Silly Rabbit...

Well I decided before the Easter weekend officially hit us I definitely wasn't going to blow all the hard work I have been doing so I'm treating myself to one Cadbury Cream Egg.  Was it tough? Not really only because I'm not a huge chocolate fan. If an easter bunny was carved out of a salt lick that would be another story.....a bag of bunny shaped chips and I would have lost it.....lol
I picked the cream egg as my indulgence because to me that is what reminds me of my basket on easter mornings as a kid, and they usually only come out this time of year, so why not?
They really aren't that bad for you......I have seen wayyyy worse things I could be treating myself with.....a hamburger & poutine from Harvey's for example (mouth is frothing at the thought)

On that note I would like to wish everyone a nice long relaxing weekend, as I know some of my readers don't celebrate Easter. This weekend for me went/goes as follows:

• Good Friday - Dinner @ Grandma's with my side of the family
• Saturday - Work till 6pm then "treat dinner" with the hubby
• Easter Sunday - Dinner @ hubby's parents house
• Easter Monday - work till 8pm

I wish I could have had the 4 days off with my husband, and son but that's what happens when you work in retail. The store really only closes 6 days out of the whole year.

Anyways.....

On Tuesday that just passed, I went for my walk/jog as usual but at the end of this one when I logged it, I decided to look at my past and see how I measured up.
I can't believe what a difference a couple of months makes!!! I cut almost 1 1/2 minutes off my time per kilometre, and I walked farther....this might not be a big deal, but to me it shows progress!

What also shows progress is the smaller clothes that I have to buy because of my weight loss. Now don't get me wrong, this is an amazing feeling, but it sure hurts the pocket book.
I FINALLY purchased a pair of jeans, but they probably will only last me a month so I'm trying to find good deals. I also bought some shirts and running gear at Old Navy which were a great price.

My dressers, and walk in closet are finally done and devoid of all the "FAT" clothes (well I'm still in fat clothes, but the "not as fat" clothes....lol)  I donated 7 garbage bags full of stuff. I even got my hubby in the action, he's also lost about 30 lbs to date.

THIS IS NOT MY HAND......lol

On the food front this week, I pretty much kept it at the same pace. I did try something new though, the Strawberry Yogurt Parfait at Tim Hortons. Now I hate yogurt A LOT....and I usually eat cottage cheese for my snack between breakfast and lunch. Well the other day I forgot it in the fridge, and then when I got to work and noticed it was gone I was pissy cause it messed up my routine. The mall has NOTHING healthy to grab for a snack, so one of my coworkers suggested the parfait. I hummed and hawed about this for a minute cause I didn't want to take one bite and then toss it.
It is actually not half bad, but it is still way higher in the carb/sugar department then I would like to have for a snack, but I guess it was better than eating nothing. At least now I have an option when I'm out and about to pick up something semi healthy and not feel guilty.

Another healthy thing that I incorporated into my meals 3 times this week was Pico De Gallo. Those that know me well, knows that I LOVE mexican food. There is this restaurant called Acapulco Delight that I used to eat at once a week. They have some amazing pico, and sometimes it was so hot that it was painful eating it (and flaming hoop after....lol....I know TMI)
Well I tried making it this week (not as hot though) and it was a true masterpiece. It kept well in the fridge all week. I put it on my scrambled eggs one morning for breakfast, on a quesadilla for lunch, and a steak for dinner, through out the week. It is super tasty, and soooooooo low in fat and calories. Basically it's just a homemade salsa.

Pico De Gallo

4 plum tomatoes, finely chopped

1 white onion, finely chopped

2-3 jalapeno peppers, seeded & finely chopped (leave seeds in for more heat)

1/2 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped

1-2 tbsp lime juice, freshly squeezed

Salt to taste

Mix everything in a bowl and put in fridge for a minimum of 1 hour for flavours to blend.

Now on to the weigh in.......

This week my official weight is now 253.4lbs . That is a total loss of 1lb. I am averaging 10 lbs a month. Not too bad, and completely healthy. I feel good, really good. I am also proud of myself for sticking it out. I am a little disappointed that I didn't make my goal yet.....I am sooooo close. I will make it before my May 1st deadline though, that I know for sure.

Current Weight: 253.4lbs (-29.6)

Chest: 44" (5")
Waist: 40" (5")
Hips: 53" (3.5")
Left Arm: 16" (1.5)
Right Arm: 15 1/2" (1.5")
Left Thigh: 32" (2.5")
Right Thigh: 32" (2.5")

That makes my total inches lost this week: 1/2"

Grand Total: 21 1/2"
* grand total for each in parenthesis *



Until next week, here's to finally hitting my 1st goal, making a new one, and FINALLY getting my new kicks!!!!

