40 Pounds Less In My Watermelon Pink Dress!!!

I did it! I lost 40 pounds since January 1st, 2009. It is so hard to believe. I am so proud of myself. The best part is that people are finally starting to notice that I lost some weight. For the past 8 months not many people have noticed that I was losing weight and it was a little frustrating. Now, it seems like all of the sudden everyone is noticing. It seems like everywhere I go someone is either telling me how good I look or asking if I lost weight. I'm loving it. It was so worth all of the hard work.



My favorite question. How did you do it? So funny! I tell them I ate less and exercised a lot. I love that question. :) I know I still have a long way to go with my weight loss journey but at least I can enjoy the rest of it. It was honestly miserable for the longest time. It was hard to keep myself thinking positively because I wasn't seeing much of a difference and neither was anyone else. Those were the hard times. The times that I struggled to eat healthy. I times when I was wondering if it was really worth it. I can tell you now it was so worth all of it!



Now to the wedding. The big question was "Will I fit in my dress?". The Answer is...

Yes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It fit! I couldn't believe it. It really fit. I was on such a high that day. To know that I lost forty pounds and that I fit into this beautiful watermelon pink dress (that I ordered 2 sizes to small). What a dream come true. It was such a wonderful feeling. I can't even explain it in words. When I looked in the mirror after the wedding I almost cried. I just remembered everything from the past 8 months. I remembered what I looked like back then and what it felt like to be forty pounds heavier. I realized that I feel like a new person. When I was forty pounds heavier I didn't want anyone to look at me and when people talked to me all I could think about was that they were probably thinking how fat and ugly I was. Now I look back and realize that people weren't thinking that. I just felt so badly about myself that I really believed that everyone else saw me the way I saw myself. I am so glad to not have those thoughts in my head anymore.

The wedding was absolutely wonderful! Everything about it was amazing and beautiful. We had such a blast. I had a great time dancing and I know that if I wouldn't have lost so much weight I wouldn't have had enough confidence to get up on that dance floor and strut my stuff. :)

One of the best parts of the wedding for me was that I still felt beautiful even standing next to a woman who probably wears a size 2. I didn't think it would be possible for me to feel that way but I did. I felt curvy and beautiful! I think we all need to learn to love our curves. :)

This picture above is a picture of myself, my friend Elizabeth and our daughters. Elizabeth is a great friend who has encouraged me though the past few months. She has been so wonderful to me throughout my entire weight loss journey. She has always been the one to tell me that she could really notice my weight loss even it was only a few pounds since I last saw her. It was so nice to have someone to encourage me along the way. Thank you Elizabeth! You will never know how much your encouragement meant to me throughout the past few months.

The other reason I posted this picture was to show you how beautiful Elizabeth looked at the wedding. In the past few months she has lost more then 25 pounds and she looks amazing. It was so nice to see her all dressed up and feeling so confident. She is living proof that you don't have to be a size two to be beautiful. You looked amazing at the wedding Elizabeth!

I Love This One

This next picture is me and my sister. My sister Heather is also on her own weight loss journey. She just started and has lost almost ten pounds already. Way to go Heather!!! You look great!

This picture is one of me and my daughter. I love how serious she looks.

Today's The Day!

Today's the day! The day that I will be wearing that watermelon pink dress (that I ordered two sizes to small) down the isle. I am excited and very nervous. I am excited to wear a beautiful dress with this new body of mine but I am really nervous because I still feel like that bigger person sometimes. When I walk down that isle I am afraid that I am going to feel like the old me in a bright pink dress. It doesn't help that the bride and matron of honor are like a size 2 if that. :)

The rehearsal dinner went wonderful last night. We had a great time and the food was excellent. I have been eating salads with chicken and tuna on them so much the past few days that I was just excited to have real food. We had Chicken Marsala, Ham with pineapple slices, "real" mashed potatoes, sauteed zucchini and squash and a wonderful salad with cranberries, walnuts and a poppy seed dressing that was definitely full fat. :) And then there was dessert! All kinds of mini cakes and cheesecakes. I tried one of each. I think there were five or six different kinds. I can't remember the last time I ate that much. I definitely paid for it last night. My stomach was killing me.

I wore my new dress last night and loved it. It fit so well and I felt very comfortable in it. The heels on my shoes were another story. Boy did my feet ache when I got home. Here are some pictures from last night.

