Whole Bunch of Randomness ;)

HI EVERYONE!!

Oh how I've missed you guys!
I survived week 1. Hopefully next week will be the last week of this, "duty" I've been assigned, and I can have my life back!

Because I haven't had the time to blog, I'm going to squeeze all the posts I haven't had the time to do, into one big blog post! So, it's going to be a little all over the place! I hope I don't make you dizzy! ;)

Let the complete randomness begin! :

1st of all, I got 2 blog awards this week!

The first, is the "Creative Writer" award, from the wonderful Molly Marie Gets Healthy blog!Here are the rules:
1. Thank the person who gave this to you
2. Copy the logo and place it on your blog
3. Link to the person who nominated you
4. Tell up to six outrageous lies about yourself, and at least one outrageous truth
5. Nominate seven “Creative Writers” who might have fun coming up with outrageous lies
6. Post links to the seven blogs you nominate.
7. Leave a comment on each of the blogs letting them know you nominated them.

To comply with the 4th rule, here are 6 outrageous lies about myself, and 1 truth! Can you guess which one's the truth? :

1. I'm really a man
2. I love sea food
3. I like to walk on the wild side
4. My favorite color is puke green
5. I was a child beauty queen
6. I'm a chocoholic
7. I'm an excellent artist

Now, I pass along the award to the following 7 creative bloggers:

Dawne
CBG Blog
Swimming it off
Project 365
Jewlia Goulia
Fat Girl Dives In
Doin' It For Me

THANK YOU MOLLY MARIE!!

The 2nd award is the "Sunshine award", given to me by the totally awesome CBG Blog!Here are the blogs I pass along the award to, and who bring sunshine to my day! :
(There's no limit, so I'm gonna go a little crazy!)

Dawne
Loser Girl
Bella
Project 365
Anonymous Fat Girl
Endurance Isn't Only Physical
Molly Marie Gets Healthy
Chubby Girl Diary
Watch My Butt Shrink
Two Pounds a Week
Corletta
Deborah

THANK YOU JESSICA!

Alrighty then. Now on to the next subject, which would be the results from my weigh in! ...Which was almost a week ago! Last Tuesday, I weighed 189!! Whoo hoo! It's been over 3 years since I've been in the 180's! It was a nice little milestone for me! I also did a sneak peek weigh in, a day or two ago, and I weighed 188! That means I'm only 2 pounds away from losing my first 20 pounds! (In October/November, I weighed 206. Whoa!) I'm very excited to reach that milestone! ...and for the little award I get for reaching it! ;)

A few days ago, I found out that a website called, budget life, did a blog post listing the top 25 weight loss blogs (In their opinion), and what do you know, I was listed! I was pretty flattered! This is what they said about Moi! :
"Twentysomething Brittany has more reasons than simple vanity to lose weight (although looking great in skinny jeans is a goal, too!). She’s got quite the number of health problems, and for all her dreams to come true, she’s got to lose some weight. However, she doesn’t want to give up her love for food while she’s at it. Now she shares her trials, tribulations, and triumphs in her pursuit to better health and a happier life. With her tips and recipes, you can be :deliciously healthy, too!"
I LOVE it! ;)

Next up, is my new favorite quick and yummy, Deliciously Healthy dish!
Do you like sloppy Joe's? Well, my husband and I live for them! Before going on my little diet, we ate sloppy Joe's ALL the time! A couple weeks ago, I was craving them like a mad women! Finally, I got the idea to simply make a few tweaks, to make them Deliciously Healthy! And boy did I ever!

I cooked up some lean ground turkey, added some seasonings, including cinnamon (Trust me. It's AWESOME!), and stirred in some Manwich sauce! Then, I just put a couple nice big spoon fulls on a whole wheat bun, and sprinkled on some low-fat mozzarella cheese! I dug into that messy goodness like nobodies business! It was totally yummy, totally filling, and totally simple and quick to make! Plus, It totally satisfied my craving! We've had them several times since then!I've also used hotdog buns:
Now for a couple little random side notes! :

~Yesterday, I went pant shopping, and bought a size 16! I used to be a size 18! I'm 1 pant size smaller! Whoo hoo!

~My husband made some cinnamon rolls today, and I'm totally not having a problem passing them up (knock on wood;). That's pretty darn amazing to me, since I LOVE cinnamon rolls!

