Stepping away from the scale

For a little bit!!

I'm currently holding steady at 204.2 and can't seem to get past the 204's SO..

I decided to take a step back and look at my DIET:

A Dr.pepper here, heavy salad dressing there..a little taco bell here, mcdonalds there..

It all adds up.

Even when it's in moderation, it's still there. It's funny because I get told by my coworkers all the time "You are so dedicated! You eat so well!" When they are eating cheesecake that I so desperately want from the cafeteria.

While I do think I have a pretty good hold on the healthy eating bit, there's always room for improvement.

I'm currently on day#4 without caffeine and going to stick to it. I usually think I need that Dr. Pepper "pick me up" in the afternoon, but I've learned that a banana has the same effect. Who would have thought?!

I'm also going to be sticking to a low sodium diet. That means NO fast food, NO caffeine, NO smart ones (as convenient as they are they are outrageous in the sodium dept) NO chips..

Low sodium means..whole fruits and veggies and lean meats like chicken and turkey.

In the next few days I'll be sharing what I've been eating and some low sodium recipes.

Thanks for your continued support on this blog :)

Here's a picture of me and my 5 year old niece over the weekend. She spent the night and definetly kept me on my toes!!

 

What I'm Lovin' Wednesday

I haven't done one of these series in a while, so let's recap what I've been lovin ' :) warning, this is a lot of randomness:

{via Pinterest}

I'm working on some of these type pictures in my husband's office..he loves globes/maps so this is a cute feminine touch I could put on the office/common area.

{via Urban Outfitters}

How cute are these? Our monogram has been ordered for the office as well.

L'Oreal tinted lip balm..lovin' it. I start my day wearing lipstick, but end up using this throughout the day. My bestie introduced these to me. I now how 3 different colors. So soft and just enough color.

{via Bath and Body Works}

I loooove this scent!! I have used this everyday..correct me if I'm wrong, but this may be limited stock for the spring/summer? I may need to stock up.

Lovin this picture of me and my sissys (1993)..it is framed on my new desk.

{via Pinterest}

This is me and my hubby to a T.

These adorable babies are who I'm lovin the most..I had a wonderful weekend with my niece and nephew. To me, they are perfect angels and bring me so much joy. I love being Aunt Allie!

Knowing my body

One of the plus sides (no pun intended ;)) of losing weight has allowed me to really get "in tune" with my body. When I weighed 249lbs I:

• Had the longest menstual cycles ever..seriously..like 40+ days
• Had body acne
• Muscle aches and joint pain
• stretch marks appearing in places I knew they shouldn't be!
• Exhaustion all.the.time

Now I feel like I know exactly what my body needs, how it feels, etc. For example, I know I need 8hrs of sleep every night..no more, no less. Anything less, I feel unmotivated and have no desire to work out. I now know exactly when I ovulate (I don't even need to use those OPK's which are very annoying btw!) and have a very, very timely 28 day cycle (sorry if TMI!). I know when I need a break in a workout or when I'm just being lazy and not pushing myself to my fullest potential. I just know.

Have you noticed a change in the way your body reacts to your healthy lifestyle?

I'm sure you have :) What a great feeling, isn't it?

Weigh In {getting real} #3

204.6

Sigh, loss of .8. That brings me to a grand total of -.2oz for the month of March thus far. Sorry, missing another photo..who knows where the camera was Friday morning.

I am glad the scale is going down, not up, but I just wish it was going at a faster pace? I am also glad that I got my 2 workouts in throughout the week. This week is Spring Break from school so the plan is to be in the gym every night! I used to work out 5 days a week..I really miss that! I am going to be getting to the gym more regardless of my night classes..no excuses anymore!

Here's my weigh in picture, cheering on the Shockers..who sadly lost :(

This week I'm going to continue bringing my lunch everyday, resisting temptations, working out everyday and drinking 100oz of water everyday..that should do the trick for a bigger loss this week. I would reallly like to be in ONEderland by April.

