Weight Loss Journey: Goodbye April

I have been a little lax on my blogging this week.  Nothing too exciting is happening.  I am just working more and going to the gym every week day.  I have been working on the Annual All High School Car Show that is May 9th.  Me, Roger and about 5 other people put it on.  It's a lot of work and I complain about it the entire time but the day of the show when that one kid thanks you for what you've done, it makes it all worth while.

Well my work schedule changed AGAIN so I am now working 8 am to 5 pm.   I am so used to getting off at 3:30 that it has been a tough adjustment.  At home it's not too bad.  We are eating dinner a little bit later which actually eliminates my evening snack.  I also now force myself to take a lunch hour.  I use the opportunity to go to the gym.  I've made it through 2 full weeks.  According to My Fitness Pal, I burned 3,169 calories last week.  I am really loving it.  It gives me a break from work, I am meeting some really cool people and I am feeling good.  One thing I don't like very much is that after my workout, my hands shake for about 30 minutes.  I have to come back to work and have a snack to calm it down.  Surprisingly WebMD said it was nothing to worry about.

I ran across this the other day:  "Diet" is not a verb, it is a noun.  The verb is "eat".  I don't diet, I eat.  Diet is what I eat.  I can't cheat on a diet.  If I eat something that was not on my plan, I didn't cheat.  I just didn't follow my plan.  If my plan isn't achieving what I intended or I can't follow my plan, I need a new plan.  It really helped me this last weekend when we were out of town.  We took an impromptu trip down the coast to Astoria, OR and Long Beach, WA.  Our first stop was Costco where we dropped way too much money, then to the fish market for oysters and clams and finally to the beach.

At Costco, we did like we normally do and had Sausage Dogs.  I decided to only have one and I am so glad I did because those things are packed with 570 calories each.  At the fish market we each got a crab cocktail which is about 2 or 3 ozs of crab meat.  It was so good, freshly caught and cooked that day.  Then at the beach, Roger really wanted Ice Cream so I had a small one scoop of Mocha Almond Fudge.  It was the perfect size and I didn't feel sick or guilty afterward.  Of course, I didn't bother to look up calories for anything the rest of the day either.  On our way home, we stopped by PJ's Pizza in Cathlamet.  There used to be one in Centralia that we went to all the time and when they closed we found out there was one in Cathlamet so we were on a mission to find out if they were the same.  Oh yes indeed they were.  The best chicken wings and pizza.  Yum Yum!

I have really been focusing on drinking a lot of water too.  In fact, I have been drinking only water except for 2 cups of coffee and one soda in the last 2 weeks.  I decided to look up how much water you should drink in a day.  There was a website that gave a calculation.  You take your current weight and times it by .66 and that is how many ounces you are supposed to drink.  So for me, 450 x .66 is 297 ounces plus 12 ounces for the 30 minutes of exercise I do a day is a total of 309 ounces.  that is nearly 2.5 gallons a day.  There is no way that I could EVER drink that much water and still get anything done.  I would be in the bathroom every 10 minutes.  I settled on shooting for 128 ounces a day, which is a gallon.  So far, it hasn't been a problem.  I stole a sports bottle from my brother-in-law the last time I was over and it holds 27 ounces.  I have 2 of them before the gym, 1 at the gym and 1 after.  Then when I get home, I drink at least 2 glasses of water.  I haven't noticed a huge difference but, I was only drinking tea and water anyway.

When I weighed in this morning, I had dropped below the 450 mark.  It was something I had been shooting for.  My total weight loss is now at 54 lbs.  I haven't been losing as rapidly as I would like but I know the first few weeks at the gym would be an adjustment.  I am entering into my third week now.  I met a very nice lady in her 60s yesterday who encouraged me to try the elliptical.  She said it was her best option because of her knees.  Thanks Rosie, and Happy Birthday!

100th Blog!

This is our 100th blog post here at the Pink Elephant Sisters.  Can you believe it?  I started this whole thing back on July 31st, 2012.  Initially, my focus was to keep me occupied and help me finish projects.  Soon, it changed to include my musings and life traumas.  Then, I added my sister to the mix and included her amazing crafting abilities.  Right now, the focus is on my Weight Loss Journey.  The point is, I love my blog.  I love my outlet.  I love sharing my stories and food and crafts.  Since this is a pretty momentous occasions, I thought I would compile out Top Ten Blogs according to page views.  Maybe you will discover a post you haven't seen before or reacquaint yourself with one you may have forgotten.  What is your favorite post of ours?