~I've been having lots of fun going through my closet, and seeing what I can fit back into! It's so rewarding!

~I think I should have a little more time this week to do some blogging! I have a few posts in mind, including some yummy recipes I want to try! I'll keep my fingers crossed that I'll have the time!

~I totally miss reading all of your blogs, and I'm going to do my best to catch up on all my BF! I hope everyone has been doing well!

XOXO

I Have Some Business to Attend to...

Hi everyone!

Well, something annoying has come up, that I can't get into right now. What I can say, is that for the next 2-3 weeks I'm not going to be home much, and when I do get home, I will most likely be physically and emotionally exhausted. I'm going to do my best to post as often as I can, and keep up with all of my blog friends. Please forgive me if I'm a little distant for a while.
In 3 weeks, I promise I will tell you all about it! ;)

I also have a little blog business to attend to!

1st up, I took part in Tiff's, I am Worth More Challenge!For one week, I skipped my weigh in, and instead, everyday I would right down a non-scale victory!
Here's the pic of my scale, filled with all my victories, that don't involve the numbers on the scale:I learned so much from this challenge! The biggest lesson I took away from it, is that the scale does not define my worth. I'm making so many healthy changes in my life, and just because the scale doesn't always reflect those changes, it doesn't make them any less important, less valuable, or not worth celebrating!
Thank you Tiffany for your wonderful challenge, and allowing all of us to take part in it!

Also, CBG Blog, awarded me the Beautiful blogger award! It totally made my day (which I'm extremely grateful for, because I had a LONG day today!)!!1st rule, is to list 7 fun facts about myself! :

1. I got married when I was 18.
2. I'm the youngest of 8 kids!
3. My nick name growing up, was BritBrat (Although I don't think I was a brat!)
4. I still have my Christmas tree up! I'm laughing so hard as I type that! My husband and I are even talking about keeping it up all year, just to say we did it! But we're not going to..or are we? No seriously, we're not!;)
5. One time I went to school with underwear stuck to the back of my pants!
6. I totally love dogs! I have 3, and would get a 4th if my husband didn't give me the evil eye every time I mention it ;)
7. I like to sing, although I'm totally not gifted in that area! People literally beg me to stop!

The 2nd rule, is to pass the award on to 7 beautiful bloggers! :

The Sweet Tooth Obliteration Operation

Bella on the Beach

The Chubby Girl Diaries

Project 365

Two Pounds a Week

Corletta

Ahh! It's so hard to chose the last one!....

From fat to fab

That was hard! I wish the rule was to pick 15! That would be so much easier for me to do!
Thank you again Jessica! I heart you!

Alrighty then. I must go get some sleep. I have a long day ahead of me tomorrow, and another one after that, and another, and another....I can't wait for these 3 weeks to be over!

Tomorrow I'm going to try and get caught up on everyone! I'm excited to see how you've all been doing!

PS. Thank you so much for all your sweet comments on my last post! I love you guys! Each and every one of you!

*****
This just in! Just kidding! I always wanted to say that! ;)
I have a post all planned out in my head, I just need to find the time to do it! Hopefully tomorrow, or Thursday! It includes a recipe (a yummy one at that;), the results from my weigh in, an award, and a couple other random stuff! Stay tuned to check it out!

It's The Climb

(Flickr)
The time that I've been dreading, came. The time for me to stop my infusions, and be taken off some of my medicine, so they can be out of my system when we start trying to get pregnant. I've been dreading this time, because without my meds keeping my RA under control, my RA is able to go to town on my joints.

I stopped taking my meds about a week ago, and I was due for my infusion about two weeks ago.

I'm starting to feel it.
Today especially.
It's been hard.

Every joint in my body hurts, and it gets worse as the day goes on.
I'm starting to dread simple tasks. Even typing.

There's an ugly voice inside my head. It's telling me my dreams are never going to come true. It's telling me I'm never going to reach my goals, and that there's no point in even trying to lose weight.
It seems like this weight loss mountain is getting steeper, and steeper.

I'm trying with everything I have to silence that voice.

