Black Bean and Rice Enchiladas

Black Bean and Rice Enchiladas

Ingredients

1 green pepper, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (14-1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes and green chilies
1/4 cup picante sauce
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 cups cooked brown rice
8 flour tortillas (6 inches), warmed
1 cup salsa
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Directions

In a large nonstick skillet, saute the green pepper, onion and garlic in oil until tender. Add the beans, tomatoes, picante sauce, chili powder, cumin and red pepper flakes; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, until heated through and mixture thickens. Add rice; cook 5 minutes longer or until heated through.

Spoon a rounded 1/2 cup down the center of each tortilla. Fold sides over filling and roll up. Place in a 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish coated with cooking spray. Spoon salsa over each tortilla. Cover and bake at 350° for 25 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with cheese and cilantro. Bake 2-3 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Yield: 8 servings.

Nutritional Analysis: 1 enchilada equals 271 calories, 6 g fat (2 g saturated fat), 10 mg cholesterol, 638 mg sodium, 43 g carbohydrate, 5 g fiber, 12 g protein.
Diabetic Exchanges: 2-1/2 starch, 1 lean meat, 1 vegetable.

Made on Sept 17, 2010.

Variations: I didn't have a small can of black beans and I thought that the recipe as written would be too spicy for Aaron and Jared with the ro-tel. So, I used ranch style beans (not drained) and 4 fresh roma tomatoes. I think that was an excellent choice. There was still a bite to the burritos because of the salsa, but it wasn't so spicy that it wasn't edible. I really liked the cheese and cilantro on top. Sour cream would have made another nice edition, but ours had gone bad. Oops.

Review: Aaron didn't touch them, but everyone else seemed to like them. This was perfect because it used up the rice in the fridge from the stir fry I made at the beginning of the week. I also had used all the chicken in the pasta dish from last night, so the meatless aspect worked. Although, Matthew was expecting chicken so that was a bit disappointing for him.

Chicken Pasta Primavera

Chicken Pasta Primavera

Ingredients

6 ounces uncooked spaghetti
1 can (10-3/4 ounces) reduced-fat reduced-sodium condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
3/4 cup water
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1-1/2 teaspoons dried basil
3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 package (16 ounces) frozen California-blend vegetables, thawed
4 cups cubed cooked chicken breast
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, combine the soup, water, lemon juice, basil, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Stir in vegetables; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 3-5 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Stir in chicken; heat through. Drain spaghetti; add to chicken mixture and toss to coat. Sprinkle with cheese. Yield: 6 servings.

Nutritional Analysis: 1-1/3 cups equals 342 calories, 5 g fat (2 g saturated fat), 78 mg cholesterol, 526 mg sodium, 36 g carbohydrate, 4 g fiber, 35 g protein.
Diabetic Exchanges: 4 very lean meat, 2 starch, 1 vegetable.

Made on Sept 16, 2010 for missionaries. I doubled the amount of veggetables because the four cups of chicken was a LOT of chicken! Apparently it was a good thing because the missionaries absolutely DEVOURED it! Everyone seemed to like it - except Aaron who is going through a phase where he's against chicken (at least boneless/skinless cubed chicken).

Family Pleasing Sloppy Joes

Family Pleasing Sloppy Joes

Ingredients

1 pound lean ground turkey
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon prepared mustard
1 tablespoon barbecue sauce
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
6 sandwich buns, split

Directions

In a large nonstick skillet, cook the turkey and onion over medium heat until turkey is no longer pink; drain if necessary. Add garlic; cook for 1-2 minutes or until tender.

Stir in the sugar, flour and pepper. Add the ketchup, mustard, barbecue sauce and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 5-10 minutes or until heated through. Serve on buns. Yield: 6 servings.

Nutritional Analysis: 1 sandwich equals 388 calories, 11 g fat (4 g saturated fat), 60 mg cholesterol, 969 mg sodium, 52 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 22 g protein.
Diabetic Exchanges: 3-1/2 starch, 2 lean meat.

Made on Sept 15, 2010. I used venison instead of turkey because that is what I had in my freezer. I really enjoyed these. Sloppy joes are one of those meals that everyone makes differently. I LOVE my mom's and it is always a treat to have them. So, I wasn't sure how these would fare, but I found myself craving them every day since then. We'd ate them on bread with cheese on top. YUM!

Light and Tasty 2006 Menu

Under Construction

Almost There

On the last leg of our roadtrip, we started calling our potty stops 'Mandatory Potty Breaks' requiring all passengers to go potty - including Aaron. Amazingly, Aaron complied and thus began our journey on the potty training path once again. It helped that he got a really bad diaper rash and Matthew told him that in order to avoid getting an owie diaper he needed to go potty in the toilet. We have some good days and bad days, but way more good days than bad. He is still unwilling to poop in the toilet, but he did get to a point where he'd tell us he needed to go potty. Although, about two days ago he all of a sudden developed a phobia with the toilet. It turns out that the idea of pipes in the toilet were scary to him. Guess who introduced him to pipes? The same person who is trying to train him to be an airbender or waterbender or whatever bender he feels suits him at the moment :p Anyway, today I finally got him to tell me it was the pipes that were worrying him, so I explained that pipes were helpers. And I'd give him chocolate if he went. Chocolate is magic :) We seem to be making our way back from the pipe scare.

update

I know I've been bad about updating. My life has been consumed by resuming piano lessons and school schedules. When I have felt like I had something to write, I didn't want to take the time it would take it to actually get it up on the blog. So, the moment passed and now I don't even remember what it was I had to say.

On August 31st I officially cancelled my WW subscription. I realized that losing weight was no longer my top priority, so there was no point in paying for a service I wasn't utelizing. I am still interested in losing weight, I am just not going to devote the energy to it that I had before. My hope at this point is to really not gain any more. Thankfully I've been doing well with that. Last Sunday my weight was the exact same as when I returned from vacation. I'm sure eating the free breakfast at Chik-fil-a every day stalled any hopes of weight loss, b/c this week there was no Chik-fil-a and I am pleased to report that I weighed in at 150.1!! Today I was back down to my end of school year weight. So my weight has caught up, but the inches haven't. I still have some extra fat that I acquired from my lack of discipline, but the daily exercise seems to be keeping the growth at bay at least. My SIL's biggest loser competition #3 started again today so I'll have some form of accountability.

I did really well with providing dinner the first week of school. This week was the pits. I really need to get a menu prepared and do some shopping. S inspired me this week. It's so nice to have a fridge full of leftovers to choose from, I want that again. I think menu planning would make a fine Sunday activity, don't you? :p

Weigh in

Ok, I'm a few days late, but here's how things stand with my weight:

Before I left, I weighed 150.8 on July 17th and 151.5 on July 18th. August 14th I was up to 156.7, but by Sunday, the 15th, I was down to 154.5. I weigh myself on the off scale every day, and until today I've been dropping. My guess is that it's all 'water-weight' because it's leaving my system so fast. I'm sure it helps that I've been more active since I've been home (and I'm not being fed delicious home cooked meals or fast food every day). Unfortunately (but not surprising) the extra padding I came home with isn't disappearing, but I'm hoping that will come off when we start walking again next week. yay! I'm secretly hoping that once we start walking regularly again I'll be able to drop these extra pounds quickly and even break the 150 barrier while I'm at it. We'll see though.

