Random Thoughts + WAR: Day 3

Hi Ya'll!

Let's start with my random thoughts for the week.
I got a "journal" to keep with me so that I can try and capture these genius crazy thoughts throughout the week.  We'll see how it goes.

1) Why does Arnold Schwarzenegger still have such a thick accent?  He's been in America since before I was born, I think.

2) How does Pinterest make money?  Don't get me wrong, I love that you're not inundated with ad pop ups...but how?

3) Flo from progressive is totally type-cast.  I hope she has a good, good contract.

4) Why, why, why were there cookies in the break room today?  There is NEVER food in there when I can eat it!!!

Told you, random.

On to Day 3 of the War that I've declared on my fat!  

I made it through my second work-out.  
I almost puked. 
I get the worst shin splints and I'm a huge baby the pain is awful!
I really don't know why I get them.  I would say it's because my poor little legs can't handle  the weight...but I've gotten them sine I was a 95 pound cheerleader.  
Anyone an expert on shin splints?  
I have googled the shit out of them and nothing I try helps.  
I have bought new shoes, I do stretches, I ice, I heat, I cry....
I even wear these lovely compression sleeves...which I haven't decided if they help or hinder...

SO yea...today, once again, was hard as f&ck at the gym.  
I'm pretty sure that you're going to hear me bitching for the next few weeks.  
You can take it one way or another...either take it as "thank God, she is struggling too" or "I wish this bitch would hurry up and get in shape so I don't have to hear about how much the gym sucks."  

What I'm Loving...+ Weigh In Wednesday

Hi Ya'll!!

Today is Wednesday so I am linking up with the lovely Jamie at This Kind of Love for What I Love Wednesday and with Courtney at Journey of a Dreamer for Weigh In Wednesday.  To learn more about WIW, check out this post.

So sit down, grab a cup of coffee or even better a glass of wine (what?  It's after 12 and completely acceptable!) and find out what I'm loving on this beautiful December Day!

Let's get the dreaded weigh in part over with. 

I actually LOST 1.2 lbs and I have absolutely no idea how because I have only exercised once and up until Monday I was eating like a Europeans kid on his/her first trip to America...all fast food, all the time.  Plus fried deer meat on Saturday and a freaking blizzard from DQ to top it all off Sunday night. 

Nope, not one of those things even had to do with the holidays. 

It all had to do with my rebellion against dieting and the fact that I decided Monday would be my "start" day. 

I have been good this week...you know, the past two days.

Whatevs. 

Watch out.  Next week's weight loss is going to blow ya'll away. 

Did someone say chocolate?  I kid, I kid. 

Now...On to the fun part.
(One day I'll think nutrition/fitness is the fun part, right?  That's what all the fitness/weight loss blogs tell me.) 
What I'm Loving.

 Ya'll know how I love a good bargain.

This guy above is like $50 at BB&B and I scored it for $20 at Ross today.

Someone is going to be so lucky when they open this at one of the Chinese Christmas exchanges we have this year.

We only  have 5.  yeah. 5

 Still talking about Ross and it's awesomeness.

I got these 2 dresses today for under $25, yes for BOTH.

Ross, where in the hell is my "Rossome" commercial equivalent to the Maxenista commercials?

Get on that. 

And this beauty is, of course, from Ross as well.

Blazer's are all the rage.  Did you know?

I'm thinking this will make it's debut at one of the 5 Christmas celebrations we have this year!

 I just love my dining room table centerpiece this year.

I wanted something different and my mom gave me the idea of the candy.

I already had the apothecary jars, the glitter balls & the tray. 

All I had to buy was the candy.

I love all the COLOR.

Def one of my favorite decorations this year.

It makes me think of being a kid and what's not great about that?

 OH my goodness. 

My bff told me about these salads.

They come with all the fixins.

All you do is mix them together when you're ready to eat.

PLUS they're low in cals.

The only negative is that it's not super filling.

But add a piece of fruit w/ lunch and you're set.

I'm only sort of starving right now.

Continuing on the food subject. 

Hello, I didn't get fat because I hate food!

This 2 Alarm Chili Kit is the bomb.com.

My SIL told me about it awhile back.

I've been waiting and waiting for cold weather to make it.

Finally, we got into the 50's this week so I jumped at the opportunity to use this.

