Day 39.5

I just got back from the gym. I just want to know how all of these little skinny girls can go 6 mph on the elliptical and not break a freakin' sweat! Here I am going about 4.5 to 5 mph and sweating like a polar bear in the desert! One of these girls was talking on her cellphone going that fast! I would be huffing and puffing trying to have a conversation or just answering in one syllable phrases. Anyway I did 2.5 miles in 35 minutes! I really wanna amp it up where I am going 3 miles in 35 minutes, but that means I need to be up there with those skinny girls! I did discover tonight how to keep myself going when I never think it is going to end! I didn't let myself listen to the music I really wanted until I only had about 10 minutes. It really helped! Well I think I am going to make some sweet tea with the "dangerous" Splenda! YUM! It is the only sugar substitute I like. :)

Day 37!

I stepped on the scale this morning. I wiggled around a couple times just to make sure that it wasn't stuck. I have lost 1 more pound! YAY! 31 lbs! I hate when I eat horribly for a couple of days, and instead of gaining weight I lose it! Why can't it be like that all of the time?! I ate really well today. I skipped my snacks. It was an accident. I was not prepared. Jack cooked dinner, and he made sure it was SBD friendly. Way to go husband!

I came home today to find out that my roommate had taken it upon himself to clean MY couch. He used resolve on it. Ok normally this would be ok, but I have a microfiber couch. You can only use certain things on them! I am terrified that he has ruined the warranty! The place we got it from will come out and clean it if you need it cleaned! I am so pissed! He probably totally stripped the scotchgard off of it! I also had put some Arm and Hammer down yesterday just to kill the dog odors. I was going to vacuum it when I got home today, but the new girlfriend thought it was salt! Who the hell puts salt on their couch!!??? How freakin' stupid! RRRRRrrrr! I had to go exercise tonight just, so I could calm down. I was so pissed! I had no idea how much steam I blow off just by exercising. I mean my stressed out level went down dramatically.

Tomorrow is my two year anniversary, and I can't wait to repost my wedding story for you guys! First I want to tell you that the night before my wedding, my husband, best man, his date, and my maid of honor all got plastered! I did not drink at all because 1. I don't usually drink (only occasionally) 2. I wanted to look good in my photos. The girl who did my photography is AMAZING! If you know anyone planning on getting married in Gatlinburg, I highly recommend Honeysuckle Hills! Regina is a fabulous photographer! Here is a link to her blog that talks about my wedding pictures! http://honeysucklehills.blogspot.com/2008/02/our-happiest-bride-of-2008-has-to-be.html (I couldn't get the hyperlink to work!) :) If you know me personally, you know that I call myself disgustingly optimistic. You will understand how true that is when you read my story tomorrow!

Why February 9th? I had several years where February 9th would come around, and I would always try to figure out what was so special about that day. I would rack my brain ALL DAY long trying to figure out what it was. It drove me crazy for several years! When Jack and I decided to get married, (I refused until I graduated from college) he suggested that we get married around my birthday. Ok actually he suggested to get married ON my birthday, but there is no way that would ever happen! I suggested we look at the calendar. Feb 9th landed on one of the following Saturdays after my birthday. It clicked! That is what was so important about that day! That was when the decision was made!

Day 35.5

I have been HORRIBLE today! I mean horrible! I started my day off with a 100% Whole Grain Wheat bagel! It slid from there! I ate a piece of pizza from last night (it was like a 3x3 square-thin crust). We went to Jack's friends' house. They were having a party. Dave cooked chili, and he was going to make cornbread but was missing an egg. I suggested cornbread casserole instead. Jack and I went to the grocery store to pick up a can of whole corn. He picks up a chicken salad croissant because he is hungry. I ate a pulled off piece of that (croissant and all). They grill out hot dogs. This is the worst part. I start eating a hot dog on a plain white bread bun. I don't think twice about it. I was half way through the thing when I FINALLY realized, "Hey, I shouldn't be eating this!" Then I move on the chili which would be perfectly fine, but there were Fritos nearby! I don't EVER eat Fritos with my chili. Why did I start today???? Can we please declare this weekend a holiday because of the Super Bowl? OMG! Ok so then (yeah I know right, you thought I was finished) we left Dave's to go to Jack's boss's house. We tried to contact someone to get the address, but no one answered. We headed home. Jack says, "You wanna eat mac and cheese with those steaks we bought earlier?" My reply, "Yeah, why not! I have already eaten absolutely horrible today!" What do we do when we go in to buy the mac and cheese? We grab barbeque baked beans! I don't even want to think about how much sugar was in that let alone the piece of cake I inhaled! I am so glad that tomorrow is another day. At least, I exercised.

Day 35!

I am at a weight standstill, but I remember the last time hitting a standstill around this weight too. I am hoping that, since I have incorporated exercise that I get through this lull quickly! I am determined to not give up! Last time, I got stuck here and I couldn't get over the hump. I am going to add in some spicy foods too! I hope that works! I am so ready to get closer to being under the 200 lbs mark again! I really think that will be the breakdown in tears moment. I just have to keep telling myself that I CAN do this! If I can lose 30 lbs once, I CAN do it again and once more!