Me and the Bride

I will be off to get my hair and makeup done in just a few short hours. I am very excited about that. I have never had my makeup done professionally before. Then it is off to the wedding. Please pray that it doesn't rain to much today. High heals and wet grass are not a good combination.

I am really praying that the dress fits me well and I feel comfortable in it. I guess I will find out in a few hours. I will try to post some pics tomorrow.

I want to say thank you to all of my followers for all of your support. Your comments and emails are all so sweet. I just wanted to say thank you and let you know how much it means to me to have all of you cheering me on.

And The Number Is...Week 34 Weigh In

Well, this is the week. The week I have been planning for for the last several months. I will tell you that I am not where I had planned to be. I was hoping to be 15-20 pounds less then I am. But to tell you the truth I an not upset with myself. I have worked so hard for this and I lost almost 40 pounds. 38 pounds to be exact! :) I am very proud of myself.

It is so weird because sometimes I will look in the mirror and still see that 216.6 pound girl that I was in January. I hate it. I just wish I could always see myself like I really look. I guess that comes with time.

I actually went shopping this week and was so excited because I am able to wear 12's and 14's. I can't believe I have gone from a tight 18 to 12's and 14's. It seems like a dream. It was very exciting and I actually enjoyed clothes shopping for the first time in a very long time.

Here are some pics from our shopping trip. I actually got both of these outfits. Gotta love clearance! I also bought myself a dress to wear to the rehearsal dinner on Friday. It is so gorgeous. I can't wait to wear it. I will get pictures and show you next week. I didn't take any at the store because I didn't want to spoil the surprise.








And the moment you have been waiting for. I stepped on the scale this morning and the number that I saw was 178.6! I lost 2.6 pounds this week. I am actually in the 170's and only two more to go until I reach forty pounds. Crazy,crazy, crazy!!! I can't believe I am finally in the 170's. I'm been waiting a long time for this day.




My Week In Review:

1. Exercise: Another great exercise week. I exercised Thur., Fri., Mon., Tues., Wed. at the gym. The last three days with my trainer and I am going back today to meet with her.

2. Track My Points Every Day: Nope :(

4. Water: I drank lots of water.

5. Late night eating: Two nights ago my daughter had foot cramps around 1am so we sat up watching tv and eating Hershey Kisses. I think I ate 8 of them.

6. Snacking: Not much snacking this week. I have been to busy with my daughter starting pre-school, going to the gym and getting ready for the wedding.

7. Eating more fruits and veggies: Of course I ate a ton this week. I ate a lot of Salad because we have fresh cherry tomatoes from our garden right now and I love them. I am also on my second watermelon for the week. I <3 watermelon. :)




What do I need to do this week?

Well Saturday is the wedding and I am determined to be down 40 pounds by then. I know it is only like two days away but I really want to do it. I am going to exercise my butt off and eat tons of fruits and veggies and see if it works. I hope I am not to disappointed in myself if I don't make it to 40 pounds by Sat.

And The Winner Is ...

Bethany!!! You are the winner of the Green Tea 4 Life X-Treme from a company called Weight Loss Avenue.

Thanks so much to everyone that entered my giveaway and thanks for all of the great snack ideas. I enjoyed reading them all and getting new ideas for myself.

Bethany, you didn't leave your email address so please email me your full name and shipping address to pudgetlosingweightonabudget @ yahoo.com . If I don't hear back by Friday I will drawl a new winner.

Thanks again to all who entered and to Weightlosssave.com for the Green Tea 4 Life X-Treme.

Will It Fit???

A few months ago I wrote a post about the dress for my friends wedding that I bought two sizes to small. If you haven't read it click here.

Guess what? The wedding is this Saturday and I am freaking out a little. I'm not sure if the dress is going to fit. four weeks ago I tried it on and I had a one inch gap in the back. My husband told me that if I had a few people to help him he may be able to zipper it. I didn't find it as funny as he did.

Two weeks ago I tried the dress on and it zippered but I couldn't breath. Still not good. Now you can see why I am freaking out a little. The wedding is this Saturday and it needs to fit! I really hope all of the work I am doing with my trainer is going to pay off. I have been working so hard and I really do see a huge difference in my body but I just hope it is enough to make me fit comfortably in my dress.

On the up side if the dress fits me comfortably I am going to die. Ordering a dress two sizes to small is crazy but if it actually fits me it will be even crazier. If it fits me and looks nice I will be on such a high that day. I can't even imagine what it will feel like. Knowing that I really did it. That I really did something as crazy as ordering my dress two sizes to small and then lost the weight to fit into it. It even sounds so crazy typing it. I may just cry when I put the dress on. Seriously. Everyone will think I am nuts but to work this hard and feel like I have succeeded will be such an awesome feeling.

