks craziness I am thankful to have lost anything. I realize everyone has weak moments and as long as you try again the next day you can move past them. Progress not perfection!

My Freakin Awesome Cat!

2009-01-19T18:08:00.000-08:00

This is my cat kitty. As most of you know I am not a cat lover....... until now. My cat is hilarious! As I speak she is trying to get in my laptop case so that she has a place to hide. When I was studying for my licensing exams I had to use the laptop to take on-line practice tests. I would have the laptop on all day and it would get really warm. One day when I was taking a break and I walked away for about 10 minutes, then I started to hear little dings and that sounded like someone was touching the keyboard keys. I ran into my room to see kitty wanting to sit on the warm laptop (she also sits on the dryer when I am drying laundrey.) I had to try and be really still when I took the photo's because I was laughing my head off!!! She is such a sweet cat and she even suffers through me cradling her in my arms like she's my child. We love her so much!

2009-01-19T18:03:00.001-08:00

So this is the first picture, I don't think I will post a pictue every week, probably once a month. The balck is slimming I think.......hmmmmmm?

I am not on the biggest loser!

2009-01-18T11:36:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I don't know how many of you watch the biggest loser, but it is one of my favorite shows. When I got on the scale this morning I have to keep reminding myself that I am not on biggest loser, I REPEAT, I AM NOT ON BIGGEST LOSER. looking down at the scale this morning and seeing the number 265 I was thinking I am SO getting voted off the show, and then I remind myself with my little chant that I am not on the biggest loser! Where is my 20 lb. loss? OH, that's right I am my own personal trainer and I only have an hour to work out everyday not 8.
Now, to anyone who is reading this it may sound like I'm having a struggle and sounding negative, but I promise you I am still positive. I am in this for the long haul and realize that it is a lifestyle change and not a diet. When I told Dustin that I only lost a pound he said that I should lie and put 2 pounds on the blog because it wouldn't be lieing if you hadn't taken your daily shadoobie. TMI, I know!!!! But this blog is all about honesty and if I gained I would put I gained. Besides, 1 lb. is still success. Slowly but shirley I will get there.

Successes:
1. Went to the gym 4 times and worked my booty off @ 4:30 in the morning, it still amazes me everytime my alarm clock goes off.
2. 1 lb. loss!
3. My pants do feel a little looser. It could be in my head, but it makes me feel good anyway!

Top 3 albums to listen to at the gym:
1. Paramore, Riot
2. Britney Spears, Circus (Normally I wouldn't listen to her but it is a guilty pleasure!)
3. Muse, any album, they rock!

Best dinner this week: Turkey meatloaf, yummy!

What a Great First Week!!!!

2009-01-11T07:22:00.000-08:00

So I just want to say that I am so blessed with such a supportive family and great friends. I loved to read all the great comments and they really helped gear me up!

This week was great! My weight this week is 266! Five pounds down! Wow, that's a lot of exclamation points. One of the great things about eating the foods that fuel is your craving level. After 3 days of eating fruits and vegetables, exercising, and drinking plenty of water, it was easier to say no to the cravings that snuck up. Working out was a challenge, on Monday when I walked out of my house @4:45 it was 3 degrees!

I found some great recipe's online on cooks.com. My recipe of the week is easy sweet and sour chicken:

6 chicken breasts
8 oz. apricot preserves
1 bottle Russian dressing
1 pkg. dry onion soup mix

Mix together the last 3 ingredients. Place chicken in casserole and pour over chicken. Cook, covered at 350 degrees for 2 hours.

Serve it over brown rice and it is amazing! It is also low in fat.

I will post a picture as soon as I get a new cord for my camera.

Okay, so on to different things, because this blog is not just for weight loss, but also for things that are going on in me and Dustin's life. So I finally finished all of my licensing with Statefarm and this week I am proud to say that I did my own auto application all by myself!!! I know this doesn't really make sense to everyone, but the application is a real process that takes getting use to and it takes some time to be able to do one yourself. This job has been a learning process from the beginning since it is unlike any other job I've ever had. Everyday it feels like I learn something new and making mistakes has been something that I have to take in stride. I am used to knowing my job and correcting other people's mistakes and now I'm at the bottom trying to learn a lot of information. I'm staying positive it will not always be like this. Even my worst days in insurance is better than retail.

2009-01-04T10:57:00.000-08:00

I forgot the most important part!!! My current weight as of Sunday January 4th is (deep breath) 271 lbs. My all time high. This is going to be hard but great year!

Bring in the new year with a blog!

2009-01-04T10:17:00.000-08:00

Holy cow, who new starting a blog would only take less than five minutes! Now if I could only figure out how to get my pictures on it. My computer is ancient by the way.

So I figure that with a new year, it was a good time to get into blogging. The new year brings in a lot of those pesky new years resolutions, and yes, I will be with everyone tomorrow morning at the gym to work off the holiday food. My goal is to be one of the gym goers that actually keeps going in February. That is one of the reasons I have started this blog because I want to try and track my journey this coming year. This year is going to start out like every year, I make a goal to lose weight and I'm going to do really well for the first 16 pounds. But then I get stressed or I get lazy and don't plan, or I go on vacation and indulge, because that is what you are suppose to do on vaca.......right? Not this year. This is where this new blog comes in. My new years resolution is to document my weight loss, and not just in a private journal so only I can see. I want to be held accountable for my actions and I want everyone who visits my blog to know my successes and my not so successes (no matter how embarrassing!). Most of all, I need support. I will update this blog every sunday and let you know where I am. Yes, I will be letting you know exactly how much I weigh. Comments are greatly appreciated and words of encouragment are needed. I will also post a picture of myself every week to track the weight loss (don't worry I will be fully clothed!).

So what does everyone think? Sound like a plan? I hope that I can count on everyones support and I hope everyone is having a great start to their new year!