I can definitely tell a difference in my body this week, since I have started exercising everyday well except for that one day. I am seriously considering going twice one day this weekend just to make up for that one day. It is really wonderful to be able to tell a difference this quickly. All of those informercials (who doesn't get drawn into watching those!) always talk about results in 6 weeks, but I am seeing results this week! I like the immediate gratification! It helps me keep going!

I actually ate a 100% whole grain this morning! If you haven't ever hit phase 2 before, you should know that it is REALLY hard to convince yourself to eat grain on purpose when you switch over. You have seen this weight loss during phase 1 that is amazing, and you really want it to keep going! Going back to losing 1 or 2 lbs a week almost makes you feel like you are failing. For instance for me this week, I haven't lost anything and all I can think about is, "What if I wouldn't have eaten those whole grains?" I haven't been brave enough to go back on fruit, but I think this week I may buy a couple of apples. I also think that after 2 weeks of phase 2 I may resort back to phase 1 for a couple of weeks. I am hoping that gets my metabolism going.

Day 32!

That is it! I am buying a new freakin' scale! My scale says something totally freakin' different than the scale in the gym.... I am seriously hoping that the scale in the gym is not calibrated correctly! It weighs me like 10 lbs heavier than my scale! That totally aggravates me! On the plus side, I can see a difference in my body, but still! Rrrrr!

I overslept today. I wound up getting to the store I was supposed to be at at around 1 this afternoon. I had breakfast cheesecake, a cobb salad, chili..I skipped snacks today. Waking up late totally threw that off. I did go get on the elliptical for 30 minutes tonight! I am sure that sleep is not in my near future, but at least I burned some calories!

Jack is still out of town. :( I am so ready for him to be home! He may have to stay out there until Sunday. I can't stand it! I didn't have him for 2 months over the summer because he was already out here, and I was still in Tennessee. I don't like being without him. I was ok during those 2 months, but I also had my parents and friends right down the street.

Technically Day 29!

It is almost one in the morning here! I am about to try this sleep thing. It is a little difficult without the hubby here! I just wanted to share some exciting news! I got out of the shower a little bit ago, and I wrapped a towel around myself!!!! Now you say what is so exciting about this!? The towel wrapped around me, and there was not a gaping area. It actually covered me up! OMG! The other thing I noticed today was that my little double chin I had started is almost gone! YAY!

I would like to add that after I posted my previous post, I threw my shoes on and headed to the gym! I was going to hop on an exercise bike, but I guess the ones that are here do not work. I hoped on an elliptical for 35 minutes instead! Go me! This ultimate boredom of my husband not being here is really great for my hip line! :)

Dinner was a chicken salad tonight. I am thinking about making soup tomorrow and breakfast cheesecake. I will be able to eat off of both of those for a couple of days!

Day 4

Ahhhhhhhh!!!!! The other morning when I stepped on the scale the number ended with a 7!! Today it ended with a 0!!!!! I have lost 7 lbs, and it is only day 4! Yay!

I feel wonderful today! I have so much energy! I had to make myself go back to bed this morning! I don't know why I didn't just go ahead and get up! Today will probably be the day that I get my lazy butt up and go walking!

I have been really good food wise today. I ate breakfast, snack, lunch, another snack, and at some point dinner is going to happen! I pretty much just eat the same thing for breakfast and snacks. I change up lunch and dinner. I have actually eaten leftovers for lunch a couple of times this week. I am thinking that Turkey and Black Bean Chili is dinner tonight! I just have to wait for my husband to call and tell me he is on his way home!

Turkey and Black Bean Chili

What you need:

1 lb of ground turkey

2 12oz. cans black beans drained and rinsed

1 28oz can of diced tomatoes

1 Jar of a Thick and Chunky type salsa (Taco Bell makes a really good one, if you can find it!)

1 T. Chili Powder (I never remember to add this-I think it tastes just as good without it!)

Directions

Cook Turkey stirring frequently until brown. Mix in the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes!

**You can add lowfat cheese or sour cream if you like!

Well work was work today. I actually left a couple of hours early from the store I was at because I was finished already. I am a cosmetic supervisor for about 5 (Rite Aid)stores out here in SoCal. Cosmetic Supervisor is a fancy name for someone who goes in and makes the cosmetic department look pretty and answers people's questions. I was an assistant manager back in Tennessee. I am sad to say that I actually have a degree, but I haven't begun to use it yet. I have an English degree from MTSU with a minor in Psychology (I would like to ask that if I have made any grammatical mistakes within writing this blog PLEASE ignore them. I am ashamed to say that I am not proofreading as I go.). I was going to teach, but at the last minute changed my mind. Now that I live in California, I am kind of glad that I didn't go through with the Secondary Ed minor because there is NO WAY I would teach out here! I just need to find something new to do. I kind of wonder if this isn't another good reason to lose some weight. Lose weight for some interviews. I would love some advice on what you guys think I should try for! I am hoping for a human resources position to become available out here for Rite Aid, but it has yet to happen. I would love to be a Talent HR Manager. It is the person who goes out to colleges and recruits people to work for the company. I actually had a Talent Manager in Nashville tell me I would be perfect for the job. I like to think of myself as ridiculously optimistic. I can always find a bright side to things, and I am always smiling, and I can talk to almost anybody!