THIS IS WHAT 50 LBS LOOKS LIKE!

As of late, I seem to be yo-yoing on the scale...up & down, up & down, up & down. I try not to place much emphasis on the number I see each week on the scale, but sometimes I do get caught up.  Each day I remind myself  that weight loss revolves around more than a number on the scale. For me, weigh loss means:

• trying new things, like Zumba
• making positive changes, like saying no to food pushers
• doing things my weight permitted me from doing
• feeling and looking great AND LIVING LIFE!

What does weight loss mean to you? 

Yesterday, my boys and  I made our weekly trek to the grocery store. I turned down the spice aisle to look for some garlic powder; however, a huge bag of sugar caught my eye. Upon closer examination, I discovered the humongous bag weighed 25lbs.  I thought to myself for a moment...Since beginning my weight loss endeavor, I managed to shed 50+  lbs. With that in mind I quickly grabbed my camera took the following pictures:

THIS IS WHAT 50 LBS. LOOKS LIKE!

I needed this visual to remind me of my weight loss accomplishments! And let me tell you, I tried to lift those heavy bags of sugar by myself, but I eventually enlisted help from my boys. I cannot believe I carried all that weight on my petite frame. When I hit 60 (soon, real soon), I plan to grab a wagon out of the toy department and fill it with 60 lbs of something.

Now, I challenge YOU to take a "THIS IS WHAT ___LBS LOOKS LIKE" picture.  Post your pic on your blog and leave me a comment so I can check it out!

GO! RUN TO THE GROCERY STORE, TAKE YOUR PIC, AND POST IT!!! 

Nothing is NIFTY as losing FIFTY!!!

*EXHALE* I want to quit my job and just blog all day. If you know anyone looking for a wife to support while she establishes a blogging career email me.

So, last week I spent my extra time (usually set aside for blogging) preparing for my yearly Professional Development Appraisal System (PDAS) observation at work. In short, the Assistant Principal observed me teaching a lesson to my students. To keep you from further suspense, YES...I ROCKED the observation. R-O-C-K-E-D IT! So, all of my time spent away from blogging preparing for the PDAS paid off! And you can rest assure knowing I always feel a little twinge of guilt when away from blogging.

BUT...I AM BACK AND I BRING WITH ME SOME FABULOUS NEWS...keep reading.

50 is:

• the number of states in the United States
• the percentage equivalent to one half...fifty-fifty
• the nickname of the rapper 50 cents
• the number of chapters in the book of Genesis

Okay, okay...let me cut to the chase! 50 is the number of pounds REMOVED from my body!! I DID IT! Now y'all can call me 50 (Fiddy) like the rapper. I finally earned my 50 lb. BLING! Check it out:

This week I lost 4 pounds for a total of 52.2 lbs GONE!!! When I reported or rather insanely screamed the results into the phone to my Mom, (I had to scream over her screams of excitement) she asked what did I do different last week to help me reach my milestone. So I present to you, my GLOWS and GROWS:

GLOWS: Tracking

Last week, I vigilantly tracked daily. Tracking helped me make better snack choices. One day I faced the dilemma of choosing between a TB of peanut butter and celery sticks for 2 pts. or a Thomas Bagel Thin and 2 slices of deli meat for a grand total of 1.5 pts. So you know which snack won...right? For me it's all about getting a bang for my points.

 

GLOWS: New Points Strategy

Okay, since I struggle the most in the evening (keep in mind I eat brunch lunch at 10:15 AM) I decided to allot a certain number of points for each meal in hopes that enough points remain for a decent dinner and after dinner dessert or snack: 4 points for breakfast, 5 points for lunch, and 5 for snacks throughout the day. If I stick to my points allotment, I should return home from work with ...uh oh...I just thought about something.

HOLY DOG POO BATMAN, me thinks it's points recalculation time...Be Right Back.

Well that's just CRAPtastic,I moseyed on over to the WW website and, to my horror I discovered that I went down a point. I now get 23 points a day. *Heavy Sigh*

Okay, I made a slight adjustment, so now I decided on the following points allotment: 4 points for breakfast, 5 points for lunch, and 4 points for snacks throughout the day. Soooooo, I should return home from work with 10 points...give or take (probably take)..

My favorite 4 point Breakfasts:

Tony Chachere's Chicken Sausage 2 oz (2 pt), egg whites (1 pt), & potatoes O'Brien (1 pts)...o and I added some bootleg picante sauce from the school cafeteria (0 pts)

 

Fruited Bran Muffin ( very filling for 3 points). My mom made these, so she holds the recipe. I will probably forget, but I plan to post it on a future post. Just harass me repeatedly until I post the Fruited Muffin recipe.  The muffins contain fresh bananas, apples, and blueberries...YUM!

