The Good. The Bad. And The Ugly.

I'm going to start backwards, because I'm cool like that ;)

The Ugly:

Today's weigh in had me at 170, for a 1 pound gain.

Sigh...

Once again, it was a good week. Then again, I've been having a lot of good weeks, and I feel like I have nothing to show for it.
I ate good all week, other then maybe 2 times where I ate a little something that probably wasn't diet friendly. I've been exercising, and going on a long walk each night with my hubs and the dogs.

I've been in the 170's for 3 months!
But all I can do, is all I can do.
I'll keep giving it my best, and whatever the scale tells me, so be it :)

The Bad:

I had a doctors appointment last week. While I was there, she had me do a ton of labs, so she could follow up on everything like my lupus, RA, etc...

A few years ago, I was diagnosed with low thyroid (Hypothyroidism). A while after being diagnosed, I got follow up blood work done, and the results came back showing that my thyroid levels were normal. My doctor had explained that once you have low thyroid, you'll always have it, but that mine had gone inactive in a sense.

Well, the lab results from last week, showed that
my low thyroid is back.
My doctor said that it's, "crazy low"!

Now, it seems obvious, as I've been feeling a bit... funky these past 2-3 months.

Here are some of the symptoms, of low thyroid:

(Since thyroid hormone is responsible for the regulation of your body's metabolism, its deficiency results in slowing down of your body's metabolic processes, causing some of these symptoms)

• Fatigue -check
  
• Tiredness -check
  
• Sluggishness -check
  
• Weakness -check
  
• Lack of concentration -check
  
• Forgetfulness -check
  
• Depression -I wouldn't say I've been depressed, but I have been a little blue
  
• irritability -depends on who you ask: me, or my husband ;)
  
• Weight gain -CHECK
• Dry skin -check
  
• Brittle nails -nope
  
• Hair loss -I don't think so?!
  
• Face puffiness -I have been noticing that my face looks a little... puffy
  
• Irregular periods -That one is hard to tell, due to my PCOS. For the first time I'd say that they're pretty regular...but they're still not normal.
• breathlessness (with low thyroid your muscles become weak, including your respiratory muscles) -check
• Achy muscles -check

I've been having these symptoms for the past 2-3 months.... I should have gotten my labs done then, but didn't. I just tried to push them aside. I thought I was just being lazy, or that it was all in my head.
Brittany, Brittany, Brittany, what am I going to do with you? ;)

When I first got diagnosed, my doctor explained that it was extremely hard to lose weight if you have low thyroid that is going untreated.

I feel like I've been trying to lose weight, while fighting this invisible current.
Sigh...

I'm waiting for my prescription to be filled. Hopefully with the meds, my thyroid will get back to normal soon, so I can start having my energy back, and hopefully see some weight loss!

The Good:

I'm still here, and I haven't given up!

I've been trying to lose weight while having low thyroid, that has been going untreated. It's been a difficult 3 months, with lots of effort, and little weight loss.

But, I'm still here!

I'm going to go ahead and give myself a pat on the back for that!

Not Quite

I got the sudden urge to try on my goal dress. I kept telling myself it wasn't going to fit yet.... but in the back of my mind, I was hoping it would.Nope.
Not even close really.

Wait! What if I suck it in?!
Like really hard?!Then again, maybe not. That made me a little light headed.
Someday.
You watch.

Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go ask my husband if he can help me get out of this!
I'm stuck. Hopefully we won't have to cut it off ;D

Celebrating Some Sweet Victories, With Cupcakes!

Tomorrow, I'm going to have lunch with some friends, and I'm in charge of the dessert!

I've been trying to come up with the perfect Deliciously Healthy dessert to bring, that will be delicious for them, and low cal for me!

In the process, I ended up making my husbands "new favorite dessert". As we both tried it for the first time tonight, he was seriously raving about it! So much so that I had to tell him to stop, because it was getting kinda annoying! ;)

So what is my husbands new favorite dessert?

Strawberry Cream Cupcakes:
Here's What You Need:

For the Cupcakes:

~ I box of white cake mix

~1/2 a cup of low-fat sour cream
~1 egg
~1 tablespoon of water
~1/2 teaspoon vanilla

For the strawberry cream mixture:
~2 tsp of sugar
~1 cup of sliced strawberries
~1 1/2 cups of low-fat whipped topping

For the strawberry topping:
~1 cup of sliced strawberries

Final topping:
~1/2 cup low-fat whipped topping

This is What You Do:

For cupcakes:
~Pre-heat oven to 350
~Whisk together all the ingredients until blended
~Dived into 12 paper cups.
~Bake for 18 to 20 minutes.