Back from the Vacated State

Well, after 3 1/2 weeks of eating whatever I wanted whenever I wanted, today it was back to the grind - kind of. I tried to be good, but I'm so out of practice that my body revolted a little bit. I got up with Matthew when he went to work and stayed up. So, breakfast was early and my little 3 point breakfast was scarce compared to the belgian waffle, sausage patty, egg, and juice I've enjoyed every day for a week. I tried to stay busy though and didn't eat again until 11. The boys wanted french toast and eggs, so I had one french toast w/ jam for lunch, plus a half cup of cereal mix for a snack. Then around 4 I was starving, so I shared our leftovers from Mamacitas with the boys. It was 1/4 beef and cheese quesadilla with a little bit of refried beans and rice. Dinner was at 6 ish and I made whole grain spaghetti (thank you Kim) with sauce and green beans. I was surprised at how tasty the spaghetti was and that the noodles cook up white just like regular spaghetti. I did have a few other snacks in the day - another 1/2 c of cereal mix, one starburst candy, several slices of bread, 100 cal cupcake (1 pt)w/ milk.... But considering all this, I still think I did pretty good today compared to my eating habits on the trip.

I had a mental bet going on how many pounds I gained from this trip. My clothes that had been baggy are now fitting better and when I walk I can feel the jiggle. The optomistic side of me was figuring 5 pounds but the realist side said 10. Just for the heck of it I weighed myself last night and the off scale said 158. I took it with a grain of salt b/c it was the end of the day, so I re-weighed this morning and was only 155.8. I had hoped to weigh on the Wii for a more accurate result, but it wouldn't work. I'll do an official weigh in tomorrow morning now that Matthew has fixed the problem. So for now, I'll say both sides won.

School starts on the 23rd, so I look forward to getting back into an exercise routine. I figure if I can just worry about getting my body used to not eating so much again, I'll be better off than I was and hopefully the weight will disappear as easily as it materialized.

Charity Never Faileth

We are visiting relatives who are not LDS, but are surrounded - literally surrounded - by those who are. Of these members, one is a drug addict, another is a cheat, and another is busy with 5 children and has no time for an elderly neighbor. A major political figure in the town is also LDS and apparently not a good representation for the church either. Another member works with one of these relatives and hardly ever comes to work. Glowing reports, eh? Today the lesson in Relief Society was on friendship - ironic considering the report I'm getting from my non-LDS family. The teacher literally told us that she does not make friends out of the church because they are boring. WHAT?! I so wanted to call her on her attitude, but she didn't see my hand. I too struggle to maintain friendships with those who are not members of the church, but it is because *I* am the one lacking, not them. With my family being surrounded by members, I can't help but think that there is a great opportunity here but because of the poor example of others there is a sour taste in their mouths. It makes me sad and upset.

I am thinking more and more that though we have so much to offer with the knowledge that we have, we do a poor job of living our beliefs. I am in such awe at the level of service rendered by this family to each other as well as to the community. I am so grateful for my family's humbling example of selflessness and loyalty to each other. As a result of this visit, I have a desire to be more involved in my community and to get to know my neighbors. We have a responsibility to do so. It's easy to make excuses because we're busy with our church lives and raising our family, but how will our children learn if we don't set the example for them? And how will we change the lives of those around us if we aren't a part of their sphere?

On Vacation

I wish that I had internet access readily accessible more often. I've needed to talk food so badly. Vacation and car travel are a great challenge to losing or maintaining weight loss. The good news is that by being in the mountains I automatically lose 5 pounds on the scale. I wish that it translated to the body too. Though I still need to wear a belt, my pants are getting tighter. I've pretty much eaten whatever I've wanted and how much I wanted. It's kind of nice to take the mental break, but I know it will make it that much harder to return to a healthy diet when we get home. The good news is that my exercise routine will start again in just 3 weeks. But it stinks to have to redo what I undid.

Last week marked the end of the BL2 challenge. Unfortunately I wasn't able to weigh in an accurate weight, so I have no idea how it ended for me. And by the time I get home in another 2 weeks, I'm sure I'll have gained at least 5 pounds. Oh well.

Ode to Joy

Today marks the day of 'what might have been' had it been the Lord's will. Although, with the way my births have gone, I probably would have delivered this weekend or earlier. This date (July 12th) has loomed in the back of my mind for days, but for the moment there is no real sadness in those thoughts. It is surreal to think that there could have been a new baby being integrated into our family right now. Our experiences of the last seven months would have been drastically different than what they were - and not always for the better judging how I was when I was pregnant with Aaron.

As I mowed the lawn this morning, I began compiling an "I am so blessed" list in my mind. From the mundane and trite to the not so much so, here is what I've come up with so far (in no particular order)....

1) I can mow the lawn myself instead of waiting on someone else to do it.
2) I can keep up with my boys.
3) I am not in constant pain.
4) I am able to love on my boys without having to divide my attention among three (or four if you count Matthew in there too ;) ) and enjoy their relationship with each other as best friends.
5) I am able to go on an insane 3 1/2 week long cross-country road trip at the end of the month.
6) I am able to maintain and even enlarge my piano teaching business.
7) I've been able to spend the last seven months working on getting to my goal weight (and largely succeeding).
8) Though there are moments of sadness - usually spurred by hormone changes, the Lord has given me peace.
9) We don't have to worry about doctor bills we can't pay.
10) I have incredible friends and family who have loved me and supported me in a myriad of ways.
11) We weren't really ready anyway.
12) If it had to happen, the timing and events couldn't have been better.
13) My body held on to that fetus as long as possible to give it every chance to grow if it were going to grow, so that there was no wondering or opportunity for me to think "if only"
14) There are so many others who've waited a LONG time for a baby who are getting one this summer, and I'd gladly give up my turn for them.
15) I can sleep on my back. or side. or tummy. Heck, I get to sleep!!

The list could go on and on. The Lord is mindful of me - of us. I am so grateful once again for a loving doting Father in Heaven who has encircled me in the arms of His love, allowed me to mourn, and then show me a new way. He knew of my goal to be 150 when I got pregnant again, and when I didn't succeed the first time, He gave me a second chance. I'm not saying that's why I miscarried, just that the Lord does care about what we want and will help provide a way for us to accomplish our goals. Of all things, I am grateful for my Father in Heaven and my knowledge of the plan of salvation. And through the Atoning sacrifice of our Savior, we were able to be sealed together in the temple as a forever family. How blessed I am!

An update - Finally!

I'm alive, really! My apologies for neglecting you, and unfortunately this will be a short - ha ha - update as the hour is once again drawing late, and I need to start going to bed at a decent hour.

