I KNOW THE SECRET TO LOSING WEIGHT!

"Be on the lookout! An ALL POINTS bulletin (APB) has been issued for my GROOVE!" Yes folks, my groove still remains on the lam. This week, the scale revealed a +2 gain...not surprised.  


What do you call THIS part of the weight loss journey?  THIS meaning the part where I struggle with eating and maintaining my new healthy lifestyle changes. I KNOW what I need to do, but why the sudden struggle?  I thought I figured IT out. IT meaning the SECRET to weight loss and keeping the weight at bay.


Do YOU want to know the SECRET? Well. here it is: 

MOVE MORE! EAT LESS! Tadaa!! 

You wanna slap me...don't you? TRUTH BE TOLD, if you move more and eat less, the positive results will soon follow! I know, I know...easier SAID than DONE! 


Right about now I kinda feel like the hare from Aesop's Fable The Tortoise and The Hare.   You know the story...the slow-moving tortoise challenges the over confident hare to a race. Long story short, the arrogant hare breezed past the tortoise and decided to take a nap. When the hare wakes up, he discovered the tortoise crept past him and WON the race.  Like the hare, I got a little cocky with my weight loss. I "took a nap" so to speak and a few ponds crept back on my body. 


With his quick speed, the hare figured he could win the race without even trying, kinda like me right now with the weight loss. And judging from my  recent weigh in results, at some point I stopped trying and  decided to coast on my 56 lb weight lost success.


WHAT NOW?!


I DO KNOW I refuse to go back to THAT...

I think the novelty of my weight loss endeavor wore off as my progress slowed down.


SO NOW WHAT...MAP OUT A PLAN, that's what. 


#1 Go back to the beginning. Once again, I revisited my start of the New Year blog posts and I ran across my GLOWS & GROWS.  My glows & grows served as my weekly attempt to evaluate my lifestyle change hits and misses. Glows & grows seemed like a helpful tool. Why did I stop?  Who knows. I think it would be a novel idea to reinstate them; so, each week I will record my glows & grows on my blog or in my personal journal or maybe both.


#2 Determine what I want. Somewhere down the line I lost focus and forgot what I want and why I do THIS. So what do I want? I want to do things my former heavier self permitted me from doing. Check this out, I volunteered to go HIKING on a field trip with my son's Aquatic Science class. 

#3 Overcoming Detours and Roadblocks Ahead! I discovered I really need to sit down and write a list of possible weight loss detour and road block solutions. Some of my roadblocks include, but are not limited to: celebrations at work, holidays, parties, late night snacking, secret snacking, grazing...need I go on? Any suggestions?  


#4 Celebrate & Appreciate! I need to appreciate and celebrate my success thus far. I am also working on appreciating the small losses. A loss is a loss, and all the small losses add up. Just last week I lost .4, the equivalent to a bar of soap. That's right I lost a bar of soap.

• -2=spoon
• -4=bar of soap
• -6=toothpaste
• -8=coffee cup

In addition, celebrating mini-milestones achieved along the way may help me stay on course. How do you celebrate weight loss milestone?


I dreaded writing this post, but now I feel a little better about my next step. And you know, we can learn a thing or two from that slow moving tortoise, slow and steady wins the race. Put simply...as I continue my arduous task of losing weight; I feel it best to work slowly but consistently to ensure long-lasting weight loss results. 

If YOU see my GROOVE...send it back HOME!

In regards to my ongoing weight loss battle, I CANNOT get BACK into the groove of things. My daily lackadaisical approach shows each week when I step on the scale at Weight Watchers. In hopes of getting my groove back, I decided to try to a couple of new recipes.

Seafood Pasta Salad 

...from the Body For Life Cookbook by Bill Phillips

2 portions bow tie pasta (about 4 oz uncooked)

2 portions cooked crab meat (about 8 oz), fresh, canned or frozen, thawed, chopped 

1 carrot, peeled and chopped (I used shredded carrots.)

1 celery stalk sliced 

1 tomato, sliced

1/4  c low-fat Italian dressing

1 lemon, halved

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1. Prepare bow tie pasta according to its package directions. Rinse with cold running water; drain well.

2. While pasta is cooking, cut crab, celery, and tomato.

3. Next combine the crab meat, carrots, celery, Italian dressing, lemon juice, and black pepper in a large  mixing  bowl.  Add cooked pasta to crab mixture and toss to combine.