About 6 months ago, I had a Doctor's appointment with my orthopedic surgeon, where I learned that I needed knee replacements. I had already known that, but as far as I knew I could hold off for a year or two. During the appointment, my Doctor told me that I needed them, NOW. He even started to fill out the paper work, and wanted me to have the surgery in 3 months. (I decided to go against his wishes and wait)
Learning that I needed knee replacements at the age of 22, was one of the hardest things I've ever had to face. I completely broke down. (You can read more about that day, HERE on my other blog)

On the way home from the appointment, I heard "The Climb" by Miley Cyrus come on the radio. It stopped my tears, and the words gave me so much hope and perspective.

"It's all about the climb." I realized that Heavenly Father gave me this challenge because he loves me, and this was an opportunity for me to learn and grow. I had faith that this was Heavenly Father's plan for me, that he loved me, and that he would never leave my side through this climb of mine. I learned that the struggles I face, are just apart of my journey.

As I've been struggling these past couple days, the words to this song have started to play in my head. They play louder then the negative thoughts, and once again, the words are giving me hope, and a new perspective....

I can almost see it
That dream I am dreaming
But there's a voice inside my head saying
"You'll never reach it"

Every step I'm taking
Every move I make feels
Lost with no direction
My faith is shaking

But I gotta keep trying
Gotta keep my head held high

There's always gonna be another mountain
I'm always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be a uphill battle
Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose

Ain't about how fast I get there
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
It's the climb

The struggles I'm facing
The chances I'm taking
Sometimes might knock me down
But no, I'm not breaking

I may not know it
But these are the moments that
I'm gonna remember most, yeah
Just gotta keep going

And I, I got to be strong
Just keep pushing on

(Chorus)

Keep on moving, keep climbing
Keep the faith, baby
It's all about, it's all about the climb
Keep the faith, keep your faith, whoa
~Miley Cyrus

I've got to be strong. I'm going to keep on climbing, and I'm going to get to the top. There may be obstacles in my way, but I'm not breaking.

This video also brought me GREAT comfort during that time, and as I watch it now. It fills my heart with hope, love, faith, and sends tears of joy streaming down my face.

I feel so empowered!
"Nothing is impossible" to me! My trials can either bring me down, or make me stronger. But it's up to ME as to which road I take!

I'm going to allow these struggles to help me learn, grow, become stronger, and bring me closer to Heavenly Father, and Jesus Christ.

I am going to get there. My dreams are going to come true, and I will succeed!
You watch ;)

Thanks for listening, and for all your support!
xoxo

Our Deliciously Healthy Valentine's Day

We had a GREAT valentine's day!Making a valentine's dinner at home, was WAY more fun then simply going out to eat! We spent about 2hrs in the kitchen making dinner and dessert. Those 2hrs had lots of laughter, good convo, and team work! Cooking with Joe, was my favorite part about valentines day! (to read about the rest of our valentine's day, you can go to my other little blog, HERE) Joe and I have decided that we're definitely going to have cooking dinner at home together, as an option on special occasions, way more often!For dinner, we made chicken enchiladas with green chili sauce!For dessert, we made ooey-gooey peanut butter chocolate brownies! (I scratched the cheesecake brownies, because they had coffee in them, and I didn't know what to substitute it with). These brownies we're DIVINE! Definitely ooey-gooey! They were slightly complicated to make, but for Joe and I, that made it more fun!Our brownies looked more like a chocolaty, marshmellowy, peanut buttery, pile of mess then a brownie, but I assure you, it was a delicious pile of mess! ;)

Sometimes I get my recipes from other places, but I change it up so much, that I think they're safe to call my own. Then I calculate the calorie difference between mine and the original. Because I change the recipes, I don't worry about copyright issues. BUT, I followed these 2 recipes pretty precisely ( I only changed 1 or 2 things). So to be on the safe side, I'm going to keep these recipes my little secret, so that a guy in a uniform won't show up at my door ;) They're in the, Best of Cooking Light cookbook, if you want to pick it up! Although...I have LOTS of changes in mind, for both of these recipes, so I may have my own version in the near future!