First off, I want to thank all of you who have commented on my pictures and commended me on my efforts. I appreciate that support very much. All of your thoughtful words have meant a great deal to me :)

One of the purposes behind all the pictures was to help keep me motivated, but unfortunately instead I got comfy in my clothes ... and all of a sudden I don't care about point values... and too much sugar doesn't make me ill anymore :/ Two weeks passed without any exercise, and though the scale has been gracious, I can feel my body getting comfy with all that food I've consumed.

The Lord is amazing. He is such a loving doting Father, and so often He helps me fulfill my every desire. There is no doubt that He wants me to reach my goal - maybe even more than I do :p - because I wanted it. One of the setbacks I've had is staying up way later than is reasonable, so by the time I get up, the morning is gone and I'm too tired to excercise - or too busy with the needs of the day. So, Friday night I was thinking to myself that it would be really nice if I could get up with Matthew in the morning when he leaves for work and exercise - like my routine used to be. I have tried that a couple of times in the last few weeks, but was too tired to do anything so I should have just stayed in bed. It would have been more productive. But anyway, Saturday morning I woke up at 7 am feeling so refreshed and wanting to work out. I debated the treadmill or P90X, but I settled on the P90X (cardioX) because it's a full body workout and all the places I'm feeling the need is where I'd be working it with the video. I was able to do the *whole* video. Before I'd kind of get lazy with some of the yoga positions, but I did it all! I was really sweaty at the end, but I was pretty proud of myself for being able to make it through the whole video and not feel the effects of it (though I certainly did today). And the whole rest of the day kind of fell into place too. I actually made dinner! I finished a baby carrier, did a TON of laundry, the dishes - the whole day was productive. It was like I found myself again. It was really nice. I know it was with the help of the Lord that it happened.

Down to business - Weigh ins (because it needs to be updated):

July 4th 151.2
July 10th 151.0

It's only a .2 difference, but I'll take it!! It's a loss!

I'll be going on a 3 1/2 weeks long road trip in a few weeks, so I'm anxious about how that will work out. I expect there's a chance that by the time I get home I'll be in the 'Hello clothes I just quit wearing b/c you were too big. I fit in you again' stage. Eating and road trips just go hand in hand. *sigh*

Hello and Goodbye

Instead of going back to sleep this morning, I got up and have done a whole lot of nothing. One of those bits of nothing is playing dressup with the clothes in the closet. I tried on just about every article of clothing I own to determine it's status. Some of them I already knew wouldn't fit, but I put them on to say goodbye to them. So, in honor of my weight loss journey, here's a few (ok, more than a few) pictures as I stroll down memory lane and find clothes to make new memories with (sorry some of them are so fuzzy and the lighting is bad):

Clothing over the years-

You know those weight loss commercials where the person who lost the weight shows their old huge pants? I always doubted their authenticity b/c it would be easy enough to purchase a pair of pants for the commercial. But, here's my version. These really are the pants I wore. These are a size 26W. As I pulled these out today, I realized it is no wonder that my YW don't recognize me. In fact, at a recent Relief Society activity one of my young women was standing right next to me and didn't know who I was until she heard my voice.


Early on in our marriage after I'd started gaining weight, there was a day when Matthew put my pants on just for the heck of it. Both of his legs fit in one of my pant legs. It was a bit devastating to me, but it didn't stop the weight gain. Twelve years later now both of my legs can fit in them too!


Growing up, one of the things I wanted was a denim dress or skirt. The first year that Texas had its sales tax holiday, I found this denim dress at Montgomery Wards. I was so thrilled and excited to FINALLY have one of my own, and I wore it all the time! It's a size 20W.




Matthew's cousin's bar mitzvah was in November of 2006, and my mother in law was kind enough to support a trip to Maryland to celebrate with them. Part of that support was some funds to purchase a new outfit for the occasion. I settled on this blouse, size XL:




I had a previously purchased black skirt to go with that blouse, but wanted another blouse that fit the style. I found this 1X blouse at Dress Barn:




This was the first blouse I purchased when I started losing weight a couple of years ago. I was so proud of myself because it was only a 14/16W. I bought it for a Dining Out (formal military dinner) in 2007 or '08. By the way, the black skirt in the following pictures is the aforementioned black skirt - size 20W.




I found this blouse in JcPennys during the sales tax holiday. It's a size Petite XL




Another Dining Out blouse. It's a size Large from Dress Barn. This one was last year's (May 2009)




This velvet blouse was a garage sale leftover. I've been wanting one just like this, so I was more than happy to put it in my closet. It has yet to be worn for a special occassion, but when the time comes it is ready and waiting :) It is a size Medium.




One of my favorite items of clothing that I will be sad to see leave my wardrobe. It is a size 12 jacket, but it fits big so I could wear it when I was a size 16. Now that I'm closer to a 10/12, it hangs on me. The blouse had also become a standard in my Sunday attire.



Size 12 Jeans - Levi 550 and Riders Relaxed (unfortunately the camera didn't focus so great, so it's really hard to see. Sorry)




Size 10 spandex pants. wow!



For Sharon -

I will never wear these clothes because they are not me, but it was kind of fun to put them on and see that they fit.



Again, these pants are not my style. But, I suppose with the right blouse even these could pass off as a decent wear (but they are too big and are staying in the 'give-away' pile.


For my mom -

Mom made this dress for me when I was a young woman (teenage years). It is yellow with age and sweat stains, but it hangs in my closet out of respect for the memories and love in it. It's kind of fun to know that I could fit in it again. Doesn't it say 90s all over it?!




I dared to open the maternity box today too. When I was pregnant this winter and outgrowing my regular pants, none of my clothes fit. My maternity ones were too big and my regular ones were too small. I have a size 10 and size 12 panel pants in the box that I tried on today. The size 10 fit perfectly and the size 12 were too big. So, when I get pregnant again, at least I know I have one pair that I can use at least and another that would work in a pinch. Although, I think I have enough clothes I've shrunk out of that I probably won't really need maternity clothes at all.

Now having assessed my wardrobe, I don't feel quite so frustrated or out of control. Though most of my Sunday skirts are a size 16, they can pass as wearable for the time being because they fit at my hips - like low riders. I do need Sunday blouses though. So, when I shop, I'll have something specific to look for :)

Modestly Yours

Women who are truly comfortable with their bodies don't have to prove anything to anyone, and they know it. They understand that their value doesn't come from other people's acceptance, but from their own. The women who are most in control of their bodies, I believe, are the ones who don't have to make any apologies for withholding something from others.

My cousin introduced me to this blog awhile back, and I love her discussions. The above quote comes from a discussion about the nude body being portrayed as a work of art and how that falls with modesty. Her statements resonates with me.

I highly recommend a visit to her blog. She has some great topics regarding modesty and our modern world.

Here we go again....

Well, I ran out of diaper liners so the CD are on the back burner. I should have just ordered some new ones because the price of 100 of those is the same as a package of 30 diapers. But, I didn't. So, we're in sposies for the time being.