 "Chocolate: The poor man's champagne" Daniel Worona

Please don't forget about my shoe poll in the top right of my blog. The deadline is next week for the fav color.

Also please don't forget I am doing a 5K walk on June 12th for JDRF, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundations, please sponsor me, so far I have raised $65.....http://jdrfca.donordrive.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.participant&eventID=1041&participantID=92700

Lard-B-Gone

Oh if it was only as easy as this.....lol....I once knew a girl that had a tapeworm in school, and I wouldn't wish that upon anyone.....grossssss

I just want to take a minute to thank some of my readers for the motivation I am getting out of the comments. This helps me more than you will ever know. I also got an amazing message from a friend of mine (you know who you are) letting me know that my blog has been an inspiration to her, and that it's changed her to start working on herself as well. This pretty much made me cry AND I NEVER CRY. Just ask the hubby, no crying at the wedding or the birth or our son. He calls me a hard ass....lol....anyways if your reading this girl you know I love you!!!!!! & thanks........

I'm proud to say that I am one step closer to my goal. I have lost 2.6lbs this week bringing my weight to 254.4lbs and closer to my 1st goal of 250lbs.
I am hoping to reach this by next Saturday, maybe if I really push it and add a few more workouts I can achieve this.

Nice new color for Spring!!!

Almost time for my new runners as well, I am so excited. I have already scoped them out at the store too....I just can't decide between the purple, or the lime green....maybe you can help me choose....In the top right of my blog I posted a poll, just click on the one you like better......

This week was pretty uneventful, I was still really sick. I missed 2 1/2 days of work, my volunteer job at the Humane Society, and only worked out once, and ended up getting sick doing it. 

I figured I'm not doing my body any good by pushing it, so I took a rest. I feel much better now, and hoping to get back into my routine.

I still ate well this week, and am looking forward to my "treat day" today. This morning I made myself some French Toast and it was DEVINE......butter & syrup included, it was a beautiful thing.

My food this week has been nothing short of filling & tasteful. Last week I shared with you the recipe for my quesadilla. Well I was looking for a way to incorporate that into a tasty lunch instead of dinner all the time. Now you can do this in the microwave and it is still super yummy, but I did it on my panini press for the crunch. I used all the same ingredients except I omitted the sour cream & green salsa at the end. Add a salad and you have a tasty lunch.

Last night I also had a redonkulously good salad & a glass of pinot. All I did was season a steak (then had the hubby bbq it) let it rest then chopped it in small pieces. Then got some mixed greens, heirloom tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, & yellow pepper. Put it all in a bowl and dressed it with a mixture of canola oil, balsamic vinegar, a little yellow mustard, salt & pepper. I adored it, and was more than satisfied after. That is a full sized dinner plate, and not a bread plate FYI.....

I took the time this week to clean out my walk in closet & dresser as well....R.I.P TO ALL THE SIZE XXL TOPS, 24 & 22 BOTTOMS......maybe someone else will get good use out of them, cause I don't need them anymore. I have no jeans that fit, though I did keep one pair for some comparison photos later. I did go to the store to get at least one pair, but unfortunately I am between sizes right now and didn't find any. Guess I won't be going anywhere for a bit except in track pants.....lol

Speaking of thinning out, has anyone tried these Pretzel Crisps???.....THEY ARE TO DIE FOR!!!!
It's a salty goodness of a pretzel but thinned out. These are amazing dipped in tzatziki sauce for a low fat treat. Be careful though cause they are addicting, and you could totally eat the whole bag. They also come in different flavours, but I like the original the best. You could probably spread all kinds of things on these, like peanut butter, nutella, or even spread some laughing cow cheese on them.....mmmm....I totally just came up with that idea as we speak....I think I'm gonna try that later on this afternoon.

OK enough rambling on, here is my official stats for the week....

Current Weight: 254.4lbs (-28.6lbs)

Chest: 44 1/2" (4.5")
Waist: 40" (5")
Hips: 53" (3.5")
Left Arm: 16" (1.5")
Right Arm: 15 1/2" (1.5")
Left Thigh: 32" (2.5")
Right Thigh: 32" (2.5")

That makes my total inches lost this week: 1"

Grand Total: 21"
*grand total for each in parenthesis*


Until next week, here's to eating great tasting food, hitting my first goal, and jogging more during my walks.