Check out my cool lemon squeezer thing-a-ma-bob from BIG LOTS.

4. Serve and enjoy.

Instead of low-fat Italian dressing I used Maple Grove Farms of Vermont Fat Free Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing. The book states the recipe serves 2, but after I mixed everything together I decided to split the pasta salad into 3 1/2 servings.  In addition, the book suggest that you serve the pasta on a bed of romaine salad, but I choose to skip that step. 

Enjoy your week and hopefully my groove returns this week! 

THE MOMENT YOU'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR...ZUMBA!!!!!!!!

I talk about it...I Tweet about it...I Facebook it...

And by it, I mean ZUMBA! Truth be told, I LOATHE exercise. I H.A.T.E. IT!  But the moment ZUMBA entered my life, my attitude about exercise drastically changed. Every Tuesday and Wednesday I look forward to shaking a tail feather! I wish the class was offered more than two days a week, but the instructor teaches a variety of classes at many other facilities.

So without further adieu...I present me grooving to my FAVORITE ZUMBA ROUTINE!

Serving up some leftovers...

For the weekends I decided to serve  up "leftovers" and  recycle my favorite posts. With my new busy, busy job, the weekends serve as a great opportunity to catch up on reading the blogs of others.  AND...as most of you know, I fell sooooooo behind on reading your blogs.  But then again, some of you may not know since you decided to unfollow me due to a lack of  my visits and comments...hahaha.

Cut me some slack, my new job as a first grade teacher keeps me extremely busy. Check out my new digs:

A little blurry...I thrifted the blue bottles for around  $2 bucks. The bottles hail  from World Market

I ROCK...me at my goal weight!

My birthday bulletin board...I used denim fabric for the background. 

How bout some chair flair?

I decided to drape my desk with this cheap ultra suede fabric from Garden Ridge.

My desk chotskies...

How cute is that lamp? 1/2 off at Hobby Lobby!

More desk chotskies...

Hooks...one for my sweater. You can freeze meat in my room...it's so cold.

Ordered form VistaPrint! VistaPrint ROCKS!

The word ranch...

My teacher bulletin board...I added some cowboy lights which are not pictured.

Vista Print

Made these number "posters" with my Cricut. I have nothing; so, with limited funds I make most of my materials. 

My mom made the pillows. 

My file cabinets with a little extra pizazz! 

So, I intended for this post to start my first installment of " Serving up some leftovers," BUT I ended up writing a WHOLE new post...lol. Okay, next weekend then. I just wanted to show you why  I spent much time away from blogging and your blogs these past few months. SO CUT ME SOME SLACK :-)  On a good note, my classroom projects kept my mind and hands distracted from mindless eating snacking. 

What do you do to keep from mindlessly grazing?

LOOK WHAT I CAN DO (Motivation Makeover Rd. 2)!!

Yesterday, a fellow weight loss buddy reminded me that Weight Watchers (WW) entails more than just watching our weight.  Aside from the dwindling numbers on the scale, my ability to buckle my own shoe,  run a 5K, make better choices when eating out demonstrates non-scale victories (NSV) that celebrate my healthier lifestyle.

While chit chatting on FB (Facebook), my WW comrade confessed that she gained weight while attempting to manage the program on her own. Despite her weight gain, my buddy made a most clever decision...


To take her mind of the extra added lbs., my buddy ventured to the Kemah Boardwalk to remind herself that a little over a year ago, 100+ extra pounds  excluded her from riding the rides. 


Here's a couple of pics of the Kemah Boardwalk from one of my Summer visits:

Lunch:The lesser of many, many, many evils...

...and a little dessert (sorry for the food porn)...I shared!

My WW cohort got me to thinking and she reminded me of a list I made when I hit my 50th post. In effort to overcome my current weight loss and fitness slump, now seemed like an apropos time to revisit my list, assess my non-scale victories and inspire myself:


Originally published July 11, 2009

50 Reason Why I WILL Remove This Weight...FOR GOOD!


1. Perform my Beyonce "Crazy in Love" karaoke routine, not missing one booty bounce from start to finish.  I get request to perform this number every time my cousin hosts a karaoke party (call or email for a quote...lol).


