Monday, September 30, 2013

Reflect & Refocus

Reflection of Michelle
Looking in my mirror- love what I see in the back.
The last couple weeks have been a little rough. Maybe it's because I have been insanely busy, maybe it's because people have been so complimentary about my weight loss that I thought I could take a break, or MAYBE I am just making excuses.

In all likelihood, the latter is correct. Last week was the first time I didn't weigh in for quite some time. In fact, other than my vacation, it's the first time since March. I feel guilty about it. Even worse, I got on my scale and home and there wasn't much movement, which is good, but also bad because that means I didn't lose. It could have been my workouts. Usually I strive for 4-5 days per week. Last week, I did a half ass workout on Monday and then NOTHING until Saturday afternoon. Want to know my excuse?

The Wii controller wasn't "syncing" with the game and I wasn't getting enough "points". WHAT? Are you kidding me, Michelle? Come on! It was just easy to take a mini backslide. I went to Maggiano's for a friends dinner, I ate the remaining dessert for the next 3 days. I made a loaf of zucchini pineapple bread, I slivered that baby to death! I bought Beef Jerky thinking it was a "smart" snack when I was feeling hungry. What's happening to me?

It occurred to me I have been working so hard for the last 15 months I haven't let myself slip. Well only a little. And never for a full week at a time. It's scary how easy it is to resume old habits. Even when those habits are not good for you. Yesterday I re-dedicated myself to me and to losing the last 15-20 lbs.

Here are a few key items I learned over the last week:

1. Keep bad food out of your house. If it's not there, you cannot eat it! Stock the pantry with more satisfying snacks. Worst case scenario you eat a few too many whole wheat pita chips and hummus.
2. Don't take home leftovers. You'll just eat them. Once you splurge, leave it at the restaurant.
3. Excuses are like a-holes, everyone has them. The crap about the Wii? I'm better than that!
4. Get rid of the sizes that are too big for me. There are plenty of people who need new clothes

In essence, I'm Back Baby! (As George Costanza would say)

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

New adventures in SHOPPING!

Over the last 10 years shopping has been a pretty rough experience. I went from wearing a size 14 to 16 then after I was married a "larger" 16 (never wanted to admit I was an 18) after baby a size 20 and even had a Bridesmaid dress which was a size 22. UGH!

Dressing rooms were not my friend. They felt claustrophobic, like the walls were coming in on me. As my body grew I remember looking at the clothes and thinking, this is HUGE there is no way this will fit me- only to have it fit and snugly at that. Frustrating and sad there were so many times I cried in the dressing room, I cannot even count. Needless to say, as my weight has come off I have not really felt like shopping. One becasue I was losing wewight and didn't want to spend too much money and two, I already had 4 bins of clothing saved from my weight gaining over time.

Size 20 became an 18, then as those hung on me, I moved into my size 16, Size 14 (where I seemed to stay for a little while). My mom sent me a box of her pants she had become too thin for which were size 12. At Christmas I tried them on and they were pretty tight. At least I had new pants waiting for me once I got there. I wore those pants until they literally were almost falling off. Which meant I needed to go shopping....

Amazing jeans that make me feel great
My new jeans!
Last week I ventured to Brookfield Square to see what I could find. Found some good deals at JC Penney's, spent a little $ at Macy's and as I was getting ready to leave, I looked at The Limited down the end of the hall. The Limited used to be my favorite store. Once I hit a size 14, I just stopped going there. I couldn't justify spending $50 on a shirt or $70 on a pair of pants. Plus usually their clothes stopped looking good on me. I didn't feel cute anymore. I decided to go in and see what they had.

As I expected and as I remembered, they had such cute clothes! Almost too many to absorb.  I grabbed a few pairs of size 10 jeans and some medium shirts, some on clearance and some full price! Eek. As I stepped into the dressing room there was no feeling of claustrophobia. No fear or anxiety, if anything a little bit of excitement. The first pair I put on were PERFECT! Even beyond perfect. They hugged in exactly the right places and there was no muffin top in site! Fantastic!

Pretty in pink shirt
Pretty in Pink
Add an awesome light pink shirt and some new brown heels from Payless (Cognac Pumps) and I am feeling pretty darn hot! Not sure if it's narcissistic or snobby, but I like shopping again. It's no longer trying to find clothes that fit, it's finding which clothing looks best. Which color compliments my skin tone and what style shirt looks cutest is my newest dilemma. I will take it!

Shopping is FUN again! Now if only I had unlimited funds....



Thursday, September 12, 2013

Mom's can't have anything nice

Thinking back there is one saying I remember hearing from my mom over and over again. After a spill on the carpet, a snag on her favorite sweater, or after me dropping her favorite measuring cup to have it shatter on the floor, my mom would always say, "I just can't have anything nice, can I." Sigh.

I vividly remember getting a new sofa when I was 11-12 years old. It was off white and had bursts of color throughout. My parents had never bought anything BRAND new like this, so Mom was so excited. The sofa lasted all of 1 week in our house. Our dog, Pongo, a Dalmatian, took it upon himself to EAT the sofa. Not just scratch at it or take a small bite of it, the dog ATE a huge part of the sofa. The vet had told us there was something in the material used that he was drawn to, so....2 months later that sofa went into a dumpster bin. My mom was devastated. She couldn't have anything nice.

I spent my 20's buying trendy clothing and shoes. Even when I was a size 14-16, I looked cute and fashionable. My cars were always immaculate and my house was pretty clean most of the time. Now that I have kids, my life is much different. It's funny though because I still try to buy nice things, WHAT AM I THINKING?