It was SO damn good. 
We had it two nights in a row.  That good.

Last but not least, I'm LOVING the Scentsy Festival of Trees.

We don't do a real Christmas tree. 

We had one one time when I was a kid and all I can remember is having to water it all the time and vacuum up all those damn needles.

No thanks.

So, this makes me feel like I have a real tree without all the work.

Perfect.

My SIL sells Scentsy, hop on over to her website and getcha some!

Well, my lovelies that's what I'm loving....go link up w/ Jamie and tell us what you're loving!

Enjoy...The Curvy Life.

Skinny Bitch vs. Lazy Bitch + A Confession

First off, I have a confession to make....I'm a curser!  Like I love to curse!  I try really hard to refrain from using my all time FAV, the F word, among others, when writing my blog for many reasons...1) In my about me section it says "I'm a Southern Christian girl...." or something to that extent and I don't want people to be all like "oh she's a Christian but she's cursing...2) My mom reads this and possibly my grandmother, 3) there's not a three, I just felt like I needed three reasons....
With all that said, occasionally I'm going to curse in my posts.  I apologize now if that offends you.  For instance this post and the title...."bitch" which is technically a female dog is not being used properly...some might say it's a "bad" word.  Who decides that all these words are "bad" anyways?  Oh well....on to my post....

So, as I stated in my post from yesterday I hate working out.  I am pretty much the world's greatest excuse maker when it comes to working out.  I've tried everything from working out with a partner, working out alone, going on my lunch hour, etc.  I've tried. it. all.  Nothing makes going any easier.  I let my partner down usually and if I'm alone then I don't have anyone to let down so it's even easier to not go!  ugh!  So I saw a form of my newest trick on Pinterest and I changed it up a bit to match my personality.  I got two glass jars from Hobby Lobby, some scrap stickers that I already had and labeled one jar "Skinny Bitch" and one "Lazy Bitch".  I then got $30 in ones and gave them to my Honey.  On the days that I go to the gym like I'm supposed to I get $1 in my "Skinny Bitch" jar!  YAY!  VACAY MONEY!!  But wait...here's the kicker...on the days I don't go to the gym as scheduled he takes $1 out of the "Skinny Bitch" jar and it goes in the "Lazy Bitch" jar.  I never get that money back.  It goes toward something boring for the house like a fence or fertilizer, you know, something I could give two shits about!  (Actually, I'd like a fence b/c I'm lazy and I would love to just kick the dogs outside and go back to watching TV....but don't tell him that!)  So, as of right now my "Skinny Bitch" jar is looking pretty good (these aren't updated pics) and sadly, my "Lazy Bitch" jar has a few bucks too....

So...Do you think this would work for you?  If so...get your butt to Hobby Lobby and start making some jars!!  SKINNY BITCH will win, dammit!!!!

Enjoy....the Curvy Life!

Got Motivation?

Does anyone else call the Treadmill the DREADmill?  My friend, Casey and I came up with that name a few years ago...I think I've even blogged about this before.  I hate it, it's so boring.  Yeah, my gym has TV's on the treadmills and I have my iPhone and fun music but it still SUCKS!  Good news...I've found something to make that 45 minutes not so horrid!  I have started running and walking...where before I just walked....and walked...and walked for what felt like 5 hours!  I usually do a warm-up for about 5 minutes, then I will run for 1.5-2 minutes, walk for 1.5-2 minutes.  You'll be so surprised at how much faster the time goes by!  Try it!  The Couch to 5K program is also great!  If you're already an avid runner, well, I hate you I'm jealous of you...share what you did to get to where you are now, please!

And here's some motivation that I've found on Pinterest...I literally quote these sayings to myself when I'm on the DREADmill and feel like I'm probably going to topple over dead any second!!

This one is my favorite! 

I get really, really bad shin splints and while I know that I don't need to over-do it with the running, I also know myself and that at that first twinge of pain I want to stop.  I have to push until the pain is unbearable or I'll never work up those muscles to get past the pain!

 I'm short, therefore, I have short legs.  I always feel like the person running next to me at like 6.0 is looking over at my speed and laughing inside...I have to remind myself that "Hey, at least I'm AT the gym and not on my couch eating bon-bons!" 

side note:Does anyone really eat bon-bons?  I don't even know what those are!