Yesterday we had an interesting experience though that has set us back on the potty traing (PT) path. I sent Jared to shower in preparation for his trip to OK with Matthew. Aaron wanted to shower too, but I wasn't going to really help him in his efforts. He had gotten his shorts and diaper off by the time Jared finished in the tub, so he ended up spending some time just in his shirt. Oh he was so excited about being naked. Then all of a sudden he started pleading for a diaper. I recognized that he wanted the diaper to go potty in, so I told him that if he needed to go potty he had to go use the toilet. He still wanted a diaper, but once I offered him candy for using the toilet he took off without any complaint! Sure enough, he went potty in the toilet. The rest of the day he did pretty good too. We went over to my parents' house and I wondered how that would go, but he stood at the toilet and went with the no problem! YAY! We did go out in public, and though he tried to use the toilet, he just couldn't. I'm impressed he was willing to try at least.

This morning the first thing he said to me was that he peed in the bed - meaning he wet his diaper. He used the toilet a couple of times today, but he went in his diaper more. It'd be kind of cool if he were PT by the time Matthew and Jared get home, but I doubt we'll be that successful. And actually, now would not be the best time to be PT because we're having a huge road trip at the end of July. Aye that could make for a longer drive if we have to stop and take him potty that often. We'll see though. This is about the time that Jared got potty trained too.

Mixed Review

After eating ice cream and a macadamia nut cookie late last night, I thought for sure my weigh in wouldn't go quite so great today. My pre-weigh-in weigh in looked promising though b/c the 'off' scale showed me at 149.4. I used to feel pretty confidant it accurately measured the trend, even if the actual weight was off, but then I had that one weigh-in recently where there was a 3 or 4 pound difference. So, since then I've taken that weight with a heavy dose of salt instead of just a grain. Anyway, apprehensively I did my Wii Weigh-in and was pleasantly surprised to see my weight had not changed at all from the day before. YAY!! 150.1 was today's weight. I'm not sure if it would really count as reaching my goal because it's .1 off, but it's pretty dang close! I think I mentioned yesterday that I'd feel satisfied that I really did reach my goal if I can either maintain or lose another pound for next week's weigh in. The Lettuce Eat Cake round 2 ends July 1st, so we'll see how I stand for that before I call it.

Now, having said all that.... that was the exciting part of the day. I went to get ready for church and just ended up feeling so frustrated. It doesn't matter whether clothes are too tight or too big, it's hard to be comfortable when your clothes don't fit. I didn't feel like being cute today. I wanted to be comfortable, and the one skirt I felt like I could be comfortable in was hanging off my hips, and I had a hard time finding a blouse long enough to go with it. I even tried on blouses that have been given to me recently and they're too big. It made me wonder if losing weight was really worth it. Silly thoughts I know. The answer is - yes it is and it's time to go shopping! But I really didn't feel like going shopping. I wanted my clothes that I have grown comfortable with and loved. I remembered the blue skirt I made had been washed and was hanging up in my closet. Apparently next time I make a skirt, I need to remember to account for shrinkage.

The other day at playgroup we thought it would be fun to do a closet trade or something along those lines. Just go through each other's closets and 'shop' the clothes that no longer fit. We've all got wide ranges of clothes - whether too big or too small - that we haven't parted with but don't wear. This morning I was wishing I could do that. I was also wishing I hadn't given away all those size 10 clothes in December, but I had no idea at the time that I'd just be 7 months away from fitting in them. There's a reason I have a hard time parting with stuff.....

I mentioned to someone that I had a hard time finding something to wear this morning because my clothes are too big, and the response was sarcasm about having such a problem. I have come to realize that there comes a point where people stop rooting for you quite so much and feel more jealousy instead. I feel uncomfortable sharing excitement or milestones about my weight loss efforts (outside of my blog which was purposed for this journey) because I don't want to draw too much attention to it. When I had my big weight loss effort a few years ago, it seemed like all the ladies in the ward were on the same kick and it was a group effort. There was one person who began the trend and was like a beacon to us. If she can do it - and she looks great - we can too. I am grateful for her example and contagious enthusiasm. As someone who looked up to her for her accomplishments, I didn't really pay attention to anything other than her inspiration. I don't consider myself a beacon by any means, but I know my weight loss has been dramatic and heads turn as a result. I feel like at this point that it's not just my girl friends looking though, but some of the guys are too and it makes me uncomfortable. If I were single, it wouldn't bother me. But I am not. Instead I want to cover myself and hide. Where is that hijab again? Although I did have an experience yesterday at the store that made me laugh. I was at the end of an aisle with the cart on one side and the item I was looking at on the other side. I was taking up the whole area going back and forth between the cart and the products when I noticed an older man in a wheel chair waiting to get down the aisle. I told him I was sorry, and he responded, 'What are you sorry for?' I explained that I was apologizing for being in the way, to which he said something like, 'There's nothing to be sorry about when there's a pretty girl to look at while you wait.' It took me by surprise, and for some reason it didn't bother me. Maybe because I didn't know him and he was outspoken in his opinions.

Anyway, enough spewing. I had gone to Ross recently and browsed their clothes. I saw a lot of skirts and blouses I'd love to have hang in my closet but money is always an issue. I wondered this morning how I'd fund a new wardrobe. I don't know if it really is an answer to my musings, but someone approached me at church today about piano lessons - for 3 kids! One lesson for each of them would fund at least one new outfit - maybe 2. We'll see, but something has to happen about the clothes hanging in my closet.

Finish Line

I am nearing the finish line of my weight goal. Friday there was a 'bet' that I've reached my goal of 150. The Lettuce Eat Cake contest ends next week, and as of today I'm pretty dang close. 150.1 was my weigh in. yay me!! I'll accept it if I can maintain it over the next week.

New Effort Day 2

I spent yesterday running errands, so I took a break from the yard. My body was really stiff though. My hamstrings were so tight it felt funny to walk. Yes, pulling weeds is definitely a workout :p

Since I took a break yesterday, this morning I tackled the back yard. I trimmed a bunch of small tress that were growing around a big tree so that I could actually get to the grass. Then I mowed. I don't know how my piano student managed to be done so quickly when he mowed. It took me 45 minutes, but maybe I did a little more thorough job too. It's so nice to look out the windows at this point - both front and back - and see a nice looking yard. Well, a better-than-it-was looking yard. I still have a LOT of trimming to do in the back - and then hauling :p ugh

Now if only I felt like being so productive on the inside of my house too!

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I've decided I'm ready to do a little bit of clothes shopping, but I'm going to work from the inside out. I got some measuring done yesterday and the lady looked at me really funny when I told her what size I've been wearing. We had to explain that I've been losing weight because I think she thought I was crazy.