#10

Halloween Wrap Up

#9

March Goals Week 3

#8

Baking Bonanza

#7

Upcycled Storage Tins

#6

Repurposed Photo Frame Jewelry Hanger

#5

It's What's For Dinner:  Creamy Coconut Shrimp

#4

Weight Loss Journey:  A Break-Up, A Visitor and A New Page

#3

March Goals, Week 4:  Positivity

#2

Dollar Store Wreath

#1

Polka Dot Hello Kitty and TMNT Cakes 

Weight Loss Journey: Goals Reached, Proud Auntie and Gym Days

Friday morning, April 10th, I weighed myself before work.  I had done it, I reached my 50 lb goal in just 4 months.  I literally screamed with joy.  I wish someone had been home with me but I just had the cats to celebrate with.  I did post about it on Facebook and got so much positive feedback.  I can't say enough how much I appreciate all my friends and family for their support and love.  The guys at work want to celebrate but everything they can think of involves food.  My treat to myself is my Planet Fitness Membership and a new pair of athletic shoes.

Friday was the 100th day of the year and also my first day at the gym. I got a 40 minute work out in during my lunch.  I did 5 minutes on the treadmill, 5 minutes (or 1 mile) on the stationary bike and 30 minutes of circuit training.  I know to some it make not seem like much but for me, it really was.  I have to start somewhere.  It got me sweating and my heart rate up.  I really like this gym.  It is not intimidating and all the staff are really nice.

Saturday we had breakfast with Roger's parents and my Mom and her boyfriend, Bruce.  Then I headed north for my nephew Logan's first T-Ball game.  It was probably the cutest thing I have ever witnessed.  He waved at the crowd on his way up to bat and took a bow when he crossed home plate.  It was hilarious and made me really proud.  After the game we went to dinner.  It was 5:30 and I hadn't ate since 10.  Needless to say, I was hungry.  We went to Brewery City Pizza.  Now, I have admitted many times that Pizza is one of my down falls.  But, I ordered hot wings and a Spinach salad while everyone else had pizza and I wasn't even tempted.  The salad was really good and I ended up only eating a few of the wings.  I took the rest home.  I sat next to my nephew Landon at dinner and he kept eating off my plate.  Kari and Josh both said that he normally doesn't eat greens so I had another Proud Auntie Moment that I was setting a good example for him.

Sunday I had some leftovers for breakfast and then we headed to a movie.  I splurged and we shared a large popcorn and I had a large diet soda.  Now I know it wasn't the best choice but we don't go to the movies often and I felt like it was a treat.  After the movie, we made a quick trip to Wal-Mart for a sports bra, a new broom and some other essentials.  Small rant about all the sports bras I've seen is that they do not provide coverage.  The band is large enough but the cups are not holding anything in.  I have to just wear it over my regular bra to help the jiggle.  I regress.  For dinner I made Cajun Seafood Stew.  As always, it was delicious and filled with seafood and flavor.  I did have a hard time falling asleep Sunday night.  I think it was probably the caffeine in that large soda.  I rarely have any caffeine so I am sure it stuck with me.

Monday was back to the grind.  This week my schedule is 7 am to 5 pm with an hour lunch.  During my lunch I am going to the gym.  It is a 5 minute drive, 5 minutes to change my clothes, then a 40 minute work out.  I think I am going to do 10-15 minutes on the bike with the remainder on the weight machines on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.  On Tuesday and Thursday I will do the Express 30 Minute Circuit Training.  Then, the next week, I will swap them.

This Tuesday was my first day on the Express workout and it is a killer.  Ten machines and 10 step stations at 1 minute each.  I started out strong, doing stair steps but toward the end it was all I could do to walk in place.  I haven't worked that hard in a long time.  It felt kinda great.  My arms are extremely sore as well as my thighs.  But, this was just the first day.  It will only get better and easier as I keep going.  When I got home from work, I was extremely hungry.  I hadn't ate since noon and had burned all those calories at the gym.  I made Chicken Burritos and scarfed those down quickly.  The problem was, I still wanted more.  I finally got up and ate some grapes but even then, I was still wanting to eat.  I had to close myself off in my office and sew a tote bag in order to distract myself from wanting to eat.