This website has great playlists for running!

http://www.rockmyrun.com/

I'm so bad about saying to myself  "You've had a rough day, you deserve this blizzard from Dairy Queen!"  Ok, so maybe I did have a bad day, that doesn't make it OK to inhale 1500 calories all at once!  All I'm doing when I do that is hurting me!  I'm not hurting my "bad day" or the person that caused my bad day...I've let them win!  Instead of rewarding myself with food I am trying to learn to go do something active.  Not necessarily working out (I am not to that point yet, working out is punishment, not reward!) but doing a craft, painting something that's needed to be painted...something other than lounging on the couch feeling sorry for myself!

I took a few "Before" pictures about a week ago.  I plan to take pictures of myself every 30 days.  I'm hoping that maybe this will help keep me on track. (I'll post those when they're not quite so embarassing....maybe, hopefully, in 60 days or so)  Being healthy and losing weight is a constant struggle for me.  I love to eat and I love to be lazy...which is exactly why I'm now overweight and need to lose 50 lbs!  If I could go back 5 years and learn to be healthy and fit, boy would I...but I can't.  I remember my mom saying "lose it now while you only have 20 lbs to lose or you'll be like me looking at 50 lbs!"  Moms, they're always right!!  But did I listen?  Of course not!  I was 25, I knew everything AND drinking $1 beers every night was much more important!  So here I am...on a mission to lose 50 lbs.  I am not in a hurry to lose it because I sure didn't put it on overnight and I know that it most definitely will not come off overnight!  Will I stumble, yes...but the main thing is that I can get myself back up again! 

Enjoy...the Curvy Life!

Pinterest Recipe-Baked "Fried" Chicken

If you saw my post last week, you know I'm addicted to Pinterest...and rightfully so... I never have to look too far for a good recipe again!!  I've tried several recipes that I've pinned to Pinterest but I'm a bad blogger and forgot to document it so I could share it!  My bad! 

BUT...tonight I remembered to take pictures! I made an "Oven 'Fried' Chicken" recipe that was found on a blog called Our Life Uncommon by way of Pinterest.  I changed up my recipe a bit from hers...only because I didn't have the right spices!  I always think I have spices that I don't and then end up buying spices I already have when I'm at the store.  I guess that's why I should utilize a grocery list...but where's the fun in that?  Ok, back to the recipe!

Ingredients:

Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts

1/2 tsp. Salt

1 T Greek All Purpose Seasoning

3/4 tsp Pepper

1 c. Flour

1 tsp. Cayenne Pepper

1tsp. Basil

1/2 Stick of Butter

Directions:

Place thawed chicken breast tenderloin strips in a bowl of milk. Let soak for 20-30 min.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut 1/2 stick of butter into a few pieces and place in a 9x13 pan. Melt butter in pre-heated oven.

Mix flour and spices in a Ziploc Baggie or Mixing Bowl

Spread melted butter around the bottom of the pan. Lightly spray the pan, if needed, to make sure that there are no dry spots.

Shake excess milk off of chicken and completely coat each piece with the seasoning mix. You can either shake the chicken in the bag, until coated, or dip each piece in the bowl until coated.

Place each piece of chicken in the pan.

Cook for 20 min. Turn each piece of chicken and continue cooking for 20 more minutes, or until cooked through.  

and here is the finished product...

oh, so yummy!!

Enjoy...The Curvy Life!

Exercising With My Honey...

My Honey told me last week that he wants to start working out with me at the track accross the street from our house. (Pretty sure that was his nice way of saying "you need to get in shape!)  He ran track in high school and is an natural athlete...I on the other hand do not have one athletic bone in my entire body...hence the reason I HATE to exercise!! Last year my sister in law and I started the Couch to 5K challenge and I was getting to the point that running wasn't entirely painful...and I quit.  This is a recurring thing for me...I start something and never see it through...I'm totaly frustrated with myself!!  So...starting tomorrow My Honey tells me that he's going to "teach  my body how to be athletic."  I'm SCUUUURRRRRED!! 

SOME FUNNIES....

These about sum up how I feel about exercise and dieting!

And here's to hoping that after working out together we can get closer to how we looked in High School...here we are at our Junior Prom!!  HEHE!

Enjoy...The Curvy Life!

