Hello Jaw Line

I haven't seen you in a while.
The other day, I got my teeth whitened (Yay!).
It took some pleading to get the husband to fork up the $ for this,
oh so important procedure. So, to show him my appreciation, I texted him this picture, saying "thank you!"

Then I posted it on Facebook.
That was when I noticed something...

I have a jaw line!!
I was more excited about that, then I was about my new pearly whites! It put a smile on my face all day!

I feel like the old me again.
The me that had a jaw line, and thought nothing of it.

When I look in the mirror now days, it's like I'm seeing an old friend. I think to myself, "Hey! There you are! I haven't seen you in forever!"
It feels good.

I will appreciate this jaw line of mine, each and every single day.
Cause I missed it. Like a lot.

It Fits!

Since I've lost 40 pounds, I figured I'd go into my closet, to see what I could fit back into.

It was like going shopping!

On the day that I had officially lost 40 pounds, I literally ran to see if I could fit into this black shirt. And I did! So I wore it for my little, 40 pounds lost photo shoot:This is a sweater my husband bought for me last Christmas, that was way too small for me!
Not any more!:I also now fit back into one of my husbands favorite shirts of mine.
I'm not a big fan of this shirt, but hey, it fits!:This is a shirt I bought on sale, that wasn't very flattering, so I never wore it:Last years winter coat is too big. I thought I was going to have to buy a new one. Nope. I just had to go shopping through my closet. This is a coat I wore 4 winters ago! It fits!:I have so many more clothes (most I've never even worn), that I can't wait to fit back into!

***

This morning's weigh in had me at 164, for a
1 pound loss this week!
I'm feelin' good :D

I Got My Cooking/Baking Mojo Back!

This past week, I've had nothing but one recipe disaster after the other.
It was super frustrating, and I started to wonder if I should get my butt out of the kitchen. Aside from driving me crazy (and broke), this problem was rather inconvenient. I have a hungry husband to feed!

But I didn't give up. I tried one recipe after the other.
Finally, I got my mojo back!

We are really excited about this, here at our house.
We have the yummy aroma of a good home cooked meal, filling our house again.

This meatloaf recipe from Good Housekeeping,
is what got me out of my cooking funk.
It was tasty!(it tasted better then it looks. I promise ;)
Wanna make it? Click HERE for the recipe!

Then tonight I made these heavenly
Doughnut Muffins:I got the recipe from one of my favorite blogs,
Slim Shoppin'
She is awesome. Deliciously. Awesome.
I loved these, and I think it was the easiest muffin recipe I've ever made.
I tried linking you to the recipe, but it didn't work. Here's the recipe I got off her site:

1 cup all purpose flour
¾ cup whole wheat flour
¼ cup flax seed, ground
½ cup vanilla yogurt (I used light)
½ cup sugar
¼ cup canola oil
1 egg
½ tsp. salt
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
¾ cup skim milk
3 tablespoons chocolate chips

Just mix everything together until it’s combined. Try not to over stir.

Spray a muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray, and bake at 350 for 12-14 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Sprinkle muffins with cinnamon and sugar, before baking.

Calories for each muffin: 175 calories, 6.5 grams of fat 25 carbs and 1.5 grams of fiber.

It feels nice to cook up a deliciously healthy storm again!

Now I'm in the cooking and baking mood!
I think fall does that to you. Does it not?

I've found lots of yummy recipes on blogs, that I can't wait to try!

If you have any deliciously healthy recipes you think I should try, what are you waiting for?
Share them with me!
Please ;D

A Random Post, From Yours Truly...

*This is a picture my husband quickly took of me. He called my name, and snap! The picture was taken. Back when I was 206, that kind of picture meant instant deletion. There was no time for me to try and hide my double chin, stand up straight, get my hair just right, or try to turn my head a certain way to make me look 10 pounds lighter.
That kind of photo always came out horrible, and depressing.

I love that I have gotten to the point where I feel healthy and beautiful, inside and out. I love that I hardly ever erase a picture of myself (no matter how skinny I get, there is always going to be such a thing as a bad angle, lol). I can embrace all of
life's moments, without worrying about whether or not I look fat.

*I wish I had some new recipes for you, but these past few days I've had nothing but recipe disasters!!
Total and complete, epic fails!
Don't you hate that?
This is supposed to be Chocomole. Pudding made with avocado...With cooking healthy, it's either a total hit, or a total miss!

Good thing my old favorites never let me down.
MMM!
English Muffin Pizzas

*I have been doing pretty darn good with my water intake, if I don't say so myself. My water bottle is like my purse; It goes with me everywhere.
*This morning's weigh in had me at 165
for a 0 pound loss this week.
The funny thing, is that I had felt pretty skinny these past few days.
Today I feel bloated. Hmm...
Better luck next week!

Hopefully by Thursday, I'll have some better luck in the kitchen, and I'll have some yummy recipes to share with you!

40 Pound Reward- My First Pair of Red High Heels

When I was 206, I couldn't wear high heels.
And I really wanted to.
Really, really wanted to.