Being Realistic

My goal to exercise every day by walking or doing P90X really went out the window after day 1. This week I've decided to have a new plan of action. Although my exercise habit was effective (and essential) during the school year, there were times when it was frustrating for me because I wished I could have spent the morning working in the yard instead. Piano lessons pretty much went out the window this week, so I had more time in the mornings than I had expected. So, I went to work in the front yard. At the end of the school year, one of my students bartered lessons with lawn mowing. Now he is gone for the summer, so I need to stay on top of it. Plus, he didn't do the trimming or other yard tasks that ought to be done as well. The other night I was walking to our front door and realized we only had about 18 inches of our sidewalk visible. The rest was overgrown grass which bothered me a lot. The front flowerbed has been an eyesore for a while and way overgrown. Yesterday I went to work trimming and raking and weeding. My legs are sore from fighting with plants.

Today I mowed the lawn, trimmed the edges and pulled the rest of the grass up in the flowerbed. There is still alot of work to do in the front and the back is even worse. It is so nice to have the time to actually focus and WORK in the yard. I realized today that exercising in the same manner I had been may not be practical every day of the summer, so instead I will do what I want to do and accomplish two goals at once. I have long since believed that our bodies were meant to be used to work. The type of modern exercise we do is a counterfeit. It works, but we would be fit and healthy just by being involved in manual labor. Although I believe this, I am not very good at it. So this summer I want to spend my mornings working in the yard. By the time I get all the trimming done, it'll be time to make the rounds again ;p I think the backyard is going to take a lot of effort because the trees are so overgrown. Hopefully this effort will reduce the mosquito population as well.

I am hoping/thinking that by focusing my exercise efforts this way, I will see weight loss and more toned muscles in the areas that need it. I guess we can call this the work experiment :)

I love the freedom of summer. I find it ironic that I feel like I can accomplish more with school out and Jared home than when school is in session. I think I felt the opposite his first day of pre-k lol I guess our perspective changes over time. Either way, I am grateful for the freedom time allows me.

Yo-Yo and hijabs

So after weighing in at 155.3 yesterday, today I'm at 153.2. I feel like a yo-yo :p Of course, Friday night I did eat quite a bit. And yesterday. Well, I didn't eat a lot yesterday, just what I ate was high point - stuffed crust pizza. YUM! I only had 1 1/2 pieces but since the boys don't eat the crust, I eat their's. It's the best part!

Today I am wearing my new blue skirt. I managed to pull the waistline down to my waist. It fits, but boy is it tight. If I wore one of those tummy control top things I could probably get away with wearing it like that, but I don't feel like being that uncomfortable.

I feel a little bit vain and silly. I know that thinness is attractive, and I know that I have beauty potential. I felt like dressing up today since I'm wearing my new skirt, but as I was getting ready I wondered what the point really was. Matthew is working today, so it's not like I'm doing it for him. I don't want my efforts to cause trouble for others. As I was pondering this issue the other day, I realized the beauty of hijabs - the long robes that cover a woman while in public in the Muslim faith. It is not about oppression, but about intimacy and modesty. Only those who really need to know get to know. I was going to take a picture and add it to the post and hope for oohs and ahs and pats on the back, but I think I'll go scrub my face and change out of my clothes and into a long billowing robe instead.

Re-evaluating

Recent comments/conversations about my current stature gave me pause to look in the mirror - which I rarely do with true scrutiny - and wonder if I should re-evaluate my weight loss goals. I have heard, 'You're just skin and bones' and 'if you lose any more weight you'll look sick'. My response to the skin and bones comment is, I recognize that in parts of my body that really is the case - like my shoulders and across my upper chest and my face/neck - basically my upper body, but that is not where the problem area is. The weight is hanging around my upper thighs/hips - saddlebags - and belly. And then I show them my arm flap lol. Anyway, so I was wondering if 'they' were right. Am I skinny enough at this point? I think I could be ok with my belly. I think part of its current state is the result of having babies. I could live with it. My thighs, eh, they've been this way since birth. There's a reason my brothers called me thunder thighs. They have come down in size quite a bit, but no, I really am not satisfied with their current girth. Last night I was talking with a friend who ran into the same situation when she had lost weight. Ironically, it was about 155 pounds - about right where I am. Well, after today's weigh in, exactly where I am. As we discussed this issue, I explained that 150 is my goal, but I set WW at 140 in hopes that my weight will level out about 145. I realized in that moment, that if 150 is my bottom threshold, I will bounce back up to 160 with time. If I set 140 as my bottom threshold, then 150 will be the top and I will be in the range where I am satisfied. Basically I reaffirmed my goal - and after watching my weight trend for the last week, I need to keep going. It is the first week of summer and I'm already back where I was two weeks ago.

It's been suggested that maybe I need to do less cardio and more exercises that target my specific problem areas. I think I agree with the needing to target those trouble spots more. And as those areas shrink, the number on the scale will too. I guess that means I need to keep up my P90X :p I did it on Monday, but that was it. I just couldn't bring myself to do it the rest of the week. But I know from experience that it is what my body needs. ugh. lol

My exercise has been spotty this week. In the past when I've overeaten I'm able to soothe myself with the fact that I'll at least be exercising in the morning - or had exercised that day. But with the lazy days of summer, I can't depend on that excuse. Last night I indulged myself. I had the points for it too, so it isn't that bad, but I haven't had the consistent exercise this week to keep the weight-loss momentum going. The result was a 2 pound weight gain from last week. After my re-evaluation and realization that the only way I'm going to keep from backtracking is maintain some semblance of exercise, I guess I better 'just do it'.

Card Chart

In Jared's Kindergarten they use a card chart as a disciplinary tool. The color of each card has a set consequence with it, and they progress from one card to the next. Green means they were good all day. Yellow they were given a warning and had to sit in time out. Orange causes them to miss recess or centers. Red they are sent to the principle's office. Blue is a call to the parents. When they stay on green they get a superticket/sticker at the end of the day. If the whole class stays on green, they could fill a jar with marbles or some other thing. When the jar was actually filled they could watch a movie as a class. This system was very effective for Jared. So, we've wanted to use it at home too.

Matthew has been trying to figure out how we wanted to do our own card chart, and finally Sunday we did it. Here is the result:



I kind of winged it in the putting together, so I learned a lot as the project progressed. We had debated each person choosing a fabric for their pocket to individualize it, but we couldn't think of how to do it easily. By the end, I realized I could/should have used the bias tape to reinforce the pocket seems. In doing so, the edges of the individual fabrics would have been hidden. Oh well. Maybe there will be a next time.

We had a family vote on the fabric, and these pencils won.

Materials used:
fabric glue
fabric
clear plastic vinyl
bias tape (extra wide double hemmed)
grommets
matching thread

We measured the size of the fabric and vinyl and cut. We intended to just fold the vinyl up to create the pockets, but it was too challenging to get the bias tape over it, so I ended up cutting the pocket piece off so the vinyl would lay flat - much easier!! So, next time I would measure and cut the back piece and pocket piece separately. To help keep the fabric and vinyl lined up, I used the fabric glue to attach them together around the edges - just enough that the binding would hide it.