Weight Loss Journey: A Break-Up, A Visitor and A New Page

It's a really sad day for me and I hate to even talk about this but I have to.  After last night, I am sad to report that we are breaking up.  We have been together for so long but it's time that we parted ways.  I wanted you all to hear it from me.  He has caused me too many stomach aches lately.  Cheese and I are over.  He has been my favorite for so long but apparently my stomach says he isn't allowed to come around anymore.  I may be able to sneak him in small doses but cheese quesadillas, nachos, or anything covered in an ooey gooey delicious layer of cheese is out.  (Pardon me while I wipe my drool and tears away.)

Now back to my normal ramblings.

I was super excited to have my nephew come stay with us last weekend.  It was the first time he has come to our house.  We picked Logan up Friday evening and drove south.  We told him we lived pretty far away but a 4 year old has no concept of time or distance.  When we got to our house, he had to run around, meet our animals, check out each room and then say he was hungry.  We don't have traditional kid food in our house so I was going to make chicken nuggets out of chicken breast and panko.  The whole concept kinda blew his mind.  He kept running to the microwave to ask if they were done yet.

Later that night he told me about a video he watched on his tablet for banana ice cream.  Well, I had watched the same video and had put bananas in the freezer a few weeks ago so we made Banana "Ice Cream".  It takes just 2 ingredients:  frozen bananas and almond milk.  All you do is put the frozen bananas in the food processor and add almond milk until you get the consistency you want.  I probably added about 1/3 of a cup of the almond milk.  It was really creamy and he and Roger loved it.  You could fold in whatever you wanted, like chocolate chips or nuts.

Saturday we made Carrot Cake Cupcakes for Easter and Roger made Kitty Cat shaped pancakes.  We let him choose what he wanted for lunch and he wanted pizza so we ordered Pizza Hut.  I did what I said and just ordered wings for myself and I was much more satisfied.  He ate his pizza and then we painted on some canvases.  He really enjoyed that.

The most exciting part came around 2:00 when a strange woman knocked on our door telling us that our fence was on fire.  It turns out that our neighbors had been burning their garbage and left it unattended.  Well the other trash they had piled against our fence caught fire and in turn caught our fence on fire.  Roger went back with a hose but it wasn't working so we called the Fire Department.  Logan was so excited to see the firemen and they even let him sit in the truck and gave him a cool hat.  There wasn't a ton of damage to our fence but it will need replaced soon.

We took him home Sunday where he hunted for Easter Eggs with his brother.  Then we went to my Aunt Shelly's house to have Easter with the family.  After Shelly's we went to my Dad's place.  It was a ton of time in the car but seeing family was worth it.  We finally got home around 8pm.  Since we don't have kids, we just go where we're told for holidays.

I weighed in Sunday before leaving for Easter and I was down another 4 lbs.  A total of 47.  I am 3 lbs from my 2015 goal of 50 lbs.  Once I reach that, I will set another goal.  My schedule will be changing at work soon so I will have an hour lunch.  This is a good opportunity for me to join the Planet Fitness gym that is just a few miles from my work.  It is giving me major anxiety but I need to get out of my comfort zone a bit.  I signed up Thursday April 9th, exactly 4 months from my diagnosis.  The last 4 months have been really good for me.  I have a completely new attitude.

Repurposed Photo Frame Jewelry Hanger

Another easy project off my to do list and I made it all with stuff I had already at home.

About 7 years ago, we put our house on the market.  Our Realtor told us to unclutter and remove all personal photos.  We did and when our house didn't sell, we never put them back up.  Part of it was laziness and part of it was depression because we really wanted to move.  Well I finally got around to unpacking them and hanging most of them back up.  In the packing however, I had 2 frames that had broken glass.  I removed the glass and saved the frames to make this project.

