Trying to Deal...

Wow. I feel really bad. I have been binge eating for the past three days. I'm just very depressed. Things have happened. And I just feel... so isolated.... Just dealing with my son... and sitting here on this computer for hours waiting for something awesome to happen. I really want to get back to eating healthy. I was about to break the 200's barrier and be back in the 100's.

Grouchy?

Is it just me... or does losing weight make people more irritable. Maybe I will cut out the artificial sweetener all together. Sacchrin is what I have been using in my tea. I'll try it. But I wonder if it's just the lower calories making me grouchy. It could just be lack of sunshine.

Weigh In

I weighed today, and I've gone from 210 to 202!!

I'm going to make a goal to be under 200 by the next week!!

I was afraid that I wouldn't loose much this week because of Superbowl Sunday & I kinda got discouraged after that. I need some new meal ideas... because I'm getting really bored of eating these nasty vegetables.... LOL

I think I'm going to make some pasta today with chicken & veggies mixed in. It' a good change of pace! As soon as I can go grocery shopping I'm going to get stuff to make Taco Salad & Maybe some veggie burgers! We'll see! But I'm definitely going to change it up this week so I don't get tempted to quit.

Holiday Attack!!

Ok, just want to give you an update on how the diet is going. Everything went GREAT until Superbowl Sunday. That day my mom cooked my favorite meal. Thanksgiving Dinner. LOL... Turkey, Stuffing, Mashed Potatoes, Cranberry Sauce... they had pies & ice cream & Valentine's Day chocolates!!!!!

I decided to cheat. I loved it. And I had done excellent through out the entire week.

My husband went out and ate Mexican food with some friends later that night, and I stayed home. I would have loved all that delicious Mexican food... but I skipped out. I think that would have been overload! Which is the reason I gained all this weight. OVER OVER INDULGENCE.

So YAY. I did the right thing.... but I ended up eating a piece of Mardi Gras King cake with everyone later!! .... it was from the Publix Bakery!!

AHHH!! All the holidays are attacking me all at once! I got right back on it the next day. But all those vegetables just didn't taste as good...

I can't wait to watch the Biggest Loser tonight!! I can't wait to see them busting their tails... it will help motivate me to keep trying!

Bored

Rain today. We were stuck inside all day & I just wanted to eat for entertainment. But I stayed with in my calorie count.

Awesome Snack!

Sugar Free Strawberry Jello, with 1/4 cup chopped strawberries & Mini Apple Cinnamon Rice Cakes

This was the BEST SNACK! It was SOOO AWESOME... total 60 calories... 30 for the fruit & 30 for the rice snacks

Dinner Tonight

Baked Samon

Tomato, Basil, Rice

Squash & Zucchini

Soup & Toast

Progresso Lite Soup 60 calories
Sara Lee Whole Wheat Bread 45 calories

Weightloss Responsibility

2o5 Baby! Whoo! I'm excited. I lost nearly 5 lbs.

Things are going really well. In fact, Chris wants to start dieitng with me too. But that makes me nervous. Chris and I have a lot of food issues.... that have become worse because of eachother. That's how we both gained this weight.

I'm okay taking responsibility for my own weightloss.... but I'm afraid I'll get burnt-out and quit if I have to take responsibility for his too.

He says he wants us both to look great this summer. And that he wants to take responsibility for himself. So I'm going to do my best to help him make a meal plan and stick with it.

Tonight's Meal

Baked Salmon
Stuffed Bell Pepper
Tomato Basil Rice (1/2 cup + whole tomato)
Vegetable Steamers!


This meal was delicious too! I didn't think it was going to be that good, (because if you notice, it's mostly vegetables) but it was awesome!

You can tell I save all my vegetable cards until night! LOL... I never eat enough vegetables! But this was SOOOO GOOD!

Dinner

3oz Boneless Skinless Chiken
Squash
Zuchini,
Sliced Tomato
w/ Salt & Pepper



This dinner was SO GOOD! These are some of the vegetables that I like. Very Filling!

Breakfast

Oh my goodness, I love my breakfast! I browsed through the cereal aisle and found that Total has 100 calories for 3/4 cup. That's very good!

I've been putting 1/2 a banana & 1/8 cup blueberries on it every morning.

(Those blueberries were totally worth $3 per pint... they are SOOOO GOOD!)

Hush

Ok, Hush! For all the people out there telling me that diets are wrong cause it’s just supposed to be a lifestyle… hush! I’m trying to make it a lifestyle! But if I don’t have a plan, I will never stick with it! Trust me…. all you skinny people out there!

I hope it WILL become a lifestyle. How else do you develop a new lifestyle? You can’t just wish it upon yourself… and suddenly you have an iron will when it comes to food.

No. I need the practice. I’m figuring out what portions to eat. What types of food to eat. And what to turn down. And how to replace my bad habits with good ones.

Mealtime Nightmare

Ok, now that you know a little bit about my diet, I’ll fill you in on another reason why I need this blog. For my SANITY!

Toddlers are a handful! And everything takes a backseat to him. When it comes to lunch time, he is screaming impatiently, or running around like getting into everthing. I feel like I have to rush to get him fed and I don’t take any time for own nutrition at all.

