Sidelined...

A few months ago, I sprained my ankle. Yes, I said months. A few weeks after it had started to feel better, my husband was rubbing my feet when he accidently popped my ankle. It hasn't been right since then.

It hurts when I first get up in the morning, it hurts if I have been sitting for a while. It hurts if I am on it for any length of time. It isn't broken. It is just out of whack  I should go to the doctor, but I am doubtful if he can really do anything.

So, I am just going to suck it up and start walking daily, hopefully start running soon. My hopes are that once I start moving more, the pain will go away...

and if not, then I guess I will have to go to the dr.

Two steps forward and one step back

Yesterday was "Weigh In Wednesday" and I missed it. It makes me sad. I look forward to those weigh ins because it helps to make me accountable.

Speaking of accountability-I will not tell you how many cookies I ate the last two days or that I had nachos with all the fixins for lunch yesterday. I have fallen of the wagon again.

Life doesn't seem to want to give me a moment to just breathe. Everything is piling up. Work, house stuff, bills, other obligations. It is a lot for me to handle right now. And instead of dealing with them, I am smothering them under a mountain of unhealthy foods.

I would like to say, yes eating does help me deal, but the truth is, it doesn't. In fact, the more I eat the worse I feel. But it is a never ending cycle.

I feel like it is two steps forward and one step back lately. I can't get a head no matter how hard I try.

I am trying. Extremely hard.

Somedays, though it is just easier to reach for a cookie

Taking The Weekend "Off"

Well, not really off, off...I am still following, loosely, my eating plan, but I am taking the weeked off from things. I have noticed a steady increase in my stress levels these past couple of weeks, and as my stress has increased, my moods have decreased. I think that I have shed more tears in this last week than I have in a very long time.

I spent so much time focusing on what was going wrong in my life, that I was missing the things that were going right.

My kids and my husband need me. I need to be able to focus on them and be positive. I need to be able to focus on my work. (I have a big project coming up...shhh it's secret) I just need to be able to feel like a normal human being...not like the royal screw up and failure that I have been made to feel like I was lately.

Tomorrow is Sunday. My husband is off, and we have some things to get done here at the house. But mostly, I just want to spend it with my family, curled up in bed, watching movies on the laptop.

Next week is a jammed packed on. Meetings Monday and possibly Tuesday. A big day on Wednesday,  just lots going on.

I need a vacation from life. Just for a few days.

It's all Greek to me...

When it comes to losing weight and eating better, I am learning. A lot. I have had pretty poor eating habits for most of my adult life. So, it is kinda like teaching an old dog new tricks.

I don't like change. So, it should be no suprise that the first time I heard to put greek yogurt in my chicken salad in place of mayo, I balked. Yogurt? Are you kidding me??

But, eventually, I did give in. I decided that there had to be something to all the "use yogurt, not mayo" claims I was seeing.

You want to know a secret? It is really good.

Now, I don't like plain yogurt, greek or not. It is too bitter. So I was really hesitant to slather my chicken with the stuff. But, the little voice in my head that said "this whole resisting change thing? This is why you are F.A.T"

I poached a chicken breast with some lemon zest and a bay leaf. It take about 10 minutes. Once it was done, I waited for it to cool enough to handle and shredded it with my fingers. I added some toasted pecans, purple grapes halved, celery, and about 1/2 c of plain, low fat Greek yougurt. You can as much as you want, depending on how moist you like your chicken salad. Then pop it in the fridge for a few hours or overnight to cool.

I also did this with my tuna salad. Use salt free tuna in water (I used two cans so I had enough for leftovers). Add as much (about 1/2 cup) of greek yogurt. Now, I am weird. I diced some onion and olives and added that. Add just a couple packets of Sugar in the Raw and pop it in the fridge. When you are ready to eat, measure out about a cup onto a fresh romanie leaf, serve with some pita chips (Garden of Eatin are just awsome)  and enjoy

Super easy, Semi Homemade Oatmeal Muffins

In light of my recent success at losing some weight...finally...I have decided it was time to get a little creative in the kitchen. I have been following Jillian Michaels Master Your Metabolisim plan. I plan my meals (for the most part) each week, and have even gotten to try foods that I more than likely never would have tried before.

Today, I decided to try Oatmeal muffins. Now these are not part of the plan per se, but I have a certain allowance of fat and calories per day that I allow myself, and hey we all deserve a treat now and then.

I call these semi homemade because I didn't make the base...the oatmeal part...I used Jiffy it's 50 cents at Wal-mart. (But get two boxes for 12 muffins) but I did *modify* and add to the recipe to make them my own.

Ingredients:
Two boxes Jiffy Oatmeal Muffin mix
Chocolate Chips (I used 70%  Cacao Ghiridelli Chocolate chips)
2/3 cups Almond milk
2 eggs

What to do:
Preheat the oven to 400
Grease a 12 cup muffin tin with olive oil spray or use liners
Mix all the ingredients together
Fill the cups about 1/2 full
Bake for 13 to 17 minutes

Now, I am sure you are wondering why almond milk? Almond milk is one of my newest addictions (along with almond butter, which I sadly used up while making chocolate almond blondies) It only has about 70 calories and is super smooth and creamy and adds a great flavor. It is awsome in shakes, over cereal or just plain.

In this recipe, you cannot taste the almond milk, but I did notice they were more moist this time!

*I know, I know, I need pictures...I forgot. Next time, I promise!!*

Weigh In Wednesday

Well, it's that time of the week again...Weigh In Wendesday. ( Want to join in? Show support? Hop on over to Fat Girl to Thin to link up)

I wasn't all to hopeful going into this week. I am an emotional eater. And I have been under a tremendous amount of stress this week...so I expected, at the very least, a gain of a pound or so.

*drum roll please* I am DOWN!! I am at 225!! That is 5 pounds from last week!!

I am beyond excited. I have been trying extremely hard to stick to the master your metabolisim plan by Jillian Michaels. It is GREAT! The food is good, and super easy to eat.

I am going to work extra hard this next week. My goal is to weigh 220 pound, for the first time in years, by next week

Wish me luck

Happy Dance!!

I have been pretty down in the dumps lately. This whole weight loss thing, personal stuff, and professional stuff have really thrown me for a loop as of late. It seemed like the entire universe had a vendetta out for me.

Things are slowly turning around. I am doing my best to pick myself up by the "boot straps" and move forward. I have been rearranging my life, and taking things off of my plate that really don't need to be there right now.

I have also been way more aware of what I am eating. (Oh nachos from Burrito Loco how I miss thee) and it has sucked at times. But it has paid off.
I have not yet weighed myself..so I am not sure how much I have actually lost. But for the first time in forever I tried on an XL tee-shirt (you know the ones from the junior section). Usually when I put this shirt on it is way tight, like to the point where it only covers half of my stomach.

So today, I decided that I would try on my shirt that says "Rock On" ( I need a pick me up this morning) and ta-da! It actually FITS. The way it supposed to!!

I was so happy and so proud of myself this morning. What a great way to start my week!