I DID IT! I REACHED MY GOAL!!!

FINALLY, I reached my weight loss goal! 

50 POUNDS LOST!!! 

YAY ME!!!

Can you tell I’m a little bit excited?  Well, I should be!  I’ve worked really hard over the past year and a half to lose this weight the right way, through healthy eating changes and exercise.  I don’t consider myself having been on a “diet.”  If that was the case, then the diet would be over and I would be going back to my old eating habits (and of course the weight would come right back on).  Hopefully, I’ve learned a lot since the beginning of 2009, lessons that will keep me at this weight for the rest of my life (ugh, that seems like such a long time). 

So what have been the most exciting results of losing this weight?  Well, besides the obvious of looking and feeling better about myself physically, there have been other, incredible benefits.  The first, most awesome one is how proud I am that I accomplished this goal.  I feel so empowered, which has really leaked into other areas of my life.  It has given me strength where perhaps I was lacking before.

The second one that is so amazing to me is that I have actually become a source of inspiration to others.  People at the gym and at Weight  Watchers have come up to me and told me that I have inspired them to keep working out or stay on the WW program.  I can’t begin to tell you how incredible that makes me feel.  And it helps me want to keep the weight off, not just for myself now, but because I don’t want to let anyone else down!  (Isn’t that funny how we do that?  But hey, if that helps me be accountable in keeping it off, I’ll use whatever works!)

Here you can see before and after pictures (and the sad thing is, the “before” picture is after I had lost about 10 pounds already!):

So, am I a little nervous about keeping it off FOREVER?  Yep!  But I know I can do it if I just keep everything in perspective.  Will I indulge every so often?  Of course!  I do now!  That’s what keeps me sane and on track!  Am I happier now than I was 50 pounds ago?  YOU BETCHA!!!

(Skinny) Karen

Friday Funny- Things that make you go,"Yeah! That's right!"

Good Morning Faithful Friday Funny Readers!

In the interest on not being a self-centered, whiny, ranting person this morning, I've decided to postpone my blog (Rant) about paper trails and people who think it's their duty to tell you how to run things. . . I'll get to that on Tuesday. Because today, it's FRIIIIIIIIIIDAAAAAAAAAYYYYY (yes, that is the note of happiness) and I just want to let loose.

So Karen sent me this e-mail that I thought was so funny in the mmmhmmmIknowexactlywhatyou'retalkingabout kind of way, and I've decided to repost it here. (And no, Karen, that does NOT count as a blog post for you. Love you!)

Universal Truths

1. I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear

your computer history if you die. (Absolutely, unequivocally. I wonder if we could somehow start a service that does that from a remote location? Hmmmmm...)

2. Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you

realize you're wrong.(doh!)

3. I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was

younger. (sigh)

4. There is great need for a sarcasm font. (TRULY. How can we do this?)

5. How the heck are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet? (I gave up a while ago. Now I just kinda push it together and then push it into the linen closet. Better yet, I just wash it and put the same one back on the bed so I don't have to fold it. There you go. It's a non-issue).

6. Was learning cursive really necessary?

7. Map Quest really needs to start their directions on #5. I'm pretty

sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.

8. Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the

person died. (I mean, really! I could tell you how a prof of mine died, and it was SO much more interesting than what the paper printed!)

10. Bad decisions make good stories. (hee-hee)

12. Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after Blue Ray? I

don't want to have to restart my collection...again. (Seriously!)

16. I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not

seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.

17. I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to

answer when they call. (YUP, and I don't feel one bit guilty about it either!)

18. I think the freezer deserves a light as well. (I mean, c'mon! I gotta find the ice cream!)

19. I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or

Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Lite (or wine or Margaritas) than Kay Jewelry.

20. I wish Google Maps had an "Avoid Speed Trap" and “Avoid Bad Neighborhood” routing options. (Like the speed trap at the Kentucky/Illinois border in Johnson County, Illinois. THAT would have been helpful a few weeks ago. . . )

21. Sometimes, I'll watch a movie that I watched when I was younger and

suddenly realize I had no idea what the heck was going on when I saw it the first time. ( I can't believe my mother let me watch "Grease" when I was ten. WHAT was she thinking? I'm still traumatized. And NO! It was NOT the edited version! Good thing I was clueless. . . )

Yours, wishing you a fabulous (and speed trap free) Friday,

Melissa

KAREN’S WEIGHT LOSS UPDATE

I DID IT! I’VE LOST 25 POUNDS!!! I know it’s taken me a while to achieve this milestone, but I don’t care. I’d rather lose the weight slowly and KEEP it off, instead of watching it all come back on as soon as I go off my diet. I’M SO EXCITED! (Hear that? That’s the sound of me patting myself on the back. Okay, I’ll stop now!)

So I think that I’ve really been doing it right this time. I’m really adopting healthier eating habits, and I actually like working out now. But I still have a HUGE sweet tooth, as well as a fried food tooth. Oh, and don’t forget my salty tooth. Sigh.