Less Of Me, More of Blogging

Exactly 7.6 pounds less of me is writing tonight!!  I know, I know...it's been quite a long time since I've blogged...sorry about that I've been a slacker! But boy do I have lots to write about tonight!!  First of all, I've started working out on my lunch our.  I'm so blessed to work for a company that has a gym and it's only $15 a month!!  Can't beat that...oh and did I mention I can work w/ a personal trainer twice a week for FREE!!!!  Yeah...I know, amazing!!  Capital One ROCKS!!!  Since I'm going on my lunch break I don't have a whole lot of time so as of right now I'm focusing on cardio.  I've been doing the elliptical for about 10 minutes (don't judge--it's hard!) and the bike for 20 minutes.  So my first day on the bike I had a horrible image of myself pulling a "Bridget Jones" and falling flat on my face as soon as I got off the bike!!  To my surprise, I stayed upright but it was a struggle!!

After my first full week of working out (3 days really) I lost an astounding FOUR, yes 4 pounds at my next WW's meeting!!  I was torn between jumping over the counter and hugging the WW's lady or crying...I did neither, I just texted everyone in my phone and posted it on FB!  So, as much as I HATE to say it...if you're needing an extra boost in your weight loss...get some cardio in!!  You can make it fun...walk the dog or kiddo on a nice day, go bowling (yes, that's a workout), or get a fun app on your phone like Couch to 5K that will challenge you! 

NEXT...

I stumbled across a new favorite at the grocery store.  You may have already had these...Lean Cuisine Steamer Bags.  OH.MY.GOODNESS. They are divine!!!  First of all you feel like you're eating a ton of food...once put on a plate it takes up a whole, large, paper plate!  My two favs so far are the Chicken Alfredo and Garlic Chicken. 



Another tip to get even more food...add some broccoli or other veggies to the mix!!

Enjoy...The Curvy Life!

HEAVY

I just watched the show on A&E, Heavy for the first time.  I have always been reluctant to watch weight loss shows...I don't really know why.  Maybe because I was afraid I would relate to the people on the show and that would really mean that I have a problem.  Well, today I watched Heavy...it was on after Intervention and I was too lazy to change the channel...it is one of the most motivating yet heart-wrenching shows I've ever watched.  Until you have dealt w/ food addiciton you cannot relate to the people on this show.  I encourage anyone needing some extra motivation to check out the show.  I'm crying as I write this...that's how much this show touched me!! 

The Weekend Doesn't Make Cheating OK!

I am really struggling right now with sticking to my diet on the weekends.  I'm great Monday-Friday and then by Friday night I'm craving all kinds of junk food!  From fast food to chocolate to beer to anything that is NOT good for me!  Does anyone else face this struggle each weekend?  I feel like I'm really hindering my weight loss because I usually give in to these cravings!!  I need help...what works for YOU on the weekends?

Long Time, No Post

I'm baaaccckkkkkk....I'll be honest, I haven't felt like blogging lately...I'm already bored with dieting!!  Big surprise...there's nothing exciting about dieting!!  Although I'm bored, I'm sticking to this!!!  Here's what's getting me through:

•  YOU...whoever's reading this...I feel like if I don't stick to it that I've just been "all talk" once again...I'm really good at being all talk and never succeeding!  I've honestly NEVER been successful at losing more than 10 pounds and I really, really want this time to be different!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  REALLY!!!!!! 
• Going to the WW's meetings!  There is another person actually seeing my weight...not just me naked in the bathroom making excuses that the scale is probably broken!
• The birth of my nephew Zane...I want to be able to get down on the floor and play with him without feeling uncomfortable and having a hard time getting up.
•  LAST but certainly NOT least...MYSELF.  I want to look good in anything I put on...I want to look good in almost every picture I take...even the "candid" ones!!!  That may be vain...but it's the truth and I'm stickin to it!

I went to my second WW's meeting last week and boy was I nervous...I hadn't been great over the weekend and I was afraid that my "time" of the month would hurt me even more...but to my surprise, I had lost 1.2 lbs!!  I wanted to reach over the counter and hug the sweet lady that took my weight!! 


A new snack (for me) that is really saving me is frozen fruit with a package of Splenda!! YUM, YUM, YUM!!

Enjoy...The Curvy Life!

It's ON!