2. Sing or play " That's What You Get" by Paramore on Rock Band with my kids, complete with mosh jumping without sounding like I'm gasping for air. As of late, Our X-Box died so no rehearsal time for me.

3. Stop the buttons on my shirt from screaming, "Unbutton me...the shirt is to TIGHT!"  DONE! WELL, THIS WAS A QUICK FIX...I NOW BUY MY CORRECT SIZE IN SHIRTS...NO MORE TIGHT SHIRTS.


4. Jog without warning fellow joggers that I'm coming up from the rear. You know... when you wear those swish swish workout pants and your thighs rub together...your pants make that swish, swish, swish sound.

5. Go para-sailing.
6. Shop on one side of the store...the misses side. Not plus, not women's, not plus size...just misses.DONE! AND IT FEELS GOOD!

7. Run a mile without stopping. DONE!!
8. Stop shirts from disappearing in my back fat.  Kinda still working on that one.
9. Paint toenails with becoming a contortionist (stomach gets in the way). DONE!
10. Live a healthier life. DONE!


11. Stop feeling like someone is following me. No one is following me...it's just my butt! I'M KINDA LOVING MY BUTT RIGHT NOW!


12. Wear shorts without my crotch eating them. You know when your thighs rub together, your shorts magically ride up your legs and disappear, therefore causing you to dig them out. FYI...that ain't cute. FOR THE FIRST TIME IN ABOUT 11 YEARS, I PURCHASED MY FIRST PAIR OF SHORT TO BE WORN IN PUBLIC...EVEN PECAN MAN COMMENTED ON HOW JAZZY I LOOKED IN MY SHORTS...YOU BE THE JUDGE.

13.  Rub my success in the face of my haters and doubters both past and present. No...I plan not to be the bigger person.

14. Go hang gliding.

15. Wear a bathing suit. I cannot recall the last time I wore a bathing suit.

16. Dance the Michael Jackson's Thriller choreography with my kids EVERY TIME the video airs. And "Beat It" too. I THINK I WROTE THIS RIGHT AROUND THE TIME OF MJ'S UNTIMELY DEMISE. WHEN THE MEDIA COVERED THE 1YR ANNIVERSARY OF HIS DEATH, BELIEVE ME WHEN I SAY I PERFORMED THE CHOREO EVERY TIME HIS VIDEOS AIRED...EVERY TIME!

17. Become a WEIGHT WATCHERS LEADER!

18. Appear on one of those 1/2 their size magazine covers. 

19. Feel comfortable wearing sleeveless clothing. I WEAR A LOT MORE SLEEVELESS CLOTHING THAN I USED TO BUT I SOMETIMES STILL FEEL SELF CONSCIOUS OF MY CHICKEN WINGS.

20.Wear timeless clothing pieces I kept...like my lil black dress...that no longer fits. I have however been able to wear clothes I kept when I gained weight. 

21. Go whitewater rafting.

22. Reduce 2 stomachs to 1...I'M ABOUT DOWN TO 1 1/2 STOMACHS...

23. Reveal my new body on Oprah...I EMAILED OPRAH ABOUT  4 TIMES AND SHE NEVER RESPONDED...I GUESS SHE'S BUSY! "I DO NOT APPRECIATE BEING IGNORED OPRAH!"

24. Write and publish a This-Is-How-I-Did-It-Y'all book.

25. Drop it like it's hot without killing my knees. You should see me at ZUMBA!

26. Run up the 72 steps in Philly like Rocky Balboa...ADRIENNE!

27. Take a ballet or contemporary dance class. DOES A MOMMY & ME CLASS WITH MY KIDS COUNT?

28. Look good naked! Anyone ever watched the British version of this show?

29. STOP shopping at Layne Bryant! One time a sales clerk convinced me to purchase a halter which I only wore once. WHICH brings me to #30. DONE! Make sure you check out the ceremonial shredding of my Layne Bryant credit card!

30. Wear a halter top without fat spilling over the top and side of the shirt.

31. MORE ENERGY! DONE!

32. Completely wrap a regular bath size towel around my body without body parts playing peek-a-boo. DONE!  

33. Bring SEXY BACK!  DONE! I BROUGHT SEXY BACK AS A BIG GIRL...

34. Stop asking my children to buckle my shoe (the ole stomach gets in the way). That's what kids are for...shoe bucklers. 