I can't wait to share with all of you the news on whether the dress fits or not. I will try to write a post the Monday after the wedding and of course I will have pictures. Wish me luck!

Today's Budget Friendly Lunch

Today when I got home from the gym I was starving so I had a huge lunch. I wanted to have lots of protein but I also wanted to have some carbs because I can't have them after 3pm. So I had shredded chicken on two light buns with Heinz Hot Relish and a big bowl of watermelon.








I was so full when I got done that I just wanted to take a little nap. Surprisingly it kept me full all day until dinner. If you haven't ever tried Heinz Hot Relish before you should give it a try. It is my new favorite food. I had shredded chicken on a light rolls for three meals in two days because I just love that relish.



If you are wondering I did do my budget friendly chicken trick again. Click here to check out the post in case you missed it. It really does make my life so much easier and more affordable this way.

And The Number Is.....Week Thirty-Three Weigh In

I had another great week. It was so nice to go away and visit my family and come back weighing the same as when I left. That doesn't usually happen. My family loves to eat! I was very careful with what I put in my mouth. I did eat a little more then I should have but not enough to make me gain anything.

This morning when I stepped on the scale I was very pleased. The number that I saw was 181.2. I am super excited because I am determined to be in the 170's by next week. It sounds so crazy! I remember not that long ago I was shooting for the 190's. I can't even tell you how excited I am to be where I am. I had hoped to have lost more weight by now but I am definitely not disappointed in myself. I Have Lost 35 Pounds! I just feel so good right now especially when I compare it to he way I felt just a few short months ago.

I am going to post a picture below of me. It is one that I have been hiding from all of you for a really long time. This is the picture that made me start my journey to lose weight. You will understand when you see it. I can still remember the way I felt when I saw this picture. The moment that I realized what size I really was. It was awful. One of the worst feelings I have ever felt. I felt like a failure and I felt like I was going to be fat forever.




This picture was taken on December 28, 2008. Just a few days before I started this journey and "Pudget". Now I can look back and see how far I have come. I can finally show this picture without feeling mortified by the way I looked. I have finally realized that I am no longer that same person. I have grown stronger at the same time as I have grown smaller. :) I am so much more confident then I ever have been before. It is because I realize that I am strong emotionally and physically and that if I put my mind to something I can do it.

I hope this awful picture of me helps others realize that if they put their mind to it they can do it to. It is a lot of work and a lot of times of wanting to give up. The only advice I can give is to just keep trying and never give up. Even if the scale doesn't say what you think it should just push yourself that much harder. It isn't easy but in the long run it is well worth it.

I know I still have a long way to go but I am so thrilled to share with all of you what I have accomplished and that anything is possible if you put your mind to it.

My Week In Review:

1. Exercise: Another great exercise week. I worked with my trainer on Thursday, Friday, and Mon. Then worked out on my own on Tues. and Today. No exercise over the weekend but I did do some dancing at the wedding so I think that might count. :)

2. Track My Points Every Day: I stopped tracking when I went away for the weekend and didn't start back up again until today. I have been tracking in my head which I guess is better then nothing.

4. Water: I drank lots of water.

5. Late night eating: NONE!!! :)

6. Snacking: I ate some snacks while driving to and from NY but other then that I really have cut back on the snacks. I have been realizing that when I eat a lot of protein with my meals I don't crave the snacks as much.

7. Eating more fruits and veggies: I ate tons of fruits and veggies this week. Again, my favorite fruit for the week is Watermelon. Although I had two fresh picked peaches at my Aunt's house on Tuesday and I didn't want to stop eating them. I really could have eaten 10. They were so good. I forgot how good they are right after they have been picked.




What do I need to do this week?

This is my last week to lose weight and inches before my friends Wedding. I have to be really strict with what I eat and exercise every day. No excuses!

The Wedding!

If you haven't entered my giveaway click here. You won't want to miss this one.




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The wedding was wonderful this weekend. I had such a great time visiting with all of my family.



The best part of the whole weekend was that I received more complements then I have in my entire life. It is funny how I have been losing weight for seven months and now all of the sudden everyone started to notice. I'm not complaining. It was hard to go so long without many people noticing (or maybe just not saying anything) but it was well worth the wait.




Everyone was telling me how great I looked. I am so not used to that kind of attention. I even had a guy hit on me. My husband wasn't thrilled about that but I got a little kick out of it.



