TONIGHT'S DINNER

200 calories   lean sirloin, grilled in strips

160 calories   one cup of quinoa

 75 calories    5 tablespoons of Pinjur sauce (tomatoes~eggplant~peppers)

100 calories    mustard greens / collard greens / turnip greens / spinach

535 calories   TOTAL

What's Quinoa? I wrote all about it on my journal ... it's a wonderful, high-protein South American grain. The specific variety we like is the Inca Red.

What's Pinjur Sauce? Common in areas of eastern Europe such as Macedonia, Pinjur is a sauce that is used as a topping or a cooking ingredient to be added to foods. Typically made from eggplant mixed with garlic, olive oil, and seasonings, Pinjur may also contain roasted peppers, chopped nuts such as walnuts, and fresh herbs.  We buy ours at Trader Joes.

MY NIFTY NEW TREADMILL

So far, I love my new treadmill. I've been on it twice today so far, burning 100 calories each time. And my DH has used it, too. I still need to get on it once more today, because my beginning goal is to burn 300 calories a day. Once I work up to 500 calories burned a day ... that's a pound a week! My hope is that will offset things once my weight loss slows down.

It does seem to have all the "bells and whistles" that I need ... I can adjust the incline, the speed, it has a built-in fan, and it lets me program in my weight so it can tell me how many calories I've burned.  We had a challenge finding an affordable treadmill with a 350-lb. weight capacity ... but we did. (And, yay me, I've already lost 35 pounds so I'm now 333 pounds!)

=^..^= MOLLY

goldie: I would love to try that salsa, but it probably isn't available in Canada.

singing_girl: That's amazing that you are losing 3-4lbs a week! Awesome job on getting below 250, over 20lbs gone! You must be so proud of yourself

molly: that nifty treadmill sounds impressive! built-in fan?! lucky! haha. it definitely sounds like a tool that will help you get to your goals. 

jansa5: That sounds like an awesome opportunity for your children, Italia, wow! I hope you feel better asap!

Tomorrow is my birthday! Hoorah!

<3 Jenn 

I ended up sleeping most of the day yesterday just wasn't feeling well.  So I am feeling better today and haven't had to do an extra nebulizer yet.  I am coughing though so I probably have a cold. 

I have ate well the past two days and have had a deficit of 300 or more this past week.  However, the scale is up to 206 today.  I remember a week ago I was at 199.8.  I think that the scale is going up because of water retention and some muscle gain.  I had lost so much muscle mass from the medication that I was on but now that I am able to get on the elliptical and am in physical therapy I am gaining the muscle back.  My pants are loose on me and I have even gone down a pants size so I know that it isn't fat gain.  So I am hoping the scale will eventually catch up to where my body is.

This whole thing can be so frustrating at times to make you want to give up but I know that the rewards will pay off in the long run so I am just going to stick with it!  I know that we all can do this so lets get moving!! 

Ahhh.... water retention just .... ummm.... sucks, doesn't it? It happens to me, too ... randomly, haphazardly, and often: before my period, during my period, after my period, on odd Tuesdays, near paydays, when the moon is full, when the moon is new, when the humidity drops, and whenever Paris Hilton makes the news.

hee hee hee.

Hang in there .... it's just water ... it's just temporary ... y'all are doing great!

=^..^= MOLLY

Thank you, everyone for all of your support and advice!!! i really appreciate you all! (We talked, by the way, and she's agreed to talk to me when she's upset instead of simply reacting)

Also, yesterday i did my official weigh in, yay!!! Despite the jack in the box and alcohol binge on tuesday, i have managed to drop another 4.8 lbs!!! I am now weighing in at 290.0, which brings total weight loss to 20 lbs since sept 4th :)

I am so excited!! I had 2 people at the office mention that they noticed my weight loss on Friday and my roommates auntie mentioned it yesterday when she came to visit!!! Also, I went to Torrid to buy my halloween costume.. its a cute sailor girl costume and accidently tried on the 1x/2x size,...and it fit!!!! I bought a 1x/2x instead of my usual 3x!!! I was so excited that i almost peed myself! And it looks very cute and chubby girl sexy :)

Rena :)

Renastar, yay! double yay! (YAY! YAY!)