We recently got a new (used) car. It's got black leather interior and I LOVE it! The other day, my husband let my little one, Joel, who's 15 months into the car with his "Baba" (aka sippy cup full of milk). Fast forward 5 minutes down the road, he throws it and I have milk all over on my back seat. Had his happened in my twenties, I may have frantically pulled over and tried to clean it up. But I didn't. On Monday, I got into the car and looked in my rear view mirror to find a large dried white milk stain. Ugh. What do I find myself saying? "I can't have anything nice." Sigh....

My friend, Donna and I were talking about what we have that's nice now. She too has 2 young boys, ages 3 and 5. After a promise from her husband she would get new carpet after they moved in- she's now been waiting 5 years. 5 years of stains and spills and everything else infants and toddlers can mash into the floor. I know her pain....But why replace it now? These boys are only getting bigger and with that comes larger messes. For her to have her something nice in new carpet, she's got a good 12 years.

I think I'd even settle for a nice looking clean window. That's not going to happen either. What is it with Stickers? They're all over the place! They're on the windows, the stairs, and they were even all over Myles' face during our last grocery trip. My Fridge looks like a bomb of white paper and crayon. No matter what he colors or cuts out, it MUST go on the fridge. There's not a single space between that and the Magnetic Farm on my fridge. Sigh. Nothing nice.

I was on the phone with Donna and I mentioned something she wanted to write down and she tells me, "I don't have a fancy blackberry so I write on the back of my hand" - Again, we can't have anything nice! She also pointed out that there's the moment of stupidity all moms have where we think, "This would look nice _______" But, when you do get something nice you sneak it into the house, maybe while they're sleeping or otherwise engaged. Once they discover it, the kids are all over it within seconds. They know it must be new- they must smell it or something. It must be ruined. Mom cannot have anything nice.

I highly advise you mom's, when you think of getting yourself something nice, just don't! Otherwise you'll be sitting back, watching it get destroyed, shaking your head and saying, "I can't have anything nice." Sigh....

P.S. I TRULY love my boys and would never change a thing about them, but sometimes, I miss my nice stuff.

Saturday, September 7, 2013

Mexican Makeover!

I swear I could eat some sort of Mexican food every day. My favorites are tostadas and chimichangas. This would have been a go-to for me at any of the great Mexican Restaurants here in Milwaukee. They are also BOTH fried, which is not so figure friendly. In the last 14 months, I have done my best to still satisfy my cravings but not add the extra fat to my hips and butt! Which is why I love makeovers.

Overall, Mexican food is one of the easiest cuisines to makeover. It doesn't have to be fat filled and calorie ridden. Corn tortillas are only 1 point. My favorite tortilla is a locally made product. Not only are they delicious, they are fresh and a package is only $.49. SWEET Deal! They make the best tostadas too. Here's my simple, easy recipe for Tostada Dinner.

Photo from Kraft recipe

Corn Tortillas (baked in oven: tip below) - 1 point each = 2 @ 2 points
Refried Beans- 1/2 cup = 2 points (My favorite beans)
Ground Turkey Breast*- 2 ounces = 2 points
*Cooked Taco meat (I make a big batch and freeze into three 5 oz.servings)
Reduced Fat Mexican Cheese-  1/4 cup = 2 points (My favorite cheese)
Green Onions- chopped = FREE
Romaine Lettuce- chopped (Don't use iceburg. Very little nutrition. Romaine is a smarter choice)= FREE
Sour Cream- 2 T = 1 point
Salsa- Free!
Total Points = 9 points
(You could also add tomatoes(free) or avocado (2 points for 1/4 avocado) and even sub shrimp too!)

To bake the tortillas- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray or very lightly oil both sides of the tortilla. Put directly onto the oven rack. Flip after 5 min. Cook another 3-4 min. Keep a super close eye as they can go from browned to burned REALLY fast!

Hopefully you enjoy these. I'd love to makeover something else this week. I'm open to your ideas! Please let me know :-)



Zombie Party! Down 2 more lbs

After 3 weeks of not weighing in let me tell you I was NOT looking forward to the scale. Overall my vacation eating went well, but I didn't track religiously. After returning from vacation it was Labor Day and I got the flu! Not just a little dose, but 100% I could not get out of my bed, achy all over, chills (even in flannel pj pants and a long sleeve shirt) and an awful stomach ache. It was sheer hell! It has taken me 5 days to get over the horrendous sickness. Maybe that helped, but I finally weighed in yesterday and I was down 2 lbs. Yay! Down 86.4 lbs and only 14 lbs away from my goal weight. 

After all the yuckiness, I was finally feeling good enough to work out so I did 55 minutes of "Just Dance" Wii. It's just such a fun workout. I know I have mentioned it before, but there's something to be said about dancing in the comfort of my own living room. Even if I cannot master the moves, and I look like a complete dork, I am dripping with sweat by the time I am done. After a long workout like that I can definitely splurge a little this weekend.

We had a birthday party to go to for a good friend's little dude. He's turning 5 and is totally into Zombies! It's hilarious. They had a bouncy house, chicken wings, deli sandwiches, chips, veggies, fruits, cupcakes and chocolate dipped licorice. Yes! Chocolate dipped licorice. It was super delicious! My friend is an amazing hostess, so even though I was fully prepared to splurge, she offered all the healthy options too. A deli sandwich, veggies (no dip), fresh fruit, and a couple chips was exactly what I needed. A small slice of cake and scoop of ice cream topped off my meal. Overall, very satisfying and not necessary to dip into my extra weekly points. I'll save those for my mexican craving that have been creeping up. Some coming up next a blog entry for my Mexican Makeover of tostadas.