For strawberry whipped cream mixture:
~In a sauce pan, combine 1 cup of sliced strawberries, and 2 tsp of sugar. Cook over medium/low heat, until soft.
~Place cooked strawberries in a blender and blend until it's a thick puree. Pour mixture into a bowl, and put into the fridge or freezer until it's cooled COMPLETELY.
~When the strawberry mixture is cooled completely, gently mix it into 1 1/2 cups of low-fat whipped cream.
**Note: You could place the sliced strawberries with the 2 tsp of sugar in a bowl, and let sit for 30min. Then blend it in the blender.

Assembly:
~Take cupcakes out of their paper cups, and cut the tops off of the cupcakes
~Layer the toppings evenly among all 12 cupcakes. Starting with the strawberry cream mixture, sliced strawberries, lid (cupcake top), and a small dollop of low-fat whipped cream.
**Note: If you put the strawberry cream mixture, and the whipped cream in piping bags (or a ziplock bag with corner snipped off), it makes it a little quicker and easier to assemble. Plus, it makes everything a little prettier in the end :)

Here's what I'm Thinking:

Servings: 12
Serving size: 1 cupcake with toppings
Calories per serving: 220MMM!

***

These past couple days, I've celebrated some fun victories! :

#1. Today's weigh in had me at 169! I've lost 3 pounds this week, and I'm FINALLY in the 160's!! Yay! I'm only 3 pounds away from losing 40 pounds! :D

#2. Feeling all excited over my good weigh in, I decided to go into my closet, to see if I could fit into anything that I haven't been able to. Guess what?! I totally did!
I fit back into one of my favorite button down shirts! I haven't been able to wear it in years!
TaDa!Of course when I'm finally able to wear it, it's too dang hot outside... but maybe I'll be able to on a cold/rainy summer day...

#3. On Saturday, the hubs took me out to lunch, to the Cheesecake Factory.
I had decided that would be my off meal for the week. (I don't have scheduled in off meals, but when something like this pops up, I use it as my one off meal for the week). I got the chicken and biscuits (my fav), and of course I could only eat half. Then I broke one of my rules: I brought the leftovers home with me! For the rest of the day, my yummy leftovers were calling me from the fridge. I could barley think of anything else! To eat them, or not to eat them? That was the question! Finally, I made my decision! I opened the fridge, grabbed my leftovers, opened the pantry, and tossed them into the trash! Yes, I know, there are starving people in China, but my yummy leftovers were either going to my hips, or in the trash. I decided they'd be better in the trash!
#4. Today I had a doctors appointment with my rheumatologist/lupus specialist. I hadn't seen her since before I started losing weight (which was bad on my part, since I'm supposed to see her every 2-4 months. Whoops). I'll never get over her reaction to my weight loss! She practically jumped for joy, for me! I heart her. I seriously do. She's the most compassionate, wonderful doctor I've ever met! Her husband is my orthopedic surgeon, and he's the exact same way (match made in heaven right there;)! They're both simply amazing! Any who, back to what I was saying. She pointed out that when I started seeing her almost 5 years ago, I was 185, and that
I was the lowest she had ever seen me!
That felt pretty darn good!

I'm pretty much on cloud nine right about now ;D

Just a Little Update!

Hey there!

I'm wanting to post at least every Monday, and Thursday... even if I don't have much to blog about.

So, here goes a slightly random post:

To start, here's a completely random photo ;D(I had given Thumbalina a mohawk...although she kinda messed it up:)

Weigh In Update:
Lately, I've only been weighing myself once a week (Monday). That way I could avoid thinking, "Hey, it's only mid way through the week, and I've lost 2 pounds! I can go out with the hubs tonight, and not worry so much about what I eat!" Now, I go through the week thinking I haven't lost anything yet, so I need to keep my butt in gear! Mentally, it has been working. The funny thing is, is that I've been telling myself throughout the week that I need to be good, because I might not have lost anything yet, only to step on the scale each week, and see that I really haven't lost anything! That seriously makes me laugh! For the past 4 weeks, I've been bouncing between 171 and 172. UHG!!

So, when TOM was finally over, I broke my rules, and weighed myself on a Wednesday. I just had to see if I had lost anything! I was happy to see 170! I finally got past 171! WooHoo! Although it's still slightly annoying that I've only lost 2 pounds in a month. Especially when it has been a good month! I've been eating good, and I've been working out at the gym, with my new gym membership! But hey, 2 pounds, is 2 pounds!