My DH took me bargain hunting at The Avenue (clothes store) yesterday, and I bought some clothes that should fit nicely in another month or two.... one cute pair of khaki shorts (clearance), a pair of navy knit pants (clearance), a lime green sleeveless shirt (clearance ... but it won't fit til spring) ... and a long-sleeve green t-shirt (6.99) that fits now. I am delighted to report that my 6x and 5x clothes are all too big (though I can still wear the big tops/sweater/elastic waist stuff) .... and I am happily wearing my 4x items (30/32 equivalent.) So, it was pretty exciting to buy some 26/28 sized items (with elastic waists, of course!)  

Well, my DH has now gone out of town and I was on my own today. 12 servings of veggies and 300 calories burned on the treadmill ... yay! And I remembered to feed the dogs, too! (They really appreciate that!)  I expect he'll call later tonight once he gets settled into his hotel .... but I will miss snuggling with him tonight.

My project for tomorrow is to go grocery shopping ... I want some more fresh veggies, and I am making an Ahi tuna poke for dinner... yum yum yum! (8 oz of tuna is just 240 calories!) Whole Foods, here I come. (Which is sort of fitting, since we call it "Whole Paycheck" and tomorrow is payday... LOL!)

Tomorrow starts Week Number Nine of my new lifestyle .... WOO HOO! Let's eat some veggies and burn some calories and get healthier, shall we?

=^..^= MOLLY

Here's the good news. I just got a package of wedding pictures in the mail from the maid of honor that are fabulous. Here's the bad news, I HATE HOW I LOOK IN thEM. I am so sad to be sooooooo fat. I look like a freak. No noe else is as fat as I am and I'm just sick about it. Sorry to vent like this, but it's such a drag to look like this and have gone through so much struggle in my life in other areas the made me start eating in the first place just to get her to a safe place in her life and now I have to struggle and lose all of this weight. It's just too much at this moment. It's too hard to be postiive, and up and goal oriented. Thanks goodness there's no alternative than to keep going to make myself healthier, otherwise I would just give up. I ate a bunch of halloween candy this afternoon, I'm sure just to beat myself up...

 I know tomorrow is another day, but I'm so tired. In August I was doing so well, them my work decided it was time to send all of us traveling around the country, and the wedding was the end of September, which was pretty intense, and I couldn't keep ahold of my program as well as I had been. To my credit I've gained only about 3 pounds since then, but dang it, that's three months and no progress.

Ok, after all of that, I have joined a women's gym and have gone to work out three times last week, so that's positive.

Thanks everyone, anybody else ever feel this way? sorry for unloading, but i need some support to get and stay on track.. anything will be helpful.

(((( count-it-07))))

We've ALL felt like that at one time or another.  I spent YEARS depressed and despondent when I couldn't even get up the "oomph" to even TRY to eat more healthily ... so I didn't. I just gained and ate, ate and gained, gained and ate. But, we don't have to stay there.

You went and worked out at a gym THREE times last week! You go, girl! That's a victory. Joining was a victory. Going once was a victory. Going back was a victory. And going three times? Woo hoo! Good for you.

The cool, Autumn weather is coming ... a time of changing seasons, I time of reaping the bounty of the harvest, and a time for giving thanks. What a great time of year to recommit yourself to making positive changes in YOU, so that you can harvest HEALTH! (And then you can give thanks for all that you've accomplished.!)

You can do this! We can do this! One meal at a time, one day at a time, one pound at a time.

=^..^= MOLLY

(((( count-it-07)))

You are very welcome ... that's what diet buddies (friends) are for!

=^..^= MOLLY

Good morning all. I am better this morning, with a llittle left over sadness from yesterday, but it's not too bad. I'm very big on affirmations and visualization of what I want and where I'm going so here goes the ones I'm using all day long:

I have a happy, healthy, slender body.

I eat and exercise for health.

That's as good as it gets this morning.

I would love to hear from others of you who deal with negative feelings and thoughts about yourelf and how you all change that to keep moving forward.