I did the pocket piece first. I attached the fabric to the vinyl with glue, then sewed binding only along the top. Next time, I would also add strips of the bias tape where I plan on sewing the pocket seams to create a more finished look as well as reinforce the seams. I'd probably glue them down so I could save the actual sewing to the end. Those strips would need to be done before attaching the top tape so that the ends would be hidden.

Once the pocket was prepared, I then attached it with pins to the back piece (which I'd already glued the fabric to the vinyl). Starting from the bottom, I pinned the bias tape along the outside of the whole chart. I put the edges all the way against the crease of the bias tape, but it didn't have to be that way if we needed more room on the pockets. After the binding was pinned, I sewed it on.

For the pockets, we used index cards as a guage for how big the pockets needed to be, marked it with a dry erase marker (since it's vinyl it would wipe right off with some water and a paper towel), and sewed a straight stitch from the bottom up to top of the pocket binding.

The final step was adding two grommets to the top of the chart - one on each corner. I played with hanging it up with ribbon. Stringing one piece of ribbon through both holes and hanging it from the middle did not work because the chart wasn't sturdy enough to lay flat. Two smaller ribbons tied on each grommet would have worked just fine, but we ended up just hanging it on our front door using clip magnets. For now, that will work well enough until we find a final spot for it.

Blue Skirt

Green Skirt

Summer Day 2 & 3

I was SO tired yesterday. I napped off and on in the morning, but finally pulled myself together and did Chicken Fat. It's a 20 minute exercise/calisthenics video for kids. Jared did it right along with me, so that was nice. It was raining, so we didn't walk in the morning. But, later in the day I needed to go to the store so we walked the half mile down to HEB and back. Between the coming and going and the actual shopping, we walked for 75 minutes - about the same amount of time as my 4 mile walk I had been doing.

Today, I am having a hard time convincing myself to exercise. We'll see what I do. Day 3 and I'm already peetering out. Not a good sign :p

In Cloth Once More

After a month of sposies, I guess we're back in cloth. Matthew and Aaron were gone a lot last month, so disposables were in order. Now that things are settling down, they don't feel like quite the necessity - though it sure is nice and easy. Aaron was actually the one to push me back into cloth. He requested the jungle diaper. I tried using one of Jared's night diapers but he insisted on the jungle one. I asked him if he missed his cloth diapers and he told me yes. So, apparently he likes the CDs. heh, although the other night I put him in his big bulky night diaper before he was actually in bed and he complained about it being too big. It was funny watching him trying to walk with all that fluffiness!! Usually he's in bed and it doesn't matter.

When he is in sposies, Aaron doesn't have any problem getting everything needed for a diaper change - diapers, wipes, powder. Yesterday was the first time I really gave him the opportunity to get a CD. I'd actually gotten all the supplies and tried to change him, but he wanted his blanket to have the PF (prefold). Finally I cleaned him up and told him to go pick out a diaper for me. He came back with three PF and a frog diaper (FuzziBunz). It was kind of cute. I'm glad he enjoys being in the cloth. When he was a newborn, he HATED them!! He has never been one to like being wet, and as a baby he let us know it!

Maybe we'll try potty training again soon.

Southwestern Chicken Black Bean Soup

Southwestern Chicken Black Bean Soup 2 pts for 1 cup soup (without cheese or chips)

Ingredients

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast, cubed
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 tablespoon chopped onion
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) reduced-sodium chicken broth
3 cups fresh corn or frozen corn
1 can (15-1/2 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
2 tablespoons lime juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro
16 baked tortilla chip scoops, crumbled
1/2 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese

Directions

In a large kettle or Dutch oven, saute chicken in oil until no longer pink. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. In the same pan, saute onion and jalapeno pepper until tender; add garlic and saute for 1 minute.

Stir in the broth, corn, beans, lime juice, salt, hot pepper sauce, pepper and reserved chicken; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Stir in cilantro. Top each serving with crumbled tortilla chips and cheese. Yield: 8 servings (2 quarts).

Editor's Note: When cutting hot peppers, disposable gloves are recommended. Avoid touching your face.

Nutritional Analysis: One serving (one cup soup with 1 tablespoon cheese and two crumbled tortilla chips) equals 227 calories, 4 g fat (1 g saturated fat), 37 mg cholesterol, 647 mg sodium, 27 g carbohydrate, 4 g fiber, 21 g protein.
Diabetic Exchanges: 2 lean meat, 1-1/2 starch, 1 vegetable.

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Made June 8, 2010. I was happily surprised to see the soup by itself was only 2 points for 8 servings. I added the chips and cheese separately when I calculated my points because it was easier to get an accurate accounting.

Variations:
*I cooked it in the crockpot on high for 4 hours. I cubed the chicken (which was frozen) and added all the other ingredients except the cilantro which I added in the last half hour. The leaves did look kind of bleached by the time the timer went off, so next time I might wait to add them. But, it did give them a chance to add their flavor to the soup.

*I did not add the jalapenos, so this soup was not as spicy as it could have been, but it had a wonderful flavor.

*I used white corn instead of yellow, so it looked really bland. Probably if I had used jalapenos or yellow corn it would have looked more colorful. I was surprised it didn't call for diced tomatoes. Perhaps a future trial might include a can of ro-tel in place of jalapenos.

Coming Home

I wanted to blog last night, but ended up turning the computer off in case our power went out with the storm overhead.

Maybe it's the relaxing pace of summer hitting me, but yesterday I actually pulled out my spiral with the recipe plans and WANTED to make dinner again - and I did! I had this feeling like I'd been on vacation and finally came home. And really, I have been mentally checked out. We spent just about all our grocery money on restaurants and laundry and dishes have been done minimally. So, I guess without the rush-rush of school and piano afterwards plus all the other demands, I feel like I can concentrate on being home and all that requires. It's nice to enjoy my responsibilities and my kids.

I even finished my two skirts I'd started last month. I'm pretty excited to have two new skirts hanging in the closet. I will post pictures in a little bit. I did step-by-step pics for the blue one to put up a tutorial. With all the sewing I've done lately I may add a sewing link.

Summer Day 1

Well, I managed to do CardioX this morning AND a 15 minute walk. yay!! I have my doubts about how long I'll really be able to do a double duty workout b/c I was only half-heartedly doing the P90X, but we'll do something at least. We didn't have time to go to the track to walk, so we just took one around the neighborhood. I think 15 minutes is just about right for Jared.

Weigh-ins:
Saturday - 153 something
Sunday - 154 something

I was glad that my Sunday weight seemed to line up better with my Saturday weight. There was a 3 pound difference between this week and last week's weight. crazy! My eating habits weren't that great this week with all the birthday celebrating, so I'm glad that there was still a weight loss at all.