Here are some pictures from the wedding.

My family!







Me, My Cousins and My Baby!





Me and My Sisters

My Husband and I

The Groom and My Daughter

Me Posing

The Bride and Groom!

I did really good with my eating all weekend except for on the ride home. I was so bored, tired and ready to be home that I ate some ritz bits with cheese and something else that wasn't healthy but I can't think of it right now. The meal at the wedding was wonderful. We had 1/2 of a rotisserie chicken, some kind of smashed potatoes and fancy green beans. I only ate the chicken and of course two wonderful (huge) rolls with a really sweet tasting butter. I figured I burnt enough calories dancing and chasing kids away that it didn't matter.

In case you are wondering about the no carb/low carb diet I was officially off of it before the wedding. It was just a 6 day thing to cleanse my body. Now I am aloud to eat carbs just not after 3pm. I really need to start following that more strictly. I guess your body doesn't have enough time to burn the fat if you eat it after 3pm. Unfortunately I am so used to having carbs with my dinner (ex. tacos, hot dogs, chicken bbq sand., hot turkey sausage sand., baked potatoes) . I guess I am going to have to come up with a new plan. It is harder than it sounds.

I am still seeing my trainer. She is awesome. I am really noticing a difference in my body. I am even starting to get muscles (even in my stomach) it is really cool. She is off the rest of this week so I am doing the training on my own at the gym. I am trying to do it by memory. I think it is going well. It is definitely harder to do without the trainer because I don't have anyone to talk to while I am doing it. :)

Giveaway!!!

I am so excited to be holding another giveaway this week.



So here it is! A few weeks ago I received a free bottle of Green Tea 4 Life X-Treme from a company called Weight Loss Avenue I don't use Weight Loss Supplements but I know that many people do. So I decided to have a giveaway so that someone else could benefit from it. The bottle has 90 capsules and if I remember correctly it is a $90.00 value.



Here's how to get in on the fun:

1. Leave a comment below telling me your favorite low fat snack food.
2. Earn a second entry by being or becoming a follower/subscriber and leaving that in the comment section below.
3. Earn another entry by grabbing my button.
3. And another entry by making a post on your own blog telling everyone about this contest and linking it to this page. Then paste your link in the comment section below.

I will be drawing the winner randomly on Monday, August 24, 2009. I will contact the winner by email.

Cooking Healthy On A Budget

I am leaving today for my cousin's wedding in New York. I really can't wait to see my family. We are going to have such a great time.

I am wearing one of my sister's dresses to the wedding. Either the red one that I wore to the Bridal Shower or a black one that she is bringing along for me to try on. It is so nice being able to borrow my sisters clothes. I haven't been able to do that in a long time.

One of the reasons I am really excited is because I weighed 181.5 this morning. That's down another pound and a half since Thursday. I really hope I can see a difference when I put that red dress on today.

I will take lots of pictures and post them when I get back.


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A Tip for cooking healthy on a Budget:



Buy a big package of boneless skinless chicken breasts when they are on sale (ex. $1.79pd). Cook the whole package in the crock pot in the beginning of the week. If you cook it long enough it will be very tender and easy to shred. Turn the chicken into several different meals for the week. I did this last week and we got 4 dinners and several lunches out of a $11.00 package of chicken.

Examples of meals:

1. Chicken Fajitas
2. Chicken BBQ Sandwiches
3. Grilled Chicken Sandwiches w/ low fat wheat buns
4 Plain Grilled Chicken (serve with baked potato and veggie)
5. Chicken Salad Sandwiches
6. Chicken on your green salad
7. Chicken Quasadilas
8. Pretty much any chicken casserole



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Remember: Check back next week because I am having a giveaway!!!!

The Most AMAZING Meatloaf Ever!

Make sure you read to the bottom of this post!


I finally made the Turkey Meatloaf last night. If you missed the post with the recipe click here. I'm not kidding when I say it was the best tasting meatloaf that I have ever had. I really have never had anything like it before. My husband and daughter agree with me also. My daughter said "Mommy, this is so much better then the kind you usually make.". Kids are too funny. My husband said he wouldn't mind if I made that again. Coming from him that is a complement. :)

I will tell you that I didn't completely follow the recipe. I used lean ground beef instead of Turkey because that was what I had. I also only used 1/2 cup of bread crumbs and 1/2 cup of raw oatmeal instead of the 1 1/2 cups of bread crumbs (I doubled the recipe). And instead of eggs I used 1/2 cup of egg whites.

