30 Pounds Lost!

HAPPY DANCE!! I hit the 30 pounds lost mark this week!! I have been hard at it since July 22nd, so a little over two months. I feel great, and am excited about this new adventure in my life. I have to admit, the first few weeks is hard. VERY hard. Surrender...commit...obedience...count calories...count fat...count fiber...count points!

It can be VERY overwhelming at first until you get in the routine. I put everything on an excel spreadsheet so it is easier to go there and keep track. I also put my successful tasty recipes on there too.

I am using the priciples of Alcoholics Anonymous in this and going to weight watchers and also being very aware of my Diabetes. I love a challenge and this is challenging every day. If I cheat, it is me I am cheating, not another person. Unfortunately it shows on me if I don't lose weight. Another thing that keeps me on this....tell people!!! I tell everyone I am doing this and if I quit then they will look at me in disappointment or disgust and my ego will crash. After all, I am a people pleaser and hate people being disappointed in me.

Sherry, my sis-in-law shook her head at me and smiled and said "You are making this fun, aren't you"? Well yeah.....my motto in life is: If it ain't fun, I'm outa here!

The recipe this week that I fell in love with is: TA- DA:

Roasted Cauliflower!!

I cut a head of cauliflower into flowerettes, put them in a big baggie, pour 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil over it, fresh ground sea salt, fresh ground pepper, 2 tablespoons minced roasted garlic (In a jar) No, Mary Lou, don't throw the jar in the bag, just the 2 tablespoons of garlic. Shake it all up and pour onto a jelly roll cookie sheet or baking pan, sprinkle 1/2 cup of freshly grated parmesean cheese and drizzle balsalmic vinegar over it. Bake at 450 degrees for 25 minutes, then turn on the broiler for the last 5 minutes or so until it is crusty enough for you. (I like it really crusty). Total points for entire pan is about 9.....(Okay, I have to admit I ate the entire pan). But be very careful, the next day you and everyone around you will suffer. ahem.

Oh, by the way I hate to say pounds lost, because they seem to find their way back to you. I like to think of it as pounds discarded for good!!

Stray cats

I started feeding a mom and 3 kittens about three months ago now I have another mom and 3 kittens eating at my house along with about 6 neighbor's cats. I looked out the window today and found one of the kittens sleeping in an old planter on my fence, and another three sleeping on one of my lawn chairs. Two of them ran when they saw me come out. I can't help but feed them, they are wild, and it really pisses me off that people let their cats run loose and multiply then they say it isn't their cat, and leave them running wild. well the cats love me so much they stay near the house and I have no mice, and the cats go over the fence to use the dirt. (I have gravel). I am going to fix up a little shelter for them lined with carpet and a removable top to clean. When they get used to that and more comfortable with me I will trap them and take them to WAIF (the local shelter) and hgave them fixed.

Whew, a long weekend!

What a week! I spent most of it helping my 94 year old next door neighbor Florence, prepare and move into an assisted living facility. She has lived next door to me for 20 years, and she is like a mother to me. I think it has been harder on me than her daughters. Well maybe not, but it hasn't been easy. I wanted to take time off from work but there is too much going on with training, so I didn't. Florence moved on Monday. Her daughter came up from Oregon and stayed in Florence's house until this morning, then she went home. It's weird coming home and seeing the dark house, and not seeing Florence yelling "hi" to me. We talk alot on the phone, and I assured her that I will still go get her during storms and go to the beach and watch the waves wash up on the driftwood. I will still take her to the dollar store. I will visit her every Friday before my AA meeting. Maybe sometimes drag her along to the meeting with me. She likes that. If I see the northern lights I will call her and maybe drive into Oak Harbor and get her to see them with me. She is a joy.

Yesterday I went to my boss's house at 4:00am to babysit her three girls. 7, 10 & 11 year olds. I didn't get any sleep before going there so I was ready for a nap on the couch when I got there. The girls got up at 5:00am and entertained me. I fell asleep and they painted my fingernails a pea soup green. The little darlings! (I knew they were doing that so I played along). I got home at 3:00pm then made dinner for a friend then we went to Bible study at 7:00pm. I got home around 8:30 and got to bed at 10:00pm. I am ready for three days of SOLITUDE!!

My sister is mad at me because she wants us to go to her son's new wife's daughter's baby shower. I guess she is his step daughter. I don't even know her so I declined on going because I just need to take a rest. I am getting too old to burn the candle at both ends any more and work a fulltime job. They live in Bellingham and that is an hour and a half drive. She'll get over it.

Well it is 1:30am and I am just now winding down. Time to crochet for an hour or so then hit the hay and sleep until noon tomorrow! Ahhhhhh.

Still going to Weight Watchers...

Ok it has been a month and 1/2 since I joined Weight Watchers. I have officially lost 22 pounds. It has slowed way down but I feel tremendously better. Like I mentioned in my previous blog, my breathing has improved. I had a hard time (still do at times) getting rid of the butter and the red fatty meats. About twice a day I have a snack attack urge. I keep fresh fruit around for that, but I really would love to open up a can of vienna sausages and devour it! I bought a case of barbecue vienna sausages and a case of smoked vienna sausages a while back. The calories aren't bad, and the entire can is only 4 points, but it is junk food and bad for you. I keep them along with velveeta cheese and spam for my disaster supplies. They never go bad they are so full of preservatives!

I am really trying hard to keep it to fresh foods and not so much processed junk. I do not use sugar, I have honey for sweetening things. I do buy the Sandwich thins buns which are only 1 point or 100 calories each. I am not much of a bread eater, so it satisfies me. Instead of hamburger, I buy the frozen salmon patties from Costco, cook them up and use only 1 teaspoon of mayo, and some lowfat cheese and a big slice of beefsteak tomato. NUM!!

Another good meal is a frozen chicken with caramalized onion & gouda cheese patty from Costco, 1 ounce grated lowfat mozarella cheese, smothered with sauteed mushrooms & oions, and drizzle some Balsalmic glaze over it. NUM!

Sherry smiled at me and said I am having way too much fun with this. well I am. It is exciting trying new things and making it a challenge to keep it healthy and fat free and keep my blood sugars down. I am backing down from my insulin by about half!

I joined the local gym today. I went after the Weight Watchers meeting and got on the treadmill. I lasted 5 minutes. Okay, maybe tomorrow I can last ten minutes!

Baby steps here....baby steps. They have yoga classes, and Zumba colasses, and cardio classes. They are all held upstairs. That's my cardio right there, climbing up those stairs!!

Later folks!