"People say that losing weight is no walk in the park.  When I hear that I think, yeah, that's the problem."  Chris Adams

Please don't forget I am doing a 5K walk on June 12th for JDRF, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundations, please sponsor me, so far I have raised $65.....http://jdrfca.donordrive.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.participant&eventID=1041&participantID=92700

What a Week.....

I hate being sick. This is the first time I have been sick since I have started my adventure. As I am writing this I am sucking on a sore throat lolly pop that tastes like strawberries....that's probably the most pleasant thing I have tasted in days.....the bonus about being sick means not really being hungry, and since it feels like I'm swallowing razor blades anyways, I haven't been eating that much......Hello Weight Loss.....lol

I also feel bad because I didn't really do a lot of my walking/jogging this week because of this shitty cold AND the cold isn't even full blown yet.....oh but it's coming cause I feel it....I usually just drink a shit load of orange juice, but because of my change in diet I don't want to do that.....I will just ride it out I guess

I would also like to share that I have reached 2 milestones this week.....

• Officially in the 250's (haven't been since 2003)
• Wearing a size 20 pant (started adventure at a tight 24)

I think I am more excited at the fact that in another month or so I will be able to shop in the regular clothing stores, and not plus size, even if it is the biggest size in those stores....

My funniest, most embarrassing moment happened to me though this week at the gym. Now you know I prefer walking outside, but it was raining and I wanted to get my workout in. As I was jogging on the treadmill my pants started to fall off. I kept going figuring that they would just rest on my hips.....NOPE....they dropped enough that the people behind me on the ellipticals got a show of my ass in  my zebra print undies....I'm sure it wasn't a pretty sight.....I'm trying to look at the positive though that those pants are too big now.....lol.....guess I need a smaller size WITH a pull string....

This is a little off topic but a while back I had shared that we are redoing our kitchen, we have finally decided on a granite countertop...and boy this was a hard one to make, there are sooooo many different styles and colours out there.... I'm still nervous....it's a lot of money and it's permanent.....here is a pic of the winner.....It's called Tropical Brown

My kitchen has the same colour cabinets, same hardware, and all stainless steel appliances, so essentially it will look just like this......

I am hoping sprucing up my kitchen will also spruce up my cooking skills....hahahahah.....I can dream can't I?.....I must admit I'm kind of a shitty cook. Once in awhile though I'm pretty impressed with some things I make. Last week I made a chicken quesadilla that was pretty amazing, even Dan thought it was restaurant quality. The best part about it was that it was pretty healthy, and filling.

Bonnie's AMAZING Chicken Quesadilla

1 Whole Wheat Tortilla

1/4 cup Southwest Shredded Cheese (President's Choice)

4 tbsp Medium Salsa

1/4 red pepper (thin slices)

3-4 oz shredded chicken (already cooked)

I heat the pan on medium, then I spray it with my oil sprayer ( I recommend one of these to everyone) then place the tortilla in the pan. I then spread the salsa, cheese, chicken and peppers on HALF the tortilla. Then I fold the empty half of the tortilla on top of all the fixings. Then you just flip it after awhile till everything is warm, cheese is melting, and the tortilla gets crispy.

Then after I cut it, I finished it off with 2 tbsp low fat sour cream, and a dollop of Salsa Verde....
Calories: 458, Fat: 16g, Carbs: 38g, Protein: 38g

I like to roast my chicken in the oven with a few sprays of canola oil, a little salt & pepper. Then I shred it after it cools down. This way I have chicken for the whole week to use in salads, wraps, or pretty much whatever I want.

Enough about food, let's get to the weigh in. This week I am welcoming myself to the 250's, pretty damn pleased if I must say....My official weight as of this morning is 257 lbs that is a total of 5.2 lbs lost this week.
As of right now it looks like my first goal will be totally achievable. My goal is to be 250lbs by May 1st.
I am right on track and super happy.....here I come new shoes!!!

Nope...still no pedicure, haven't had a day to myself

Now for my measurements:

Current Weight: 257 lbs  (26 lbs)

Chest: 44 1/2"  (4.5")

Waist: 40"  (5")

Hips: 53 1/2"  (3")

Left Arm: 16"  (1.5")

Right Arm: 16"  (1")

Left Thigh: 32"  (2.5")

Right Thigh: 32"  (2.5")

That makes my total inches lost this week: 4" 

Grand Total: 20"

* grand total for each area in parenthesis* 

Until next week, here's to getting rid of this stupid cold, getting to my goal of 250lbs, and buying some new runners!!!!!!