Here's the full recipe that I used. This will be the only meatloaf I ever cook again. I am so excited to have found such a good tasting, low fat,easy recipe.


The Most AMAZING Meatloaf Ever!

2 lbs. Lean Hamburger
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup of raw oatmeal
salt and pepper
1/2 cup egg whites
1/2 cup of ketchup

Mix ingredients together and lay about half of it in a big pan (I used a cake pan). Put 6 low fat string cheese sticks on top. Then cover with remaining hamburger mixture. I squirted a little zig-zag of ketchup on top and baked for about 45 min. to an hour. Half the time covered with foil.


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I have a little surprise coming next week! I will be doing another giveaway. I am so excited. Check back next week to see what it is and how to enter. :)

And The Number Is .... Week 32 Weigh In

This past week was very exciting for me. I am starting to feel that my exercise is really paying off. I really notice a difference in my stomach and my sides.


Do you want to know what is even more exciting? I lost 3 pounds this week! Yep, I am now at 183 pounds. I'm very surprised because my trainer said it might take 3 weeks until I notice any change in my weight. One week and three days later I am down three pounds! Can you tell I am exited! Sorry, it's been a long time since the scale has dropped like this. :) This brings me to a total loss of 33.6 pounds


This week my trainer put me on a very low carb/ high protein diet. I really think this helped me drop the weight. I didn't realize how many carbs I was eating until I couldn't eat them anymore. It was really hard. For me it was difficult to find something to eat when I wasn't in the mood for meat or veggies. It is very limiting when you can't eat carbs but I survived. I didn't make it without any carbs but I think I did very well eating only minimal carbs.


My Week In Review:

1. Exercise: All I can say is Awesome! I exercised more this week then I have in a long time.

2. Track My Points Every Day: I tracked my points every day and it really made a difference.

4. Water: I drank lots of water.

5. Late night eating: Only the one night when I ate a piece of cake. Craving Sugar :).

6. Snacking: I found myself snacking less because I new that I couldn't have the sweets I wanted. I did snack on watermelon, grapes and raw almonds.

7. Eating more fruits and veggies: Eating low carb pretty much means you need to eat a ton of fruits and veggies. Either that or go hungry. I ate tons of both this week. Lots of salads with Pecans, 2% cheese and lean meat.




What do I need to do this week?

This week I need to continue with the exercise. I meet with my trainer 3 days this week. I also want to exercise on my off days. Maybe biking (if it's not to hot outside) or Jillian Micheals. I will continue to track my points and probably stick with the low carb for another week. Not sure yet because I haven't talked to my trainer about it.



What is your Goal for this week?

My New Blog Design

I am so excited! I'm sure some of you may have noticed the change in the way my blog looks. I actually just got done having it designed.

Jessica over at This, That & Your Blog did an Awesome job! She was wonderful through out the whole process. She worked with me every step of the way to make sure that it turned out the way that I wanted it to. She is really sweet and does really great work.

If you are in need of a blog design you really need to click here. Jessica's prices are affordable and she is really good at what she does.

P.S. I even have a button now. So feel free to grab it!

I'm Sick, I'm Tired and I Cheated!

Well, kind of. I have a nasty head cold that wiped me out today. After going to the gym from 9-10:45 we came home, eat some lunch and then headed out for my daughters Doctor's appointment. By the time I got home around 4pm I couldn't keep my eyes open. I guess I am just worn out from the cold.

I had to get my daughter around for soccer practice at 6pm and didn't really have time to cook dinner so I threw some frozen pizza's in the oven. I know that I am not supposed to have many carbs but at this point the last thing I feel like eating is meat or a salad or pretty much anything healthy. :)

The reason I said I kind of cheated was because I actually had a frozen pizza from Aldi. It's called Harvest Wheat self rising crust pizza. It was really good. I can't remember how much I paid but I remember thinking it was a really good buy. I had two slices for dinner and I feel stuffed. Each slice was 6 P's.

I know I shouldn't have eaten that many carbs but I really didn't know what else to do. I guess I did the best that I could under the circumstances.

I really hope that I am feeling better this weekend. We are going to New York for my cousin's Wedding. I am so excited to see my family.

Review: Shirataki Noodles

I am so excited because I found Shirataki Noodles at the Grocery Store last week. I heard about them several years ago on the Weight Watchers message boards but never had he chance to try them. So when I found them at the grocery store I bought two packages.