As of today I'm officially a member of Weight Watchers!  My joining was delayed by that stupid stomach bug last week.  I joined at a location in Frisco, TX so that I can go on my lunch break.  I figure that this way I won't make up excuses as to why I can't go after work.  Anyone who has ever worked out with me knows how good I am with coming up with excuses!  I think I could write a book of excuses...no lie!! It's not something I'm proud of! 

For years I've "done" WW's but not gone to meetings...let me tell you...the meetings are KEY to success!!  They give you that weekly boost and encouragement you need when dieting.  A guy friend asked me today "why do you have to go to meetings, can't you just do that online?"  my answer.."Yes, you can do it online but it's nice to go sit in the room w/ other overweight, hungry people and share different ways to succeed!"  The great part about the meetings is that every single person there knows what you're going through, knows the struggles and what it's like to step on the scale and want to throw on the nearest pair of sweat pants and drive through Dairy Queen for the biggest Blizzard they sale!  Another great reason to go to meetings is you stay updated on everything new with WW's.  For instance, they have a brand new "Points Plus" program.  In one word it is amAzing!!!  It encourages you to make healthier choices rather than whatever is lower in points.  On the old program you had to use points to eat fruit...not anymore!!  All fresh fruits are ZERO...yes, you read that right, ZERO points!!!  On the old plan I was hungry A LOT...not now!  When I get hungry I grab an apple or orange...craving satisfied!  I encourage anyone that is following the WW's plan to find your nearest meeting.  You can join for $13 a week or $40 a month--with this one you get free E-Tools which gives you access to the iPhone app and recipes, etc online!  This link will take you to the meeting finder: http://www.weightwatchers.com/util/mtf/index.aspx

Enjoy...The Curvy Life!

Cold Weather Munchies

Hello all!!  I've been MIA for a few days, I apologize, I got that nasty stomach bug that's going around and it had me down for a few days!  But I'm back and ready to update on what I've been doing the past few COLD days to shut up that awful hungry monster!! If you're anything like me, when it gets cold it seems like my internal "hungry monster" goes into overtime!!!

Here are a few things I've been eating and snacking on to keep that little guy happy AND still healthy!!

If you're a fan of guacamole like me, these things are the best invention EVER!  They're separate little packs of guacamole and they're only 100 calories!  I haven't figured up the WW's points on them...but I would imagine they're around 2-3 points and to me, worth every point!!!

These chips are SO good...I like to eat them w/ the 100 calorie guacamole packs or w/ a turkey sandwich!

Total WW's pts: 3

For those times you just really need something to satisfy that sweet tooth this snack is divine!!  I pour the jello into a bowl and top with a spoon full (or two) of the Fat Free Cool Whip.  You'll want to lick the bowl!

Total WW's pts: 2



Tonight for dinner I really wanted something with chili but chili is so fattening!!  I stopped by Brookshires on my way home and to my surprise Wolf Brand makes a turkey chili that is very low in fat!  I also found 98% FF hot dog wieners that come out to only 1 point on WW's.  I'm anxious to see how it all tastes!

Turkey Chili - 4 WW's pts.

2% Mexican Cheese (1/4 c) - 2 WW's pts.

98% FF Wieners - 1 WW pt.

Hot Dog Bun - 3 WW's pts.

TOTAL WW's Pts: 10

Note:  Skip the cheese and/or bun to reduce points.

**All points are based on the new Weight Watchers Points Plus System.

I hope that everyone is staying nice and warm!!

Enjoy...The Curvy Life!





D-Day--better known as Day 1 of the rest of my "skinny" life!

The first day, while it's easy, it's hard to get to the point to HAVE a first day...so there's that...I made it through the first day and it wasn't so bad! Yes, I thought I was going to starve to death before I got home to make dinner....but I made it!!  I learned that on the new WW's plan everything is 1-3 points more but you also get more points...I also learned that the Smart One's Pizza's are NOT worth the 11 points they cost you!  Unless you just really need a pizza...I wouldn't recommend it!  

Tonight for dinner I made one of my favorite chicken recipes, the Baked Chicken with Mushrooms.  It came out to 7 points and worth EVERY.SINGLE.POINT.  As promised...here are pics.  

All the Ingredients you need

All put together, ready for the oven

Finished product...

I know it just looks like a big mess...but it's a delicious big mess!

Pair with some green beans and you've got yourself one heck of a great, low fat dinner!

Enjoy....The Curvy Life!