It was truly a great, and Deliciously Healthy valentine's day! I learned that you can still have fun, and enjoy special occasions without loading your body up with unhealthy goodness. You can have just as much fun, if not more, eating Deliciously Healthy! I love the peace of mind I had yesterday. I got to enjoy time with my husband, without obsessing, and worrying about calories, and fat, and how it was all going to show up on the scale! Those thoughts didn't even enter my mind! I went to bed satisfied, happy, and healthy!
Now I ask you- What could be better?! Seriously?
Oh, and we only spent $30 on the entire thing, instead of $60+!
LOVE IT!

The only thing that didn't quite compare to going out to eat, was not being able to leave the mess to waiters...
The not so fun aftermath: ;)
My calorie intake for the day, was about 1,400! Sweet!

I hope everyone had a great Valentine's day!
xoxo

I'm off to catch up on all of you!

Happy Heart Day!!

(Flickr)

Valentine's day is one of my favorite holidays!
Last year, on valentine's day, Joe took me out to dinner. I had been on a diet for a couple weeks, but with my all or nothing attitude, that dinner made me go off my diet, for a long time. I've had this bitter memory in my mind, as valentine's day is rolling around again this year. I've been thinking of ways we can have a Deliciously Healthy valentine's day, filled with lots of love...that won't end with me gaining some love pounds!

I came up with the perfect idea, that I'm really excited about!
Since Joe and I LOVE to cook together, we are going to make a romantic, Deliciously Healthy, valentine's day dinner at home! It's going to be so much more fun, then going out to eat...like we ALWAYS do! We're going to spend time together doing something we love, and take care of ourselves, and each other, by eating Deliciously Healthy together! What could be better?!

We are still deciding on what we're going to make for our main course, but for dessert, I'm thinking we're going to make THIS. Heart shaped of course ;)

And maybe some of THESE!Say it with me now- MMMM!

I'm going to allow myself to go a little over my calories for our dinner, because hey, it's valentine's day! I am going to be making healthier choices, and it's better then eating a 2,000 calorie dinner at a restaurant!

I'm pretty darn excited for valentine's day!

I hope you all have a great, Deliciously Healthy valentine's day weekend, filled with lots and lots of love!

xoxo

I've Got Some Good News, and Some Bad

I always like to start with the bad, so the good news can cheer me up at the end (in case you were wondering;)

So, here's the bad news:
Today was weigh in day. Period. Need I say more? lol.
I walked into the bathroom this morning, smiling at the scale trying to soften it up a bit, stepped onto it, ever so lightly (like it was going to make a difference), and waited for what seemed like forever for the numbers to appear. When they did, they read, "194" (annoyed sigh)
I'm down .5 pounds from last weeks weigh in, which I already new from my sneak peek weigh in a few days ago. If I had a window in my bathroom, I assure you the scale would have gone flying right through it! Luckily for the scale, and the people walking their dogs on the path behind our house, we don't have a window in our bathroom....

Now here's the good news:
I got my monthly gift this month!!! I almost cried tears of joy! Most of you are probably wondering why on earth a women would be happy for this time of the month?!

Let me explain (TMI warning;):
It showed me that this month, my body worked the way it was supposed to! I rarely ever have periods on my own! Sometimes they have to be induced, so that my uterus can shed (apparently you can get cancer if it goes a while without shedding). When I do have them on my own, it's only 1 or 2 times a year! I wasn't really worried about this for a long time, and was actually kinda glad that I didn't have to go through PMS every month. But, now that we're so close to trying to get pregnant, the whole not having periods thing was making me nervous. Like sweating bullets kind of nervous.

No period=No ovulation. No ovulation=Inability to get pregnant on our own. Inability to get pregnant on our own=MONEY. Potentially lots of money to get pregnant. Running out of money=Not having children of our own.

Where as a Period=Ovulation! Ovulation=Getting pregnant the good old natural way!

My PCOS specialist told me that losing weight could possibly allow my body to ovulate on it's own. She explained that she had lots of overweight patients with PCOS, who after losing weight were able to get pregnant as easy as 1, 2, 3. They were able to skip pills and procedures, and conceive a baby, simply by living a healthier lifestyle. She URGED me to go on a diet, saying that it could be the key to getting pregnant.
It lit a fire under my tush, and I went on a diet.

In November, I went on a diet and lost 16 pounds. What do you know, I had a cycle that month. I wasn't too excited over it, because I thought it was just another random cycle, and I wouldn't see it again for 6, 9, or even 12 months. But, it's February, and here it is again. Is it coincidence that both times I've gotten my monthly gift, I've been on a diet? I THINK NOT! What do you know, my doctor was right. If this continues, we may not go broke while trying to have a precious little baby.