I decided to make up a package for lunch today because I really didn't have much else in the house to eat. :) I had some leftover chicken so I made chicken spaghetti. I was very pleased with the way it turned out.


The only thing that I remembered hearing about the Shirataki Noodles was that you had to hold your nose while rinsing them because they smell bad. I decided to listen to that advice because I new that if it smelled bad I would never be able to get it in my mouth. I'm weird like that. I did end up smelling it a little while putting the noodles in the pan to boil but it wasn't an awful smell. The package says to boil the noodles for 2-3 minutes to get rid of it's natural smell.









This is what it looked like when it was done. It was great. It tasted just like spaghetti noodles and the texture was almost exactly the same. If I wouldn't have known differently I probably wouldn't have been able to tell the difference.








The Very Best part about these noodles is that they are only 20 calories a serving. That is 20 calories, .5 grams of fat and 2 grams of fiber per serving. Each bag has two servings so even if you ate both servings it would be 0 P's. So Exciting!!!




I actually did up the whole package for lunch (2 servings). Although I would not have needed to. I only ate about half of what you see on my plate. I guess Tofu must be more filling then I had thought. I never ate it before but I was stuffed after eating less then half of the noodles and a little more then half of the chicken.



I know the pasta sauce has carbs in but I did get tons of protein with the chicken and Tofu (from the Skirataki Noodles). So I'm not going to worry about the few carbs in the sauce.


If you are wondering about the price of these noodles I really didn't think it was bad. I paid a little more then a dollar a package. For me that is 50-60 cents a meal for the noodles. Not bad for something as healthy and delicious as these noodles.



I give them a Thumbs Up! I will probably be buying a bag or two every week. It is so nice to finally have a really good tasting and healthy alternative to pasta.

What is your favorite Shirataki Noodle Recipe?

Crazy Carb Cravings

I forgot how bad cravings can get when you deprive yourself of something. I did great yesterday with the Carb thing. The only carb I had was an ear of corn on the cob fresh from my in-laws garden.

This was my lunch. It was amazing! The fresh tomatoes are what made it so good.

Sorry about the date on the pic. I just put new batteries in my camera and forgot to change the date.

I even did Level 2 of Jillian Micheal's 30 Day Shred yesterday morning. I forgot how difficult it is but I did feel like I got a good workout when I was done. I think it is going to be good for me to do on the days that I don't meet with the trainer. Maybe that and a nice interval walk.

And back to the Crazy Carb Cravings. Like I said I did so good yesterday and then I went to bed around 10pm last night and all I could think about was the yellow cake with chocolate icing that my Mother-In-Law sent home for my husband and daughter. This is where the crazy part comes in. I layed in bed thinking about that cake (and fighting the urge) until 12:30am. I really tried to fight it and just go to sleep but my body/mind would not go to sleep. I was so tired by that point that I went downstairs and ate a piece of the cake in hopes that I would be able to sleep afterwords. At that point I didn't care about the no carbs. I was just so tired. After I ate the first piece of course I wanted to eat the other two but I stopped my self at one. Then I went back up to bed and right to sleep.

How crazy is that. I couldn't sleep because I wanted a piece of cake. Sometimes I hate the way my body works. I guess it is like any withdrawal. Very difficult.

Has anyone else gone through this? How did you get past the carb withdrawel?

Recipe: Turkey Cheese Meatloaf

My sister just sent me this recipe for Turkey Meatloaf. It is different then your traditional meatloaf and it sounds really good. I haven't tried it yet but I think it will be a good dinner for tomorrow night.

It sounds like a good low carb/high protein meal. The only thing I will do differently is use egg whites instead of he egg and I would like to find something lower carb to replace the bread crumbs. I have used oatmeal before but I think that is still a carb.
Does anyone have any suggestions?




Turkey Cheese Meatloaf:

1 lb of ground turkey
1 egg or egg beaters
3/4 cup of Italian bread crumbs
1/4 cup of ketchup
3 low fat string cheese (I think light Cheese Head Cheese is 1P a String)

Take half and form into meatloaf (bottom form), place 3 low fat string cheese on top. Next place the rest of the meatloaf on top. You can make your meatloaf any way you want, then place the cheese in the middle. OR you can use muffin tins and do the same kind of thing so it bakes faster (just stick 1/2 of a stick of cheese down the middle of the meatloaf muffin). Kristin said "This was soooooo good! You definitely need to try to make it with string cheese.".


Thanks Kristin!