In other news, I got some lowlights put in my hair yesterday and I'm lovin it!

What are your goals this week?

Whatever they are, let's make it a good one :)

Struggles

Have you ever had that moment where you think:

I need to eat that to get it out of the house!

...

Eek, what is my prob? This exact issue happened not once, but twice yesterday..my 1st occurence was when I saw there were 3 Girl Scout cookies left. I need to eat those to get rid of them, right? Wrong.. (but I did anyway=210 calories), thennn..there was some Pepsi left in a 2 liter. I helped myself to a glass (150 calories).

And..I was about 300 calories over my daily alotted amount (1410 calories daily)

Hmm..I wonder why..

Everyday is hard. I struggle so badly! I wonder if a healthy lifestyle is ever going to "click" for me. Like, am I EVER going to want grilled chicken, over fried..or water over Dr. Pepper? These are the types of struggles I have. Making the "right" [healthy] choices when it comes to food. Sigh.

I'm a complainer, I know. I'm going to continue to keep struggling until it does click and become easier though. More sighs. I am back to tracking on my myfitnesspal app though..WOW..I forgot how accountable that application kept me. I don't want it to be 3pm and notice "Oh dang I can't eat dinner tonight since I'm over my calorie intake!"

Struggles mean you're fighting the battle, right?

Former Fat Bride

Slim Away Adjustable Slimming Garment

Ok..Don't make fun of me :) But I purchased one of these:

hehe :)

So I had a $5.00 off Bed Bath & Beyond coupon and this product was only $10, so I don't see it as a huge loss even if it doesn't work. I think the main reason I got it is because I do have an issue with my mid section. I feel like I carry a lot of weight in my mid-section and hips/thighs.

I mainly got it to wear when I work out. The reviews are right; it is a very bulky material and it's uncomfortable so I don't know how anyone could wear it with everyday clothes.

That is a really awkward picture, sorry :) Unfortunately, or fortunately (however you look at it) it fits to the tighest zipper so I will only be able to use it for awhile. I wore it to Zumba tonight and I felt like I did sweat more (it is a really heavy material) and when I took it off, it was drenched in sweat.

So yes, this was a total off the wall purchase. J was completely embarrassed that I was buying it! But whatever, it's worth a shot. I'm a sucker for anything weigh loss related :)

**I was not compensated for this blog post**



Grocery Trip highlights

I try to go grocery shopping with Jordan every two weeks so we can get everything all at once based on our meal plan. It doesn't always work out that way. Sometimes I end up going solo (which I hate), but today we were able to go together so it was a success. We always grocery shop at Target; I think the prices are comparable to Walmart or Dillons (Kroger) and with the Target REDcard it's an additional 5% off even if you already have a coupon.

Here are some good eats I bought today:

Perdue Simply Smart Chicken Chunks

If you click the link; you can see the nutritional value. I think these will come in handy because let's face it; I love chicken strips. I could probably live off of chicken strips. The Perdue Simply Smart line is 40% fewer calories and 50% less fat. I mean, obviously boneless, skinless chicken breasts are the healthiest option, but these are quick and easy..and sometimes that's what I need: convenience.

We've completely changed from beef to turkey in our household. I honestly think ground beef and ground turkey taste the same, but that's just my opinion. All recipes I make that call for ground beef I just substitute ground turkey. We've also switched to the turkey bacon. At first j wasn't too pleased, but once he saw the nutritional value versus center cut bacon he was fine with it. Plus, turkey bacon has a lotttt less sodium which will help with blood pressure levels. I love the Jennie-O brand; I've never had a problem with their products.

I was so happy to see all the fresh fruits in the produce section today; especially the strawberries. J and I decided one of these nights we're going to make breakfast for dinner so we got some Fiber One cereal and some apple streusel pancakes. Should be yummy :) and as healthy as we want it to be.

**I also made another purchase, but that is for another entry** :)