It's always been hard for me to wear high heels, because of my arthritis, but being 206, made wearing them impossible. It was way to much to carry around for my little, size 6, arthritic feet.

When I reached my 40 pound goal, I wanted... scratch that. I longed for a pair of high heels.
A pair of red high heels to be exact.

I finally found them.
On sale!
And I LOVE them!

Now, I just have to learn how to walk in them.
Right now it's pretty humorous to watch.

Hooray for 40 pounds gone,
and red high heels!

I feel fabulous!

I Heart Chocolate Milk

Before going on a diet, I would drink a tall glass of chocolate milk each and every night before bed.

I knew that was one of the things I was going to have to cut out if I wanted to lose weight. I hadn't had a single glass of chocolate milk, since January.

Then, I read on a blog that chocolate milk was actually good for you.

I suddenly remembered how much I love chocolate milk.

Why the heck am I living without it? Certainly a small glass of chocolate milk can be worked into my Deliciously Healthy lifestyle, every now and then.

Life is too short to deprive myself of this
chocolaty goodness.Only this time I used 1 1/2 cups low fat milk, and 1 TBS chocolate syrup (50 cal.).

***

This morning's weigh in had me at 165.
That's a 2 pound loss this week!

Thank you
so much for all your sweet comments on my last post!

My 40 Pound Milestone

As of this morning,
I have lost 40 pounds!

Moi at 206 (2009):Moi at 186 (March 2010):Moi Today, at 166! :
I have lost 40 pounds!
Me.
The girl that used to eat fast food for breakfast lunch and dinner, and who thought she couldn't cook, let alone cook a healthy meal.
The girl with PCOS, Lupus, Rheumatoid Arthritis, and Low Thyroid.
The girl who had the cards stacked against her.
And the girl who had never exercised, and thought she would never be able to.

Yes, that girl.

I did it!

I did it with moderate exercise, starting a weight loss blog, and by
eating Deliciously Healthy. I broke up with my old, abusive relationship with food, and I started a new one. Now, I don't just get joy through eating food, I get joy through preparing it, experimenting with it, taking pictures of it, sharing it, and of course by enjoying each and every Deliciously Healthy bite!

By eating Deliciously Healthy, I have become
:Deliciously Healthy.
40 pounds ago, I only had a period once or twice a year, due to my PCOS. Since eating Deliciously Healthy, and being on this weight loss journey, I've had 7 periods out of 9.
All. On. My. Own.
40 pounds ago I couldn't walk long distances, or be very active because of the RA in my knees. Now, I can go on long walks, and practically run up the stairs! I can climb mountains, and enjoy this beautiful life of mine, with less pain.

I am 40 pounds lighter.
:Deliciously Healthy.
And very, very proud of myself!

I love myself inside and out!
And that is a beautiful feeling.
Thank you so much for all your support along the way!
I know I could not have come this far without this blog, and all of you!I heart you.

I'm almost half way there!

Today, I Climbed A Mountain.

We drove up to the beautiful Rocky Mountain National Park today.
It is so BEAUTIFUL up there, and I love going!

Last time we went, was in July 2009.
I weighed 206.I returned just a little over a year later, weighing 167.
39 pounds lighter.
When you drive to the top of the mountain, there's a long walking trail that takes you the rest of the way to the top. Last time, I got about 10 steps in before my legs were burning, and I was huffing and puffing. 10 steps in, I gave up. I turned around, and waited for everyone in the car. I was embarrassed. I felt like I was missing out on life when everyone came back talking about how pretty it was at the top. I wondered if I would ever be able to see what they were all talking about.

Today, I climbed that mountain.

It was hard, but I did not give up! I got all the way to the top, and got to soak in all the beauty!
Today, I didn't have to get left behind, and wait in the car.
I didn't have to miss out on life because of my weight.
Today, I wasn't embarrassed, or ashamed.

I simply got to enjoy life.
Today, I felt proud,
and accomplished.

Satisfying My Cravings, in a Deliciously Healthy Way

TOM has arrived.

If you've been reading my blog for a while, you know that it's a personal triumph every time TOM comes on it's own, because with my PCOS, it never used to. I hadn't seen it since June, so I was definitely happy, and proud of the fact that my body did what it was supposed to this month.

It reminds me that I'm not only losing weight, I'm on the road towards becoming :Deliciously Healthy also!

BUT, PMS will always be PMS. And I am
craving chocolate!

I could try to ignore this urge for chocolate, but sometimes that does more harm then good. Like sending me straight to a carton of Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream for instance.

I find it better to give in. I just have to do it in moderation, and follow my deliciously healthy motto.

Remember these
Naturally Peanut Butter Cookies I made a while back? You know, the ones that had 75% less PB and 50% less butter then the original, yet they tasted better?
Yeah, those.Today I made them again (they are so, so good!), but this time, I spread a little Nutella on them!I'm pretty sure I was in heaven while I was eating that cookie.Pretty. Darn. Sure.