Today's Lunch

My lunch was wonderful today. My Trainer told me to stick with a very low carb/ High Protein diet for the next 6 days to cleanse my system. I guess the high protein helps when you are strengthening muscles and reducing carbs will help me to lose the fat quicker. I think that is what she said. :)

When I got home from the gym I made myself a salad. I put three ounces of chicken, 1/4 cup of chopped pecans, a small apple chopped and some Kraft Light Parmesan Asiago Balsamic Vinaigrette (reduced fat). I am not usually a fan of Kraft reduced fat/fat free dressing but this one I love. It is perfect with a salad with apples and nuts.

My salad was huge and very filling. It took me about a half hour to eat it. I also had a little watermelon while I was cutting it up. It was such a satisfying lunch with lots of protein.


My workout with the trainer was great today. I am starting to feel the muscles in my stomach getting sore. I am excited about this because I really need to lose that baby belly. My daughter is over a year and I think it is about time I get rid of it.

I also did intervals on the elliptical after I was done with the trainer. It was a little harder for me to do after my 30 minutes of training but I did the whole thirty minutes that I had planned. Boy did I work up a sweat today. I remember when I used to hate to sweat. Now it feels like an accomplishment when I do. Yea for sweat! :)

Do you eat High Protein/Low Carbs meals? What is your favorite?

Water, Water, Water

Lately I have been thinking about how much water I drink. I probably drink 100 or more ounces a day. Before I started my weight loss I was lucky if I drank 16oz or anything in a day. I used to be the type of person that as soon as I got a stomach virus I ended up in the hospital because I was always so dehydrated to begin with and then the virus usually through me over the edge. Being dehydrated is miserable. It plays with your mind.

I am really glad I am no longer that person. I don't even need to force myself to drink anymore. It is funny how quickly you can pick up a new habit.

I wanted to share with you some reasons to drink a lot of water:

Check out this article about 5 reason to drink water.

1. It's Free.
2. Helps your skin look better.
3. Lose Weight - drinking more water helps you burn more calories.
4. Cure Muscle spasms, fatigue, back pain, and headaches by drinking water.
5. Helps with digestion.
6. Reduce the risk of Heart Disease.
7. Water helps energize your muscles and prevent muscle fatigue. Check out this article.


I definitely agree with all of the statements above. I have noticed such a difference in the way I feel and look since I started drinking more water.

I hope this makes you want to drink tons of water!

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Yesterday I had an awesome omelet for breakfast that I wanted to share with you. I found Turkey Sausage breakfast links at Aldi last week for about $.89. I bought a few boxes because I have never seen them their before and they are so expensive at the regular grocery store. I am very happy that I did because they are great! They are about 1 P a piece. I figured it out to be 3 link for 3 P's.



Anyway, back to the omelet. I cut up two sausage links and put them in an egg beater (off brand) omelet. I also cut up a whole onion and fried it in a very little amount of Olive Oil and added 1/8 of a cup of 2% shredded cheddar cheese. It was so good!






And today I did a egg white scramble. I fried an onion and 1/2 of a red pepper in a little olive oil and then added it to egg beaters , 1/8 cup of 2% cheese and Hot Sauce. I haven't eaten it yet but it smells great.








For some reason I am on an egg kick. I think it is probably a good thing for me to eat a big breakfast before I go to the gym and meet with the trainer. I am leaving in about an hour to meet with her. My muscles are starting to feel a little better. I will let you know how it goes today.


What is your favorite Egg White Breakfast Combination?

And The Number Is... Week 31 Weigh In

The only good thing about this week is that I started with my trainer. She is awesome and I am in a lot of pain from all of the new exercises she has me doing. I love the pain of exercising. I know I am weird but the pain helps me to remember all of the work I have been doing and it also reminds me to watch what I eat.


On the down side I am still at 186 this week. I am very discouraged because I have been doing very good since Monday. Last week is kind of a blur but I didn't think I did that awful.


I am going to try not to feel to discouraged because I am back to tracking my points every day and I know that this is going to help me with the weight loss. I am also back to exercising which I am super excited about. I will be working with my trainer 3 days a week until the end of the month. After my workout with my trainer I have been doing about a half hour on the elliptical. This will help me lose some fat. :) My trainer also suggested doing ten minutes on the treadmill and then switch to the bike just to switch things up a bit.



My Week In Review:

1. Exercise:I started exercising again on Tuesday. I know it didn't help me to much for today's weigh in but I am sure it will help me with the weeks to follow.