Work Out Update:
I still haven't got in the pool at the gym yet! When I go, I've been working out on the treadmill, and the elliptical. Part of it has been because I'm still nervous as all heck, but the fact that I cannot find a bathing suit, has kept me from facing that fear! Why is it so dang hard to find a modest bathing suit??! I'll find a pretty one piece, only to realize that the back goes so far down, that my crack would probably be saying hello to everyone, while I was swimming! I feel like I've gone to every store, trying on every bathing suit!

Then, while on Skinny Emmie's blog, I saw a link, to plus size swim wear! So, I clicked on over and found this bathing suit. Then I found this bathing suit on another site! I'm going to take my measurements tonight, and hopefully order one of these two.
I like the design of the first one, but I like that the 2nd one has more support for the ladies.
Any votes on which one I should get?
As soon as I get it, I'm gettin in the pool!

Yummy Update:
I've also recently discovered Chick-Fil-A!
I feel like they actually have healthy options! :
~Chargrilled Chicken Sandwich (which is REALLY good!) - 300 calories
~Chargrilled Chicken Wrap - 410 calories
~Chicken Cesar Wrap - 460 calories
~Yogurt Parfait - 230 calories. With granola - 290. With cookie crumbs - 240
Fruit Cup - 100 calories
~Ice Cream Cone - 170 calories

That means I can get a chargrilled chicken sandwich meal, with a fruit cup and water for 400 calories! And I can get dessert with that for 574 calories! OR I could skip the dessert, and get a fruit parfait with my meal for 530 calories! It's all about having options ;) Obviously it's best to stay away from fast food all together, but if I had to turn to a fast food restaurant for some reason (like meeting up with the hubs for lunch), Chick-Fil-A is a healthy option!

That's about it for me!

Hopefully by next Monday's post I'll be in the 160's!!
A girl can dream ;D

The Scale and I are NOT Getting Along!

After the scale told me I weighed 172 this morning, for a 1 pound GAIN, we've been giving each other mean glares all day!It's been mean to me for the past 3 weeks (In that time I've lost 0 lbs), and I'm not going to forgive it, until it apologizes, and tells me that I've had some kind of loss!
I mean come on! What did I ever do to you?!

Between you and me, I think little miss scale (is your scale a girl? I think mine is. And she's ALWAYS PMSing!) is starting to go a little crazy. I'll step on the scale and it'll tell me one number, and then I step on it again, and it tells me something else! It goes back and forth, until I give up! On top of that, it never tells me I've lost .5 or 1.5 pounds anymore. It's always the exact number. I've either lost, or gained 1 or 2 pounds, and never anything in between.
Poor thing has lost her mind. I think I have to get a new one, before miss scale makes me lose my mind too!

Any suggestions on what kind I should get?

Well, there you have it. I've gained a pound this week, and the scale and I are officially not speaking to each other!

Oh, and it's TOM... so maybe that little monthly gift has to something to do with it too...

Whatever ;D

Deliciously Healthy Raspberry Shake

Why???
Doesn't the whole world know I'm on a diet?
Why do they send me pizza ads, restaurant ads, and coupons for Jack in The Box??!

Don't they know those are my weaknesses? Do they know their adds make my mouth water, and a tear well up in my eye?

Sigh...

I guess the world isn't revolved around me, and my struggles.
(But seriously. They should stop that)

But you know what? They're not going to bring me down!

Nope.

Because I am not on a depriving diet. I simply live a Deliciously Healthy lifestyle.

Deliciously Healthy = I can eat food that is yummy and delicious. I can still enjoy what I eat, and continue my (healthy) love affair with food, even while being on a diet. I can eat the things I want and crave, I just have to make a few healthy tweaks. (And keep an eye on my portions of course.)

So, that's exactly what I'm going to do!

The raspberry shake in this add is what made my mouth water, and even made me a little misty eyed ;)

Deliciously Healthy Raspberry Shake:
Here's What You Need:

~2 cups of frozen raspberries

~1 cup of strawberry ice cream (I was going to buy the low-fat ice cream, but after reading the label, it seemed like it had more crap in it, so I went with the regular kind)
~1 cup of low-fat milk
*For an additional 20 calories, you can add some low-fat whipped topping.
**Makes 2 servings

This is What You Do:

~In a blender, blend all the ingredients until smooth. Divide into two glasses, and enjoy!

My shake Vs. Jack in the Boxes shake:

(I couldn't find the nutritional information on their raspberry shake,
but I did find the info on their strawberry shake.)