I had my first real public appearance in my swimsuit Saturday. I was told it was time to get a new one because this one was hanging off of me lol I do agree that I could use some new bottoms at least b/c they were pretty loose. I guess that's a benefit to a tankini :)

I think I'm ready to do some clothes shopping. I was telling Matthew that I'm a little afraid to do that because I'll be comfortable in my clothes and it's more likely that I'll give up at that point. I think that was one of my contributing factors for stopping last time. I can probably get away with waiting on my day-to-day clothes. I've found t-shirts for $2 at Target, so I'm really ok there. My pants are big, but they are still wearable. The big need is in my Sunday wardrobe and underclothes. I can't wear the t-shirts to church, so I've pretty much been left with one blouse for church and it's a sweater. All my others are really too big or are long sleeved. I need to finish the skirts I started, and that would help a bit too. My other hesistancy is the 'what if' factor. What if I get pregnant in the next couple of months? Would it be better to spend money on maternity clothes? or to have the regular clothes? And what if I buy a bunch of new clothes, get pregnant and then can't ever fit back into this size? decisions decisions....

Miracles!

Tonight was the first night in a LONG time that I made dinner. What a difference a home cooked meal is in points!! I made sweet and sour meatballs served over brown rice with a side of california baby blend vegetables and steamed zucchini. Total points = 9 points for the whole thing! I have a fridge full of take-out leftovers (mostly in honor of all my birthday dinners) that are high in points - but yummy to the tummy. This morning I was thinking that there is no way I can live off of 23 points. It's impossible! I realize that statement is true if I am eating out every day, but if I get my act together and actually prepare meals in my own home it is possible. Inviting the missionaries over for dinner was the only reason we didn't eat out tonight.

Jared was so excited when he saw what we were having for dinner. He gave me a huge hug and thanked me for making his favorite meal. It's a good thing I had a package of meatballs in the freezer. I chose this entree because it was so easy. I guess I have to start back into a cooking routine somewhere :)

On another happy note - because the missionaries were coming and our sink was overrun with dirty dishes and the kitchen was an absolute mess, we put the dishwasher back together with the new control board. YAY for working modern technology!! The dishwasher is running the load of dirty dishes from dinner as I type and it is music to my ears :) This has been a huge hurdle for making dinners at home, so hopefully this will also help motivate me to get back in the kitchen!

Happy Birthday to Me

Happy 33rd Birthday to me :) It has been a wonderful day, and I'm so grateful for good friends and a loving family!

A good friend was so thoughtful and brought us dinner tonight in honor of my birthday. She brought salmon, a salad, and baked sweet potatoes plus a muffin dessert sort of like ones that are made at Mimi's Cafe (never eaten there, so I have nothing to compare it to). It was delicious, and I appreciate her efforts to make a good healthy meal for me. Too bad I blew my healthiness AFTER dinner :P

It's only Tuesday and I've already eaten through ALL of my weekly points AND yesterday's activity points. Man!!! I know it's my birthday, but goodness!!! I actually would have been ok, but we went to Chili's to celebrate this evening - crap. I just remembered about the choc covered bananas the boys made me for my bday treat:P and I forgot to account for the dessert muffin I ate - Anyway, and I got a free fudge brownie sundae which is a whopping 32 point dessert. I decided the heck with it and ate as much as I could (which was most of it.) So, I lost a good 21 points - a DAY'S worth of points!! - on a brownie that made me feel sick afterwards because it was so rich. I should have just stopped with the chips and salsa. Just for the record, I am glad to have spent the evening with friends and I am not disappointed or upset about anything that happened there other than my own lack of self control.

This week isn't really going to get any better when it comes to my points. My parents want to take us out to dinner one night, Friday I'm having a pizza party for my piano students, and Saturday is a birthday party. I'd say for the first time since I started WW in January this week is a WASH!! I may get to find out what happens when you use all available points :p Guess it's time to workout two or three times a day :p

Hopefully this doesn't become a habit. There is a reason I am hesistant to buy new clothes :P Stop the Insanity!!!

Merrily we roll along...

40 points spent today. DOUBLE my daily allowance!! At this rate I'll be back where I started in no time at all!! My birthday week was the hiccup two years ago when I was losing weight, and it seems to be deja'vu. Part of my relaxed attitute lately has been an experiment of sorts to see what if I could maintain healthy eating habits if I weren't constantly checking my points. Apparently the anwer is no. I know how much each thing is worth, but I fail to add them all up - which is where the problem lies. I was doing better when I had 25 points to spend. This 23 points business is hard! Or maybe I'm just getting lazy (which is probably the real problem).

Consequences Happen

Weigh in - 157.2. Ugh!! Very disappointing considering just moments earlier I weighed on the 'off' scale at 152.6. Although the actual pounds are off, it is usually accurate in the direction my weight is headed. I guess all the bad eating has caught up. Unfortunately it's not going to improve over the next week with my birthday being on Tuesday and we already have plans to go to Chikfila for lunch. *sigh* The good news is that when I go up I tend to be jolted back into a stricter regiment.

I know a lot of this bad eating is because I'm not cooking our dinners. I realized the other day when I was posting my recipes that I quit making dinner when our dishwasher went out of service. Having to wash the dishes by hand really makes being in the kitchen a drudgery.

Here's to a better week!

Granola Cereal Bar

Granola Cereal Bars 6pts each in 12 bars

Ingredients

1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups old-fashioned oats
1-1/2 cups crisp rice cereal
1/4 cup miniature chocolate chips

Directions

In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the brown sugar, peanut butter and corn syrup; cover and microwave on high for 2 minutes or until mixture comes to a boil, stirring once. Stir in the vanilla; add oats and cereal. Fold in chocolate chips. Press into a 9-in. square pan coated with cooking spray. Cool and cut into bars. Yield: 1 dozen.

Editor's Note: This recipe was tested in a 1,100-watt microwave.

Nutritional Analysis: 1 bar equals 199 calories, 7 g fat (2 g saturated fat), 0 cholesterol, 88 mg sodium, 31 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 5 g protein.
Diabetic Exchanges: 2 starch, 1 fat.

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Made May 27th. These were so good!! Dangerously good at 6 pts for 12 servings!! Well, per the nutritional info they are only 4 points, but I substituted the swirled chocolate and peanut butter morsels for the mini chips because that is what I had. Wowsers!!

The only problem I had with these is that they didn't keep their form very well. They were very crumbly. But, I'm willing to overlook that considering how delicious they were!

Eggplant Bruschetta

Eggplant Bruschetta 1pt per slice

Ingredients

1 medium eggplant, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch slices
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 medium tomatoes, seeded and chopped
2 tablespoons minced fresh basil
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
2 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions

Place eggplant slices in a colander over a plate; sprinkle with salt and gently toss. Let stand for 30 minutes. Rinse and drain well. Coat both sides of each slice with cooking spray. Place on a broiler pan. Top eggplant with tomatoes, basil and cheeses. Broil 6 in. from the heat for 5-7 minutes or until eggplant is tender and cheese is melted. Yield: 8 servings.