Today showed me 2 things:

1. Having my cycle this month may be the reason I haven't seen the scale budge, and if that's the the case, I'll take it with a smile in my face.

2. It really isn't ALL about the numbers. Yes, they are a big part of it, especially the mental part, but they aren't everything. Having a cycle showed me that my body is changing. My body is becoming much healthier, and is able to function the way it should.
That makes me happy.
It reminds me of my motto:

Eat Deliciously Healthy. Be :Deliciously Healthy.

And that I am
And so are you! :D

Goals, and a Recipe

Hi Everyone! I hope you all had a great Superbowl weekend!

I really, really appreciated all of your comments on my last post.
This is why I love you all so much! I love the support, and motivation I get from this community, and the knowledge I'm soaking in!

I'm an amateur dieter. This is the first time I'm trying to lose weight the RIGHT way. I don't know the right or wrong way to do things. I don't know how to do certain things, I don't know what's reasonable, and what's not. I don't know what's healthy, and what isn't.

But that's slowly changing, as I'm learning so much from all of you!

So, I sat down, and re-valuated my goals.
As far as the "numbers" go, I think I'm going to leave them as they are. My motto for that is: Reach for the stars, because you may just reach them. ;) I don't think it hurts to have high goals, as long as I know I may not reach the exact number, and remember to not beat myself up if I don't reach those numbers. It's like Tammy said, "It's better to shoot for the 5, and land around 3...than to shoot for 3 and only lose 1." That's pretty much what I'm going to do ;) If I find that it's having a negative affect on me, and my weight loss journey, I will adjust my goals.

Jenn also got me thinking, as she said, "Make goals to eat a certain amount of calories per day, a certain amount of water and a certain amount of exercise - these are goals that you can control, and will give you weight loss - no matter how long it takes."
Makes sense doesn't it? :D

This weekend, I thought of some more goals to set for myself... ones I CAN control!

Here's what I came up with:
*Eat 1,200-1,500 calories a day.
I don't know if that's too little for a 5' 1", 194lbs, 22 year old female. I think it's lower then what most people consume when trying to lose weight, but I'm also not able to do intense workouts like most people, because of my RA. That makes me think I need to cut my calories more then normal. ?? But like I said, I'm an amateur dieter :D
It's not a problem for me to not go past my calories, it's hard for me to reach them. I haven't been doing very well at this, this past week. Today I've only had 850 calories (I'm starting this post late Sunday night). Yesterday I think I had 700. I'm honestly not meaning to have my calorie intake be so low.
My stomach is usually queasy when I wake up, so in the morning I usually just sip on a Slim Fast. A little later I have a snack, usually about 100 calories. Before I know it, it's time to start making dinner. Dinner is usually 300-400 calories. After dinner I sometimes have a 100-140 calorie dessert, and then that's it for the day. I haven't been feeling hungry, or deprived, but I know this isn't healthy, and will definitely hinder my weight loss.

*Work on eating a healthier breakfast, and make sure I eat lunch.
I'm realizing that I normally skip lunch, because I get preoccupied, and 4pm sneaks up on me. Doing these two things, will help me reach my goal of 1,200-1,500 calories for the day.

*Drink more water!
Totally bad at this one! I normally only drink 2-3 glasses a day! My goal is 8!

*Don't eat past 7:30pm

*Go swimming 3 times a week, and take 3, 5min walks a day with the doggies.
I found a gym not too far away from my house, that has a lap pool. Sometime this week, I'm going to go down, check everything out, and hopefully sign up! As far as the walking, I need to work on being consistent with it.

*Try at least 1 new workout a week, to do at home, on the days I don't go swimming.

*Keep a food journal.

*Work on keeping and making new goals.
I'm going to make a goal chart, or something along those lines, so can keep track of my goals, and the progress I'm making. That way I don't just make em, and forget em, like I normally do! I also want to work on revisiting goals that maybe need to be tweaked, and continually making new goals for myself.