Deliciously Healthy Raspberry Shake: 300 calories

Jack in the Boxes Strawberry Shake: 880 calories.

You save 580 calories!

Yes, 3o0 calories on dessert is a bit of a splurge, but this is how I see it:

Before the idea to simply eat Deliciously Healthy clicked in my head, I'd go on a diet, and deprive myself of everything yummy. I'd live on "diet food." Then, when an ad like this came in the mail, it would simply be too much. I couldn't resist the yummy temptation. Why? Because I hadn't eaten anything with real taste in days!
So, I'd grab the keys, and make a mad dash for Jack in The Box. And you know once I was there, I wasn't going to just get a shake! Nope, I was going to get the burger and fries to go with. It would probably total out to over 1,000 calories, if not over 2,000 calories!... And I'd be off my diet, and who knows when I'd go back on it.

Now, with my Deliciously Healthy lifestyle, I realize I can have the shake. Yes, I might be a tiny bit over my calories that day because of my 300 calorie dessert, but the point is, I'd still be on my diet. Because I gave into my Deliciously Healthy craving, I saved myself a trip to Jack in The Box, and probably 2,000 calories.

300 calories is way better then 2,000!
Take that Jack In The Box!
And whoever sends me these ads! ;)

I'm NOT Going to Let A Bad Weigh In Get Me Down!

Today's weigh in results: 171
That's a 0 pound loss.

I was hoping to see a big loss this week, as I thought I'd be in the gym working up a sweat everyday. Instead, I've spent the week with a cold. Boo!

I was seriously frustrated after stepping off the scale. I did really good this week... and last week.
I feel like this is taking forever!

Good news is, my frustration subsided within the hour. All I can do, is all I can do. I realized that I'm not on some crazy diet, that is only going to last a few weeks. In the past, when I've been on one of those loony diets, I'd head straight to McDonald's after a bad weigh in. If I wasn't going to lose a significant amount of weight each week, then there was no way I was going to continue to eat nothing but salads!

But this is my new lifestyle. I'm going to live/eat this way for the rest of my life... whether I lose weight that week, or not. This is way more then the numbers on the (stupid) scale. This is about being :Deliciously Healthy. I'm going to strive for that each and everyday, even if the scale and I aren't getting along (cause we're currently not talking;)

Plus, I think TOM has something to do with all this. We'll see.

I told Thumbalina to stick her tongue out at the scale. So she did ;)

It's time for some non-scale victories, wouldn't you say? :

~ I went to the gym today, even though my cold is still lingering. I did 10 minutes on the treadmill, and 5 on the elliptical. I had set out to do more, but by the end of those 15 minutes, I was huffing, puffing, wheezing and coughing. 15 minutes isn't much, but it was better then staying home, and getting 0 minutes in, right?

~ I GOT A GYM MEMBERSHIP!! I can hop on a treadmill and my arthritis doesn't hold me back! (I may be limping on it, and can only do like, 10 minutes and I'm out, but at least I can do that much now!)

~My husband and I went for a long walk around the lake near our house, for the first time since living here (2yrs)!! It was hard, and my husband was giving me worried looks by the end of it, because I was so red and sweaty, but it felt good! I was totally proud of myself (and so was my hubby)! When I was 206, there would've been no way my knees could have handled that!

~My skin is looking a lot better! The other day my husband asked, "Are you wearing make up?" I replied, "Nope!" :D

~I successfully ended this day, without diving into a Big Mac, due to my bad weigh in(s). Nor did I let it ruin my day. High five!

~I'm pretty darn sure TOM is coming soon. As you know, I'm always so proud of myself when I have a period all on my own! Although now when I have a period, it means we didn't get pregnant this month, but at least I know that I had the ability to get pregnant this month... things just didn't work out. Either way, I'm :Deliciously Healthy, and loving it!

I'm going to concentrate on those NSVs, to get me through to next weeks weigh in... which will hopefully be good!

***

On a side note:
I put some new things on my sidebar! :

~Progress/goal pictures. I'll put new progress pics up with every 20 pounds I lose!
~"This Weeks Results" Each week, I'll put up the info from my latest weigh in.
~There's also My "Progress" where I keep track of how much weight I've lost, and how much is left to go!
~"Label Cloud" Where you can click on any label, and it will show you all the post that have that label. (The different size words, show how many posts have that label)
~Links to my "Favorite Quick and Easy, Deliciously Healthy Recipes".
~And links to "Deliciously Healthy Recipes I Love"!

Aren't I spiffy? ;D