Nutritional Analysis: 2 slices equals 68 calories, 3 g fat (2 g saturated fat), 9 mg cholesterol, 242 mg sodium, 7 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 5 g protein.
Diabetic Exchanges: 1 vegetable, 1 fat.

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Made May 27th. I made this for bookclub tonight, along with the Feta Spinach Melts that are so yummy. One person seemed to really like them. I do not have a working broiler, so that may have effected their turnout. I thought they were ok. Unfortunately they were cold by the time I had one, and I think it probably would have been better fresh from the oven.

Endure to the End and Lengthen Your Stride!

Today I weighed in at 156.1 and received a congratulatory star from WW for hitting 25 pounds lost.

Despite the weight loss, I have been feeling really flabby. My arms are a large source of discontentment in that regard. I remember being in 7th grade and watching my math teacher writing on the chalkboard - more specifically, I remember watching the skin under her arms flap as she wrote on the chalkboard - and promising myself that I would never let that happen to me. I am always aware of my arms, but become even more aware as I teach my piano students and catch a flap from my under arm in my peripheral vision as I point to something on the page. blech When I was doing P90x regularly the muscles were getting toned enough that the flap was disappearing - and it stayed that way for awhile after we started walking all the time too because I was pushing a stroller. But, Aaron has been at home most days lately so the arms aren't getting that extra work out. And it is showing. I feel soft in the middle and on my arms -- and in my resolve.

This has been a bad week for food. I've stayed within my total point allotment (daily and weekly), but I've eaten more than my stomach is used to anymore so I've felt so stuffed. This feeling has certainly contributed to the flabby feel I'm sure. Monday I had dinner at my parents', Tues was a Carl's Jr hamburger - I was SO hungry for a hamburger. I don't remember the last time I ate a restaurant burger. I had the points for it, so I went for it. YUM. Wed Jared earned a trip to Mr. Gatti's - there's a reason you don't see skinny people at buffets. Oh I was stuffed. Thursday Matthew came home with free Chikfila coupons, so we ate there. Friday I made mac n cheese with sausage for dinner, then Saturday was a birthday party. I don't think my body got a single healthy meal this week!! I've totally failed on the not eating after 9 pm goal too.

The last few days I've been so worn out too. Part of that is my fault because I stayed up late reveling in the quiet of the house while half the family was out of town. It caught up with me when everyone returned and the workload doubled again. I'm sure my choice of cuisines played a part in it too. And hormones.

After I inputed my weight for WW, I got this message from the system:

Please note:You’re probably excited to be losing weight, but you’re losing faster than is recommended. Although it’s normal to lose over 2 lbs in 1 week, if you lose more than an average of 2 lbs per week over a 4-week period, this could pose health risks, such as heart irregularities, anemia or loss of muscle mass. Please slow your weight loss; your doctor can help you do this if you’re not sure how.

So now I wonder, is this flabby feeling possibly related to rapid weightloss? And the tired feelings anemia? I probably ought to be taking vitamins, and I've even thought about it every once in awhile. I guess I need to be more diligent in that regard so that I can trully be healthy and not just someone who's lost a lot of weight.

My plan for the summer is to re-integrate P90X into my routine and hopefully that will help counteract this flabby feeling. Our walking group will go on hold until school starts again, but I know Jared is interested in exercising. My goal is to go down to a school track in the mornings and walk. I don't know if I'll really be able to maintain an early morning schedule - getting up at 6:45 am, but I'd like to at least try. If I can manage it, my hope for a routine is this:

6:45 am get up
7:00 am P90X
8:00 am walk track
9:00 am come home, shower, start day, etc.

OR I may alternate walking and P90x. We'll see what happens.

I've come so far I don't really want to give up, but I'm hitting that point where I'm becoming more relaxed in my fervor. I know one of the reasons I ate as bad as I did this week was a mental test to see how much I could get away with without 'paying' for it. I recognize that as one of my subconscious reasonings, and so far the scale has let me get away with it, but my physical feelings tell me it cost a lot more.

So with all these thoughts it mind, I was contemplating the concept of 'enduring to the end' this week. There is a reason the Lord includes "enduring to the end" as a requirement for salvation. I was discussing this topic with the Primary President on Saturday, and she said that she hates that phrase because "endure" conjures up such a negative feeling for her - drudgery, bad experiences, etc. I told her that that is exactly why enduring is part of the package. Even when we're going through a good spot, sometimes we get bored or tired with what we're doing and want to do something else. The true test is whether we'll persevere despite the drudgery and boredom.

I resolve to 'lengthen my stride', cowboy up, and endure to the end. Here's to perseverence!!

Soliciting Opinions

I wanted to scratch that itch to make a skirt, so I pulled my stuff out tonight to do it. I'd prefer to practice before messing up my better fabric, so I tackled the skirt I started two years ago. I ironed and measured for the difference. The ruler is the new line - see all that fabric to the right that's going bye bye?

It's always a good idea to try something like this on, so I did. This is what the end product is supposed to be like:

However, look how small the waist really is. I could trim it off to fit at the waist, but I kind of like the high waist. I could add a band so it'll stay up. It could even be used as a halter dress because of the way it fits.

But I also thought about sewing a top to it. All that fabric that I trimmed off could be put to use. The idea was to make a sort of criss-cross top - a dress with an empire waist.


Now, here's your part - tell me which one you'd vote for.

Trimming the Fat

Sometimes it takes a visual reminder to show how far you've really come. After participating in a Young Woman's mutual this last week in which the girls were attempting to make under-skirts using an A-Line pattern, I got a bee in my bonnet to revisit this project on my own. When I was losing weight with WW two years ago I attempted to make a skirt to help supplement my wardrobe until I was able to lose enough to warrant clothes shopping. I cut the skirt and sewed the edges and got stuck at the waistline. At this point the skirt has too much fabric and I just spent an hour trying to figure out how to best salvage the project. It's going to require trimming the sides a total of 5 1/2 inches. whoop! But, this was not the really amazing thing to me.

I was digging through my fabric stash to see what I might want to use to make a new skirt out of and came across a blouse that I started eons ago - like around 2002. For a Relief Society Enrichment night we had the opportunity to sew an article of clothing. I picked out a pattern for a blouse that would go with a skirt I loved at the time. Apparently I got stuck where I always get stuck - hemming. I discovered the only thing left to finish it would be to hem ONE of the slits. I love the fabric and it was so close to being done! Anyway, on to the story...

Here's the pattern
- notice the size? I was closer to 24 at the time. I tried it on for the heck of it and it fits like a sack of potatoes!!
Now the amazing part - I could trim the sleeves off the blouse and convert it to a skirt easy! The neckline may even be perfect for the waistline.I'd have to add a zipper because there's no give otherwise to make it over my shoulders, but wow! How did I let myself get so big to begin with?! It almost made me cry to see that visual. It's easy to be proud of myself for shrinking so much, but I should never have had to come so far. The neckline is my waistline?! Ridiculous!

On a side note, the leftover fabric for this blouse has enough material that I could make me another skirt too! YAY!