35. Run a 5K.  THIS IS SO DONE!

36.Walk up the stairs without emulating the big bad woof...huffing and puffing.

37. INSPIRE OTHERS!

38. Find a shallow mate who like me for my H-O-T rocking bod. ANYONE GOT  A SINGLE BROTHER OR UNCLE? 

39. Enjoy life more.

40. More choices of stores when shopping. THIS IS SO DONE! 

41. Feel more comfortable in my own body.

42. When I shake my arm and then stop, I want the entire arm to STOP at the same time!

43. I want to stand with both legs inside one leg of a pair of pants at my highest weight.  DONE!!!!!

44. Look down and see my entire foot not just my toes.

45. Lose the stomach flap. It reminds me of those pop up books you read children. You know...you pull the flap and BAM...surprise!

46. Be happy

47. Lower blood pressure. CATCH 22...I LOWERED MY BLOOD PRESSURE, BUT NOT ON MY OWN.  LAST OCTOBER MY DOCTOR PRESCRIBED BENICAR TO HELP ME MANAGE MY PREDISPOSITION-ed HYPERTENSION CONDITION :-(

48. Zip my sexy 2 1/2 inch, maybe 3 high heel burnt sienna boots. I tend to struggle with the zipper around my big calf.  DONE!

49. I LOVE the feeling of SUCCESS when I achieve my mini weight loss goals.

50. BEFORE and NOW pics.

Okay my motivation meter just shot through the roof!

YOUR TURN...share one of your latest non-scale victories! 

What's With the Band-aid?

As you can see, I decided to give my blog a slight makeover. Nothing fancy. I just wanted to try out a few new things. I made my blog header with Picasa using a tutorial from Clover Lane.  When my time allows, I plan to create a more jazzier header. Personalizing a blog takes time, so I still plan to contact a blog designer and discuss some makeover options.


But then again, everything I need know about designing a blog can be found on the World Wide Web. EVERYTHING...including how to center my blog header. 


So, on to the band-aid.


About a week ago, I attended a going-away party for a dear friend...KIMMY!

Don't ask...me & Kimmy at Ivy's slumber party...FUN!

Kim & Teryka 

Man DOWN! Celebrating Missy's Birthday...yes that's Kim with her head down on the table...GOOD TIMES!

Me, Kim & Shelly...prior to the MAN DOWN incident....

BYE KIMMY...MAY YOU BE BLESSED ON YOUR NEW ENDEAVORS IN THE ATL...If you see T.I. tell him to call me...

Okay, I digressed. So, I attended a going-away party a week ago and a few people asked, "What's with the band-aid?"


THIS resulted from:

THAT:

A seemingly simple errand to the alteration shop turned into a trip to a local URGENT CARE facility for a tetanus shot. Talk about a total errand FAIL! While gathering my belongings in the dressing room, I bent down to pick up my keys and stabbed myself in the leg with a stick pin.

No big deal I thought...until my leg started stinging. Without looking, I reached down to scratch my leg and my hand encountered a warm liquid substance. At that point I looked down and observed a pool of blood on my shorts. 

Alarmed, I jumped into my vehicle and yanked my shorts up to assess the damage. When I peered at my leg I noticed a large lumpy bruise started to form.

 

Concerned, I drove down the street to Wal-Mart's clinic, but the Physician's Assistant on staff stated (rather coldly), "The clinic's services do not include emergency care." He did however refer me to an Urgent Care center around the corner. 

Long story short, I arrived at the emergency facility and received a tetanus shot for a grand total of $150. MY INSURANCE SUCKS...YOU'D THINK THEY'D OFFER TEACHERS BETTER INSURANCE...BUT "THEY" DO NOT!

So, the lesson to be learned...

ALWAYS look your best when you leave the house. You never know when you may need emergency care services. And wouldn't you know it, the attending physician turned out to be HOT & CUTE! And wouldn't you know it...your truly looked partially busted wearing a less than stellar tank top and well-worn shorts w/flip flops. 

I thought about returning to Urgent Care for a follow up, but at $150 a pop, Dr. Wally will be the one who got away...thanks in part to me looking a H.A.M. (hot a** mess)!

O yeah, another lesson to be learned...

Be careful in the alteration shop with stick pins.