But speaking of sweet and salty, I found a great snack. Smartfood Popcorn Clusters by Frito-Lay. They are 110 calories, 1 gram of fat and 5 grams of fiber. Because of the fiber, they are only 1 Weight Watchers point. And they are YUMMY!

And I must give a nod to Boca Veggie Burgers. I admit, it took me a while to get used to them, but I have, and now I (dare I say) actually like them. (Not love them, just like them.) But with the Original Vegan ones having only 70 calories, less than a gram of fat, and 4 grams of fiber, they are also only 1 point. So I can have a 2 point lunch by having a Boca Burger on an Arnold Select Sandwich Thin. How cool is that? (I know, it doesn’t take much to get me excited!)

So I’m going to reward myself with something decadent, then work on my next goal of 15 pounds, for a total of 40. If anybody has any suggestions or words of encouragement, lay them on me! I can use all the help I can get!

Karen

Oh, and by the way, clearly I can’t write a short post, so our “Monday Minute” is now “Monday Musings.”

Wednesday Whatever: Yummy Recipe for the Family

I’m going to take a detour from my healthy, dieting life I’m leading lately and give you a really great recipe that your kids will love. (But have you noticed that almost everything I write lately revolves around food? Hmmmm!)

The recipe is for BBQ Beef Pop ‘Ems. They are easy, easy to make and everyone in my family loves them, which is saying A LOT! Before I go on, I must give credit to my sister, Margee, for giving me this recipe. (Okay, I’m really giving her credit only because she yelled at me for not saying that she told me about the Arnold Select Sandwich Thins on my Favorite Diet Foods post. So, are ya happy now, Marg?)

So here it is: BBQ Beef Pop ‘Ems

• 1 pound ground beef (or turkey, or soy, or whatever fake stuff you use)
• 1 Cup BBQ Sauce (I actually use a little more than 1 cup)
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar
• 1 10 pack can of buttermilk biscuits
• 2/3 Cup shredded cheese (any kind)
  

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Brown ground beef, drain and return to skillet. Add BBQ sauce and brown sugar. Mix well. Coat muffin pan with non-stick spray. Press each biscuit into a cup. Spoon the meat mixture into biscuits and push down firmly. Top with cheese and bake for 10-12 minutes, until cheese is melted and biscuits are done.

That’s all there is to it! It’s exactly the kind of recipe I like: not too many ingredients and no “meanwhile” instructions. (You know, where you have to do something while something else is happening. I can’t multi-task in the kitchen!)

Enjoy!

Karen

Wednesday Whatever… My FAVORITE Diet Foods

Okay, I know that “favorite” and “diet foods” don’t exactly go together, but I have found some foods that keep me filled up longer than others and are very healthy. The key is fiber. I’m not a diet or nutrition expert, so don’t comment and tell me how wrong I am! These are just MY observations during MY diet! (Oops, it’s not a diet, it’s changing my eating habits to be more healthy. Yeah, whatever!)

My first favorite diet food is an Arnold Select Sandwich Thin. Have you ever tried these? They are really yummy! Here are the stats:

• Calories: 100
• Total Fat: 1 gram
• Carbs: 21 grams
• Fiber: 5 grams
• WW Points: 1

These make great buns for everything from burgers to chicken salad sandwich. My favorite thing to do with them is cook some Egg Beaters and make an egg sandwich. Only 2 points and it keeps me filled up for hours.

My second favorite diet food is Fiber One Yogurt. Check out the stats on this:

• Calories: 80
• Total Fat: 0 grams
• Carbs: 19 grams
• Fiber: 5 grams
• WW Points: 0

Yep, that’s right, ZERO points for this one! And again, because of the fiber, it’s a great snack and keeps me filled up.

KAREN’S WEIGHT WATCHERS UPDATE:

Last week, my family and I went to an all inclusive resort in Cancun, where there was an abundance of food wherever we looked. VERY hard to diet under those circumstances. But I did the best I could, even worked out twice, and told myself that if I gained less than 2 pounds, I’d be okay with it. So sure enough, I gained 1.6 pounds!

I’m back on the WW train again this week, so keep checking back as I update my weight loss story and bring you more tips!

Karen

Monday Minute

I’m going to let you in on a little secret… I joined Weight Watchers. (oh, by the way, this is Karen. Melissa would NEVER need Weight Watchers!) I’m on Day 10, and doing pretty well. My first weigh-in last Friday showed a 2.4 pound loss. Yay!!!! Had a little set back on 4th of July, but I’m making up for it by working out and not going over my daily points.

I need all the encouragement I can get, so if you’ve ever been on Weight Watchers and have some advice for me, please give me a holler. Even if you’re not on WW but have struggled with your weight, let me know. It’s nice to know I’m not alone out here!

I’ll keep you posted on my progress. Oh, if you don’t hear from me for a while, just figure I’m not doing so well and give me a kick in the butt!

Karen