Weight Loss Journey: Eating Out, Failure and a Progress Photo

My updates will be every two weeks, unless something super duper awesome happens.  I have got this down to a set routine now so not much changes.  I do meal prep on Sundays and take meat out of the freezer for the week.  I wanted to show you all this progress photo.  I was hanging out with a friend I hadn't seen in a while and he pointed out that he could really tell my progress from my face. I see myself every day so I didn't see it until I put these two photos side by side.   The first one is from about a year ago and the other is from a few weeks ago.

We have made a few extra trips north in the past two weeks so some of our meals have been eaten out.  I have talked about this before but you just have to be smart and not afraid to ask for what you want.  Below is an example meal from Wendy's.  It rings in at 415 calories.  It's an Asiago Ranch Chicken club with no bun and no sauce with a small chili.  Wendy's chicken is by far the best fast food chicken around.  It is an actual chicken breast, not a patty of ground up chicken with extra crap.

Last week, my weigh in was a tad disappointing.  Not sure what I did wrong but I was up 3 pounds.  And of course, I got a little depressed because I have been working really hard.  So Friday, I bumped my food intake down and my workout up.  Saturday's weigh in had me down 2 lbs but still more than last week.  We went to the Packwood Flea Market with my sister and her family on Saturday.  We had McDonald's on the way up, Mexican for a late Lunch.  Then we just snacked after we got home.  We did walk a total of 2.84 miles according to the fitness tracker on my husband's phone.

I've discovered that at my gym, in the locker room, when I take off my shirt to change, it signals the older women to start a conversation with me.  I've heard stories about diabetes, cheating husbands, the woes of retirement and weight loss.  I don't know why but my husband and I collect weird.  We must look approachable.  I was really proud of myself this week.  When I was doing the 30 minutes express last week, I actually used the steps.  My knees were really sore but I did it.  That was a huge achievement for me.  The photo below shows what the 30 Minute Express room looks like.  Another achievement was that I lost 16 lbs this month.  I am down a total of 69 lbs.  I had challenged myself to lose 15 lbs this month.  I think that is why I got so depressed last week when I was up.

I wanted to share a recipe that I tried this week.  It was my friend Jamie's birthday and she is allergic to gluten, soy and dairy.  Needless to say, a traditional cake was something she couldn't have.  I searched high and low for a good recipe for her.  I found this Lemon Drizzle Chickpea Cake.  The only cages I made were that I made a glaze of lemon juice and powdered sugar instead of the honey and I put raspberries on top.  The texture will not be for everyone but my husband and I both really liked it.  The lemon flavor is really pronounced.  Let me know if you give it a try.

Weight Loss Journey: In a Rut, Birthday and Zaycon

I haven't been really sure what to blog about this time.  I am kind of in a zone/schedule/rut.  Not even sure what to call it.  A rut sounds negative so I don't think that is the right word.  Here is what I am doing.

5:00 am up with the husband.  Sometimes I go back to sleep, some days I stay up and get some chores done.
8:00 am Work starts, I eat breakfast.
12:00 pm Pre-Work Out meal.  Usually consists of some carbs, protein and fat.
1:15 pm Head to the Gym.  M/W/F is Circuit Training, T/Th is Stationary Bike & Weight Training
2:30 pm Post-Work Out meal.  A salad with some kind of protein.  Either Chicken or Tuna.
5:00 pm Off work, head home to make dinner
6:00 pm Dinner
10:00 pm Bed Time

It's the same, every weekday, and I don't mind at all.  I have been going to the gym for a month now.  I still love it.  If I am having a crap day, I just go in, put my headphones on and work it out.  I don't think about much else than what I am doing.  I can't say that about any other time in my life.  Even at work, going to sleep or watching TV, I am thinking about other things that need to be done.  I guess you could call it my escape.

Last week was my birthday and my Mom was so sweet and sent me flowers.  As I opened the box though, I called her the devil.  There was a box of chocolates in the bottom of the box.  Really Mom?  Why would you sabotage me like that?  I gave them to my boss.  Later in the day she called and apologized.  She didn't realize the package she sent included chocolates.  I apologized for calling her the devil.  We both laughed.  Roger took me to dinner that night at a local seafood restaurant.  I got a crab stuffed mushroom appetize, the cioppino and we shared a slice of chocolate cake.  I was terribly disappointed in the food and the service.  I guess that's why we eat at home so much.  If I am going to pay $70-80 for a meal, it better be damned good.

Last weekend we held our 29th Annual All High School Car Show.  It is strictly for High School Students in the area.  I had been really stressed going into it as there is a lot of work that needs to be done but it went off without a hitch.  I wish I could reassure myself in the weeks leading up to it that it always comes together but I just can't.  I am a worrier and a stresser.  It's just who I am.  It was such a hectic day that I forgot to take my medicine that morning.  I take a Multi-Vitamin, Iron, B-12, Complex D, Alpha Lipoic Acid and an anxiety medication.  I also forgot on Sunday.  Monday I felt pretty crappy and forgot to take them again.  I was light headed, nauseous and had a migraine.  When I got home, I complained to Roger about it and he suggested it was because I had missed my medicine.  I decided to go ahead and take them and within an hour, I felt 100% better.  Lesson learned.

Have I talked about Zaycon Foods here on my blog yet? We discovered them through my Tastefully Simple consultant, Tessie. She had posted about it on Facebook and I checked it out.  Let me tell you, I am so glad I did.  We are on our third order of Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast.  For just $1.99 per pound, we couldn't resist trying it.  You pick it up at the location.  You just drive up to the truck and they load it for you.  It comes in a 40 lb case, fresh from the processing facility.  All you have to do is portion them out, freeze and enjoy.  For a long time we steered clear of chicken breast because it always seemed to dry out, even in the crock pot.  We have never had a problem with these.  They stay moist and delicious.  We decided to order a case of ground beef and it came in on Wednesday.  It comes in 10 lb tubes and you get 4 of them.  We split this case with my Mom.  It is 93/7 lean ground beef and is so yummy.  There was virtually no fat in the pan after I fried up a small amount to taste.  We have bacon coming next week and my mouth is watering already!  I highly recommend you check them out.

I am writing this on Saturday morning and just weighed in.  I am down a total of 65 lbs!!!  My hard work is really paying off.  I really encourage anyone who is struggling or needs motivation to just look at yourself in the mirror and realize that you are worth it.  You are worth the sweat, the sore muscles, and the love for yourself.  I was never able to do this until my mind switched into "selfish" mode.  It's not really selfish to take care of yourself.  How are you going to take care of everyone else in your life if you aren't around or are too tired to do it?  Do it for you and you alone.  I love you all and I thank you for riding along with me on this journey.