These are the goals I'm going to put the majority of my focus on. These are the goals I can control. Because we all know, you and the scale aren't always on the same page! :D

***

Here's the recipe, I was supposed to post on Thursday!
It's oh so tasty, and super-de-duper easy to make. If you haven't noticed, I like things that are easy! ;)

Mexican Chicken Skillet:You will Need:

~4 skinless boneless chicken breast.
~Chili powder
~Salt
~Pepper
~1 tablespoon vegetable oil
~1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
~1 1/2 cup frozen corn
~1 1/2 cup salsa
**UPDATED: I've recently added chopped red and green bell peppers to this, and it's delish!
just throw it in the skillet, when you add the corn, beans, and salsa!

Directions:

Sprinkle salt, pepper, and chili powder, on both sides of thawed chicken breast. Heat oil in a nonstick skillet, over medium heat. Cook chicken in skillet for 8-10 minutes, or until the juice from the center of the breast runs clear. Stir in beans, salsa, and corn. Heat to a boiling, then reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 3-5 minutes. ~Makes 4 servings
**I usually sprinkle a little low-fat cheddar cheese, and add a dollop of low-fat sour cream to mine. LOVE!

Here's what I'm thinking:
Calories: 320 for 1 chicken breast and about 1 cup of salsa mixture.

Enjoy!

****
Now I'm off to go catch up on all of you!
I decided that on the weekends, I'm going to take a break from the computer, as I can easily lose 2-3 hours on it. It was pretty darn hard to not read all of your blogs for 2 days, and now I have a lot of catching up to do! We'll see if I can keep it up every weekend! ;D

XOXO

Goals

Lately I've been realizing, that it's time to bump it up a notch, and it's time to set some goals.

To be honest, I think I've been a little afraid of setting goals for myself. Afraid of setting myself up for disappointment I guess. The only goal I've really set, is to weigh 120lbs...someday. I've come to the conclusion, that I NEED to set goals for my weight loss.

If you don't know what direction you're headed, how will you know where you'll end up, and how long it will take to get there? If you don't visualize it in your mind first, how can it ever become a reality? If you don't have specific goals you're working towards, how are you ever going to achieve anything?
I need to set goals for myself, so I have something to push myself towards. Setting goals for myself, gives me something to believe in. To believe that I will achieve the goals I set. The opportunity to set myself up for success!

So, I sat down, and stared to think of goals to set for myself. I sure did get a dose of reality, as I started to look at the numbers. I thought to myself, "this is why I haven't sat down to do this..." But it was needed, and I'm very happy I did it....even though it made me a little nervous :)

Here's the 411:

Joe and I are going to start trying to get pregnant in May. That's 3 months away (Yikes!). It's my goal to weigh 150 by then. That means I have to lose 44lbs, by the first week in May. Yeah. That's a big number. I pulled out the old calculator and calendar, and figured out that in order to reach that goal, I have to lose 5lbs a week for the next month, and then 3lbs a week from then, until the first week in may. With my PCOS, we are going to have to get fertility treatments, to get pregnant. The first step is for me to take a pill, that will hopefully get me to ovulate. My husband and I have decided that for the first couple months, we want to try without any fertility treatments. So, I feel like we're really not trying until July, as that's when I get put on the ovulation pill. I'm going to stay on my diet, until I get pregnant, and once I do get preggers, I'm going to keep watching what I eat. I'm hoping that I will weigh 130 by July, if I'm not already pregnant by then.

Let me lay it out again for ya:

*Feb 5th-March 5th, Lose 5lbs a week, or 2olbs for the month.
*March 5th-April 5th, lose 3lbs a week, or 12lbs for the month.
*April 5th-May 5th, lose 3lbs a week, or 12lbs for the month.
*By the first week in May, weigh 150 pounds.
*From May-June, lose 2.5lbs a week, or 10lbs for the month.
*From June-July, lose 2.5lbs a week, or 10lbs for the month.
*By the first week in July, weigh 130 pounds.

Also, Remember THIS dress? Well, my husband is graduating with his bachelors degree April 1st, and I want to wear it to the graduation:When I bought it, I weighed 185. I remember thinking that I could probably wear it if I lost 15-20lbs. If I stick to my goals, by April I should weigh around 160, so I should be able to wear the dress!