 

One of last week's 5 point lunches:
Mom's Homemade Veggie Soup (guesstimated points @ 1 or 2 pts), Thomas Everything Bagel Thin (1 pt), deli meat (1 pt), &WW Pepper Jack Cheese (1 pt)

#1 GLOW: BEANS!
Beans...the magical fruit, the more you eat the more you toot...lol! Courtesy of  Mom's Mealz on Wheelz Program, I ate beans EVERYDAY: Red Beans, Black Beans, Pinto Beans, Great Northern Beans, and Purple Hull Peas! I'm talkin' bout good ole' cooked beans, NOT CANNED! According to my Mom, the fiber from the beans kept me full longer which made me waaaay less snacky!!

Some of my favorite bean infused meals:

Mexican Stacked Pizza (click link for recipe)

 

1/2 c Great Northern Beans (2 pts) 1 c brown rice (2pts)...not pictured cucumbers.

 

GROWS:Meal Planning
My plan to plan my meals fell by the wayside a while back. The Mealz on Wheelz program pretty much saves me every week. My mom packages the food in serving sizes, so I just grab-n-go! With my mom's help, the only thing left for me to do is prepare sides to go along with her entrees. Most of the time my oldest eats from the Mealz on Wheelz program, but my youngest thinks I'm a short order cook.


GROWS: Sleep Deprivation 
I feel discombobulated every morning due to a lack of sleep. I vow to turn in by 10:00 PM every night this week, regardless of my to-do list. Some nights I pass out from exhaustion, and for those sleepless nights I found this nifty iTouch app called Ambiance. This app allows me to download some of my favorite sounds to be used to lull me into a deep slumber:wind chimes, rain on a greenhouse, rain and thunder, Oklahoma summer night, etc.

Well, the clock just struck 10:01 PM, so that means so long & farewell. And believe me when I say, you have not heard the last of this 50 pound weight loss. I think a new 50 lb victory dance is in order. I also have a few other vlogs planned as well as a couple of other things up my sleeve. So stay tuned!


O and THANKS to everyone who pushed me through my mini crisis a few weeks ago...see with my determination and your support...BAM, 52.2 POUNDS GONE!

If you like this post, check these out (crap, the clock just struck 10:35 PM...FAIL!):

• Lordy Lordy, Look Who Lost 40!
• The Dirty Thirty

G'Night for real this time!

In honor of my 50th post...

Wow...my 50th post. I tend to start things and unfortunately never finish: losing weight, hobbies, books, starting businesses, etc. I started blogging in February and and I am surprised to see my blogging didn't fall by the wayside. So in honor of my 50th post I present...

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.
   


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 grasping for air.
   


3. Stop the buttons on my shirt from screaming, "Unbutton me...the shirt is to TIGHT!"
   


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 parasailing.
   
   
6. Shop on one side of the store...the misses side. Not plus, not women's, not plus size...just misses.
   


7. Run a mile without stopping.
   


8. Stop shirts from disappearing in my back fat.
   


9. Paint toenails with becoming a contortionist (stomach gets in the way).


10. Live a healthier life.


11. Stop feeling like someone is following me. No one is following me...it's just my butt!


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.
    


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.
    
    
17. Become a WEIGHT WATCHERS LEADER!
    
    
18. Appear on one of those 1/2 their size magazine covers.
    
19. Feel comfortable wearing sleeveless clothing.
    
    
20. Wear timeless clothing pieces I kept...like my lil black dress...that no longer fit.
    
    
21. Go whitewater rafting.
    
    
22. Reduce 2 stomachs to 1.
    
    
23. Reveal my new body on 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.
    
    
26. Run up the 72 steps in Philly like Rocky Balboa...ADRIENNE!
    
27. Take a ballet or contemporary dance class.
    
    
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.
    
    
30. Wear a halter top without fat spilling over the top and side of the shirt.
    
    
31. MORE ENERGY!
    
    
32. Completely wrap a regular bath size towel around my body without body parts playing peek-a-boo.
    
    
33. Bring SEXY BACK!
    
    
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.
    
    
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.
    
39. Enjoy life more.
    
    
40. More choices of stores when shopping.
    
    
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.
    
    
44. Look down and see my entire foot not just my toes (blame it on the st-st-st- the stomach).
    
    
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.
    
    
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.
    
    
49. I LOVE the feeling of successful when I achieve my mini weight loss goals.
    
    
50. BEFORE and NOW pics.