"In the Middle Ages, they had guillotines, stretch racks, whips and chains.  Nowadays, we have a much more effective torture device called the bathroom scale."  Stephen Phillips

Please don't forget I am also doing a 5K walk on June 12th for JDRF, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundations, please sponsor me, so far I have raised $25.....http://jdrfca.donordrive.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.participant&eventID=1041&participantID=92700

Week 8

So here I am 2 months into my weight loss adventure and I'm down 21 lbs. Not gonna lie, I'm pretty fricken proud of myself. I can't remember the last time I was staring the 250's in the face.
My official weigh in as of this morning was 262.2lbs. This time next week I am hoping to be in the 250's as long as everything stays on track.

I also reached a new milestone in my weight loss progress. I started jogging. Yes I said jogging. If you remember from my last blog I had listed all the reasons why I didn't want/wouldn't do this. Well I figured  I really didn't have anything to lose, so during my nightly walks I started incorporating jogging every 10 minutes. It only lasted for a block at a time, but that's better than nothing.....lol...I'm hoping to build up my stamina and eventually jog further and further each time. I also wrote a while back that at my 250 mark I was treating myself to a new pair of runners. Well since I am starting to jog now, I am going to need a shoe that will help me along. I went to the Nike website and they have a program that you input info about your walking/running style and they tell you what shoe is the best for you. Mine apparently is the Nike LunarGlide + this shoe is really popular for those people that overpronate, meaning my ankle over compensates and my shoes wear out on the outside. I guess the only hard part about picking the shoes now is the color....lol....hopefully I have them by May 1st which is also my goal for 250lbs.

Here is an update of my 50k competition with Mike. He is still in 1st as of last night but he usually never runs on the weekend, so hopefully I can use these next couple of days to catch up!

This week I also decided to take a pic of myself to compare to the first one I took when I started this adventure. If you remember from my first official blog posting I put up a pic of me in all my glory to show what a challenge I am up against, and to give me some motivation on what I really need to change. I stayed in the same outfit because I thought that would be the best to show the progress. So here I am 20lbs lighter.....again I will repeat the same thing I did in my first post...If you don't like it, don't look!

                                         283 lbs                            262lbs

I guess you could say that my biggest loss is in my waist, hips, and chest. At least that's where I am noticing it the most. I'm still wearing 22 pants, and can get into a 20 but I would feel more comfortable wearing them if I was like 5lbs lighter. So I think I'm gonna wait 2 more weeks then try again.

My weight loss is also starting to become noticeable as people are starting to comment about it to me. This alone is giving me motivation to continue. I'm actually not really finding it that hard anymore, as it's almost become second nature to me to eat healthy. On Saturday nights when I have my cheat meal, I actually feel like crap the next morning. Some people call it a food hangover, I have a little headache, I'm swollen from sodium, and just an overall feeling of blah. So now I try to keep my cheat meal somewhat clean......lol

I'm still not a fan of exercising though, even though I'm trying really hard to enjoy it. Maybe I just haven't found the right activity yet. Back in the day I used to LOVE rollerblading, so maybe once the weather warms up a little more, I will treat myself to a pair and try that. I figure if I change up my activities I won't get bored, and I may find something I really like.


Don't forget I am also doing a 5K walk on June 12th for JDRF, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundations, please sponsor me, so far I have raised $25.....http://jdrfca.donordrive.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.participant&eventID=1041&participantID=92700

Now for the weekly weigh in. This week I have lost a total of 2.2lbs. Woo Hoo!!!.....I'm right on track with my 2lbs a week, and 10lbs a month. My big picture goal is 100lbs by January 1st 2012. If I stay on target this should be no problem, I just have to watch out for the plateaus.......

I know, time for a pedicure.......lol

Now for my measurements:

Current Weight: 262.2 lbs  (20.8 lbs)

Chest: 45"  (4")

Waist: 40"  (5")

Hips: 54"  (2.5")

Left Arm: 17"  (0.5")

Right Arm: 17"  (0")

Left Thigh: 32 1/2"  (2")

Right Thigh: 32 1/2"  (2")

That makes my total inches lost this week: 2.5" 

Grand Total: 16"

* grand total for each area in parenthesis* 

Until next week here's to getting into the 250's, raising more money for JDRF, and to adding more blocks to my jogging....

"The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a person's determination."  Tommy Lasorda