2. Track My Points Every Day: I finally got back to tracking my points every day. I really need to continue this to be successful.

4. Water: I drank lots of water.

5. Late night eating: I had one night that I woke up at midnight and ate three leftover cookies from the bridal shower.

6. Snacking: I found some inexpensive healthy snacks at the grocery store this week. So I have had a nice variety to chose from.

7. Eating more fruits and veggies: I am loving the fresh fruit this summer. I have really kept my house stocked with it. Actually, yesterday I was at a local amusement park and I had a grilled chicken sandwich for lunch and instead of fries I ordered a huge container of fresh fruit. It tasted wonderful and was so refreshing because it was so hot.




What do I need to do this week?

I need to continue to track my points every day (Very Important). I also need to not only work with my trainer but also exercise on my off days. My trainer suggested interval walking, biking or Jillian Micheals.



I would love to hear about how you did this week and what worked best for you.

I Feel Great!

I just got home from my first session with the trainer. It was great! It was really hard at some points and at times I wanted to give up but I made it through and I am so excited about going back. It is so awesome to work with someone one on one. I left the gym feeling like I had really accomplished something.

I think this is the boost I needed to get me back on the right path. Today was the first day in six weeks that I went to the gym. I can't believe I wasted six weeks. I am so ready to get my butt moving again and watch my weight come down.

Today's Lunch:

I had one of these on the way home from the grocery store/gym. They are absolutely wonderful. If you ever have the opportunity to try them you really should. I love the combo of banana and chocolate. They are also really heavy, moist and filling. A new favorite of mine.
The best part was that they were 50 % off because the sell by date is tomorrow.

Hummus Dip and Black Bean Chips. I found them at the grocery store today. They are really, really good. If you like hummus you should try this. It was 3 P's for 14 chips(2 P's) and 4 Tbls of hummus dip (1 P).

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This was my salad. Leftovers from the Bridal Shower. The yellow tomatoes were wonderful.

And Veggies and T. Martinez Fat Free Ranch Dip. I found a veggie tray at the grocery store last week for half price. It was a medium sized tray that I got for $3.99. They veggies are still very fresh. I love shopping for markdowns. It seems like I always find the best deals during the middle of the week in the early afternoon.

I Hired A Personal Trainer!

I finally did it! I hired a Personal Trainer. It has only been about 4 or 5 months since I last talked about it but I finally am able to pay for it. I think it is going to be well worth the wait.

I start my first session tomorrow morning with a trainer name Annette. I am super excited to see what she is going to have me do. I am even more excited about the results I am going to see throughout the month.

I purchased twelve sessions. I will go three times a week for the next four weeks. I am hoping that after the twelve sessions are up I will be able to do everything I learned by myself.

Have any of you ever had a personal trainer before? If so, was it worth the money?

Where Have I Been?

I'm sure you have been wondering where I have been this week. No, I didn't give up. I just had a really busy week.

Every day I took my four year old to a 3 hour vacation bible school at the local park. It was awesome!

Here are some pics. My sister's church did a Mega Sports Camp.

The rest of the time I was working on my friends Bridal Shower that was on Sunday. We had a great time but it was a lot of work and very stressful. I am glad that everything turned out great and that it is all over. I forgot how much work goes into a Bridal Shower.

Here are some pictures from the Shower:

The Bridal Party

Me, Anna (the bride) and Renata

The Flower Girls!

My Watermelon Princess

Now you can see why I haven't been around much this past week. Between the shower, VBS and trying to catch up after vacation, my life has been crazy. I really hope things calm down this week because I need a little break.

And The Number Is... Week Thirty Weigh In

This week only consisted of three days after we got back from vacation. I did pretty good but the weight didn't fall off like I thought. I was hoping that it was just some water weight but I was wrong. Definitely hot dogs and s'mores. :)

On Thursday when I stepped on the scale the number was 186. I lost a pound since last Monday.



My Week In Review:

1. Exercise: I didn't exercise at all because I was busy trying to catch up after vacation.

2. Track My Points Every Day: Didn't track my points.
3. Exercise Points: N/A

4. Water: I drank lots of water.

5. Late night eating: This was a problem for a few nights after we got back from camping but it stopped with in a few days.

6. Snacking: Lots of Fruit.

7. Eating more fruits and veggies: I ate a lot of fruit.




I really need to get my weight back down to the 183.5. It is frustrating to be up so much higher then a few weeks ago. I am going to work really hard this week to get it back down.