Obviously losing 2lbs, every 3 weeks, isn't going to cut it. I'm glad I sat down to crunch the numbers, because it lit a much needed fire under my tush! It's definitely time to bump it up a notch! Over the next few days, I'm going to research places that have pools, so I can start doing laps. I think it will be a very good workout, and will work well with my RA. Hopefully by next week, I'll be in the pool, burning some calories!

A part of me thinks these goals are too unrealistic.
What do you think?

On a side note:

This morning I peeked at the scale, and I weighed 194! That means I'm down .5lbs!

I was going to post a recipe on this post, but now I don't have time. Hopefully I can post it tonight. Stay tuned, because it's totally yummy!

Wish me luck!... I think I'm gonna need it! ;)

Another Deliciously Healthy Weekend!

We started out the weekend by going to the movies. This was my 1st time going to the movies, since I've been on my diet, so I was a little nervous. Movie theaters are a major temptation for me, for 2 reasons:
#1.Kettle corn makes me weak in the knees.
#2. Before catching a movie, we ALWAYS go out to eat at one of my favorite restaurants, Jim-N-Nicks, because it's right next to the theater. It's a hard habit to break. AND, you can smell their BBQ outside, and down the block. Seriously. That's how we 1st found the restaurant. Our noses led us there ;)

So, in an effort to resist the kettle corn, and conquer the aroma of Jim-N-Nicks BBQ that surrounds the area, I made BBQ chicken wraps at home, for dinner. I was good and full when we left for our movie, and I got a little BBQ fix :)
My mouth was watering by the time I got done making it, and all I could think about was sitting down and digging in! So, this is the only picture I remembered to take ;)I got 4 boneless skinless chicken breast, and cut them into about 1/2 inch strips, and cooked them in a skillet. Once they were done cooking, I added 1 cup of sweet and tangy BBQ sauce, some chopped onions, and let it simmer for about 5min.Then I just put some of the chicken strips in a low calories tortilla, added some low-fat cheese, low-fat sour cream, and some cubes of avocado.
It was delish, and very filling!

After dinner, we were headed to the movies, with full bellies!
I brought a 100 calorie pack to eat during the movie. ( Shhhh! Don't tell! ;)I'm glad I didn't spoil my diet while going out to see a movie, because we ended up leaving early, due to a very talkative, and annoying lady sitting behind us. We got a refund, and she got kicked out :) Normally I don't do things like that, but she was obviously doing it to be disruptive. I would have been really disappointed if I had spoiled my diet, for a movie we didn't end up seeing. It was a test to see if I could resist the sweet aroma of BBQ, and kettle corn, and stick to my diet...and I passed! To me, that was better then any movie!

I also made some tacos this weekend. I got the idea from THIS blog, to use lettuce instead of taco shells...genius! Then I just cooked up some lean ground turkey with taco seasoning. I topped my tacos off with low-fat sour cream, low-fat cheese, tomato, onion, salsa, and avocado. It was totally tasty! Two tacos filled my husband and I up pretty darn good! ;)

The rest of the weekend was spent lounging around. My husband was sick/getting over being sick this weekend, so we didn't really do much, other then attempt to see a movie, play cards, watch the new season of 24, and EAT...Deliciously Healthy of course!

On a little side note: I stepped on the scale this morning!
I told myself Monday was the day I needed to start looking at the numbers, and stop being blissfully unaware. So, I finally did it. The numbers said, "194.5" That means I've lost 2lbs. Boo! ;) Actually, I'm not that disappointed that I've lost 2lbs in 3 weeks. At least it's something. If I were to gain 2lbs, I would be really upset, and would look at those 2 little pounds as a major deal. So why shouldn't I treat losing 2lbs as a major deal? Also, for the first week and a half, I was focusing on weening myself off of things slowly, instead of stopping everything at the same time. Then, into the 2nd, and a little bit into the 3rd week, I had already stopped all the bad foods, and I was eating healthy, but I wasn't keeping an eye on my portions, or counting my calories. That was the last stage of the process for me. Add on top of all that, the fact that I've barely (and by barely, I mean I haven't) worked out, and I'd say I'm pretty happy with a 2 pound loss.

Now that I've got everything down pretty good, it's time to switch this from being a nice and slow stroll in the park, to a brisk walk. It's time to work up a sweat, and burn some calories baby!

Hope you all had a great weekend!