Materials you will need are:

Frames

Scrapbook or wrapping paper

Scissors

Ink Pen

Tape

Lace

By the way, did you notice my repurposed old trunk coffee table?  We bought the trunk at a garage sale over 10 years ago.  It holds DVDs, VHS tapes and photos.  Roger bought a movers dolly at Harbor Freight and we placed the trunk on top.  Easy peasy and so useful.  I like it because I can move it easily and it has a cool story.

First step is to cut your paper and your lace.  I used a map scrapbook paper I had and cut out the west coast, since tat's where I am from.  I had an extra piece of lace from my Lace Painted Dining Table Project that I used.

I used the tape to hold the lace in place as I wrapped it around the scrapbook paper.  Then I just put them back in the frame.

For the earrings, I just hung them on the lace.  For the necklaces, Roger got me some S hooks at Wal-mart for 97 cents for 4.  I love the look of these and they dress up my bedroom nicely.

March Goals, Week 4: Positivity

I was on a real high Sunday.  I was happy with my loss last week and I was really excited to see all the support and love I have behind me.  I got private messages, phone calls and texts.  You all know how to make a girl feel awesome.  My goal this week is to say 5 positive things that happened in my day.  I will share some with you.  Sunday's things included posting my blog, getting a call from both of my parents, getting a text from a really good friend and not having to leave the house all day.

I rewarded myself with Pizza on Monday and I was utterly disappointed.  I ordered a thin crust Chicken and Mushroom pizza.  I hated it.  I don't see the point in wasting the calories if it isn't going to be satisfying.  I can eat 2 slices for 500 calories.  There are much better tasting things I can have for those calories.  Maybe next time I will just get the wings.  I like those better anyway.  My positive things for Monday included another call from my Dad to ask me how much water he needed to make a recipe.  I love getting calls from my family to ask advice on cooking.  It must mean I'm doing something right.

Tuesday was a long day at work but I still made dinner when I got home.  I threw together Penne with Chicken and Turkey Meatballs.  I ate very little of the pasta but the meatballs were so good.  I just added some cumin, a couple eggs and a little panko and baked them for 20 minutes.  The recipe made 40 meatballs that were 26 calories each.  Tuesday's positive thoughts included that it was payday and I have a job.

I am becoming a really strong believer in a low carb lifestyle.  I have done hours of research on the subject and with my own personal experience, I don't think I will ever go back.  I sleep better, I have so much energy and I am losing without working very hard at it.  I know that I will have to start working out a lot more but for now, I am focused on food.  The month of March has been a real breakthrough month for me.

Friday I got off work an hour early, went to the grocery store and then headed home for a baking extravaganza.  My Aunt Nancy asked me to make the cake for my Uncle Rick's Surprise 50th Birthday.  I made a main Carrot Cake, which is his favorite, and then Orange Cremesicle, Chocolate Nutella and Caramel Apple Cupcakes.  Saturday I went to my sister's house to decorate them and hang out with her and my nephews.  Logan, who is 4 1/2 helped me make chocolate toppers but fell asleep before he could help me frost them.

Saturday night was the big party and we had a great time.  Then Sunday, I came back north to stay the night with at my sister's because I had to be in Olympia early on Monday.  I have such a good time with my nephews.  They are a big reason I am choosing to get healthy.  When one of them asks me to play tag or sit on the floor with them, I want to be able to do it.  Right now I just say I am too big.  Logan asked me to play freeze tag and I told him I couldn't run so he suggested we just walk really fast.  It's what I love most about him.  He is so considerate and genuine.

Monday I took my friend J to get a endoscopy.  My nephew Landon, who's 1 1/2, had woken us all up at 4:45 that morning.  Of course, he napped at 5:30.  I was pretty tired but stayed awake to get J home and back to his place.  I hung out with him for a bit to make sure he was ok and then started the 90 minute drive home.  I stopped in Grand Mound at McDonalds for food and ordered like my old self.  I ordered two 3-piece chicken selects and 2 McDoubles.  I ended up only eating one of each.  Old me would have slammed it all down before I hit Centralia.

All in all March was a great month.  I feel more focused and my mind feels clearer.  I got a lot of people encouraging me to keep it up and many comments on how I seemed happier.  I guess I just feel more alive.