One bad habit I have is eating whatever he rufuses to eat during mealtimes.

Today I attempted to fix chicken breast in the NuWave Oven. 30 min later, the chicken was still like jerky on the outside, and raw on the inside. It was past time to eat, and I was so frustrated.

I ended up giving my son chicken nuggets and mac-n-cheese just like always. And I threw together a tuna sandwhich for myself. I stayed with in my calorie count, but I sure was mad. As I was taking my first bite of my sandwhich, my son was already yelling and throwing food on the floor because he was all done. I ate as fast as I could, just boiling with anger.

This is one HUGE obsticle I have to overcome.

Meal times with my son have become hectic. This makes enjoying meals impossible. I am so frazzled over it. I am going to try really hard to prepare meals a head of time so they can be ready on a moment’s notice. And then I will eat after he has been fed and moved on to playing.

My Food

Here is a list of foods that I will be eating this week.

Breakfast
Low cal cereal w/ skim milk
Blueberries & Bananas

Lunch
Tuna Sandwhich w/ 40 Cal bread
Lite Progresso Soup
Salad w/ veggies & low-cal salad dressing
Cucumber salad w/ mayo, vinegar

Desert/Snack
Apple
Cantaloupe
Strawberries w/ diet cool whip
100 cal pack
Mini rice cakes
Sugar free popcicles
Hot tea
Dill pickles
Boiled egg

Dinner
Salmon
Chicken Breast

Side Dishes
Steamed Squash & Zuchini
Sliced Tomato w/ Salt & Pepper
Sweet potato
Baked potato w/ lite sour cream
Green beans
Frozen broccoli
Frozen mixed veggies

Drinks
Skim milk
Water
Hot tea

My Diet Plan

The diet that I am committing to is called Deal-A-Meal, and I will tell you a little bit about it now, and let it kind-of unfold in my entries the next few days.

Deal-A-Meal is the most ballanced diet I’ve ever tried. It’s also the most easy and fun diet as well. It was created by Richard Simmons the crazy TV personality/diet guru. Yeah, he’s crazy… but the principle behind this diet really works.

The diet kit comes with a wallet and a set of what look like playing cards. These cards are divided into the major food groups. Protein, Starch, Dairy, Fruit, Vegetables, Fat (and some extras just for fun) The Freebie Card, and the Joker Card. It is such a fun way to diet.

Basically, everybody starts out on 1,000 calories for the first week. It’s hard, but very do-able if you choose the right foods. This is a big reason that I need to keep this journal – for support and accountability.

After the first week is over everyone moves to their own plan according to their weight. My weight is in the 1,400 calorie range. So I will be getting more calories as the diet goes on.

This past week has been all about preparation. I got out my cards and made a list of the meals I wanted to eat. I chose the quickest, easiest meals possible. Yesterday, I went grocery shopping, and grant-it, did spend about $30 more because I got a lot of fresh fruit and vegetables. Some of which aren’t in season. (Strawberries, Blueberries, & Cantaloupes) But I knew I needed them or I’d go crazy. I am a HUGE sugar addict.

Anyway, I also have a few other tricks that I’m using. One is keeping a jug of water (with a straw) next to me at all times. This helps a lot!! And really curbs hunger and boredom. I’m also keeping sugarfree gum in reach as well. This is a tip I heard on The Biggest Looser and I’ve noticed it really works. (Much of the time I eat because of boredom and restlessness… the gum HELPS.)

Past Experiences

Here I am, wrapped in my cozy heating blanket on a rainy day. I’m almost ready to embark on a great weight-loss journey. I’ve been on a 1 year hiatus since having my son. Pregnancy was a very wonderful time for me, but it was difficult because of my weight. During pregnancy I strove to eat well and stay away from junk. I stressed over eating enough protein, drinking enough water, and making sure there was a fruit and vegetable at every meal.

Toward the end of my pregnancy my blood pressure started to rise, my iron count was low, and it became unhealthy for me and the baby. I ended up being induced at 40 weeks, and gave birth to a 9 lb 7 oz VERY HEALTHY baby boy. But I believe in my heart that those last few months would have been a lot easier (and I wouldn’t have been induced) if I had not been overweight.

In all, part of me felt a little bit robbed of a healthy, happy, and peaceful pregnancy. Controlling my diet is HARD. And I never realized how hard until I had to do it for 9 months.

In the past, I have tried a few different diets. I tried Weight Watchers. I tried Sugar Busters. And I tried a diet called Deal-A-Meal.

On Weight Watchers, I just never “got it.” I would go to meetings and see my money dwindle away. Leaving with no more motivation that I had when I arrived. The point system was okay, but I ended up eating most of my points in 100-calorie packs and other carbs. I hated writing down what I ate and I never saw the kind of results that I felt I should have.

With Sugar Busters I cut out all fruit and grains from my diet. All I ate were processed meat & cheese with high sodium! What a nightmare. It wreaked havoc on my body! Not to mention the HUGE craving for sweets, and the over-use of artificial “chemical” sweetener.

Well, there was one more diet that I tried… a diet called “Deal-A-Meal.” And that is the diet that I want to tell you more about. (To Be Continued)