Thanks agains.

lol thanx jelly1134!! Yeahh they have a sexy cop, nurse, sailor girl, french maid and cop.  they all run about $60 plus accessories, so its very inexpensive :)  Usually they will run a 25% off sale the week of halloween, as well.. I just couldnt wait:)

Rena

I was really craving tuna sashimi tonight, so I went to Whole Foods, carefully selected and bought 8 oz of sushi-grade yellowfin tuna. When I got it home, I cut it into small cubes, added one cucumber (cubed) and one cup of halved cherry tomatoes. Then I marinated the whole thing in Ponzu sauce, lime juice, garlic powder, red pepper, lemongrass powder and a little ginger .... making a wonderful "Ahi Poke." (A poke is a traditional Hawaiian salad made with raw seafood, often Ahi tuna... I used Ponzu sauce instead of soy sauce because I like the lighter flavor and lower amounts of sodium. I add the tomato and cucumber because I think they go so well in this salad.)

I paired the Ahi Poke with some spinach hummus on toasted sprouted flax bread, and 7 oz of oven-roasted rosemary-garlic red potatoes... what a heavenly combination! Even though my total dinner calories were a bit higher than usual, I am right on track because I skipped my afternoon snack today! (And I still have enough calories left for an after-dinner chocolate protein smoothie later on!)

* * *

8 ounces of fresh Yellowfin Ahi Tuna (244 calories)

1 peeled cucumber (24 calories)

1 cup of cherry tomatoes, halved (31 calories)

4 tablespoons of Ponzu sauce (40 calories)

lime juice, garlic powder, lemongrass powder, ginger

2 slices toasted sprouted flax seed bread (100 calories)

2 tablespoons Oasis brand Spinach Hummus (32 calories)

7 ounces oven-roasted garlic rosemary red potatoes (176 calories)

TOTAL FOR DINNER: 647 CALORIES

(3 servings of veggies)

=^..^= MOLLY

Hi All. I had a better day today, thanks for the support Molly and sabineyvr.  I certainly needed some input. I had a good day today. Stayed within my calories, actually had too few without trying and went to the gym to burn 400 c's. Amazing! All I can think is that the next 6 months is going to pass one way or the other, and I am going to be slimmer at the end of them. One day at a time...

MollyMouser are you a gourmet cook. It sounds it, that dinner with the tuna sounds delicious and very creative. Good for you for putting time and effort into making food you really wnt.

go4gold what are we going to do as the site gets bigger and you need to post more responses. You are amazing to keep up with all of this, thank you.

 Here's my goal until thanksgiving:

go to gym no less than 4xs per week

ellipitcal machine level 2 25 minutes

stay within my calories every day;

that's it for me.

sorry for the extra lines. it just started doing that.

Count-it-07 ... those are delightful goals!

I don't know about "gourmet cook" ... but I am trying to ensure that I am eating a nice variety of foods, flavors and tastes. I try to mix up my proteins, mix up my veggies, and mix up my starches. I was just looking back at the past few days of eating .... 

Thursday dinner protein: shrimp

Friday dinner protein: salmon

Saturday dinner protein: beef

Sunday dinner protein: chicken

Monday dinner protein: tuna

I was thinking tomorrow night for dinner I might eat vegetarian burgers, or maybe an egg scramble ...  I eat a lot of turkey and ham for lunch, so I don't usually eat those for dinner... but I do have a turkey kielbasa in the freezer, too.  I find that if I keep eating a nice variety of lean proteins, I don't get bored with "dieting" and I don't feel deprived.  And I also prepare things different ways, just to try out new spices and flavors. This last time I had shrimp, I ate it as a giant shrimp cocktail with chopped celery and crackers. The time before, I made shrimp scampi with grilled onions.

I restocked the fridge with veggies today. Here's what I have on hand right now: cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, tomatoes, spinach, broccoli, radishes, brussell sprouts, red bell pepper, onions, potatoes, and corn on the cob.

We even have a nice little variety of healthy grains to choose from, too .... brown rice, inca red quinoa, wheat bulgur, and millet.

So what are y'all eating?

=^..^= MOLLY