I'm ready to get my butt back in the game!

For the past couple months, I've been in one funk after the other...
I've been in a funk, since getting back from California. But this funk was pretty bad. Worse then all the others. This time I was actually doubting that I could do this. I was an inch away from throwing in the towel. Scary stuff. I hadn't felt that way, since starting this journey. I think it was a combination of things, that led me to that point: For one, I got lazy. I got in the habit of just going out to eat, and skipped the whole grocery shopping/preparing meals thing. I've also gotten comfortable where I am. I'm still chunky, but I'm not 206 pounds anymore either. So what if I stay a chunky 165 my whole life? I'm the kind of person who thinks chunky women are prettier then skinny women. I even think I like the way I look right now, verses me at my goal weight. But like it says at the top of my blog, this isn't about me getting into skinny jeans
(I tried some on by the way. Still can't rock those;)
It's about becoming :Deliciously healthy!

My knees have started hurting me a lot lately, and it has reminded me that I need to continue to work on lightening their load. It's either that, or get
knee replacements. Plus, we are still trying to get pregnant, and there's a number of reasons why I need to be healthy, and eat healthy for that! One being that eating healthy gives me a period each month. It's true. When I don't eat healthy, I don't have a period. I need healthy fuel for my body, so it can combat my PCOS, and help me produce an egg each month! There's so many reasons why I need to continue this weight loss journey, that has nothing to do with looks. On top of all that, I just feel icky inside. Eating Deliciously Healthy really does make me happy. I just have to get back into the swing of things.

I'm ready to do this!!
Again ;)

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!

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.

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

Today was a Good Day

Today, something seemed to be in the air. Spring?... Whatever it is, it has me in a joyful mood!

Today, I had the perfect lunch, and I just had to share it with you!

While my father-in-law was here, he went on and on about how good a grape and tuna fish sandwich was! As Joe and I gave him funny looks, he would say, "Don't diss it, before you try it!" He had actually bought all the stuff to make it, but we never got around to it. So, today as I was raiding the fridge and pantry, trying to find something for lunch that hit the spot, I couldn't get my father-in-law's voice out of my head.

"What the heck Brittany. You only live once." I told myself.

So, out came the whole wheat bread, the canned tuna (in water), the low-fat mayo (gross. If I had low-fat plain yogurt I would have used that. I just used a tiny tiny bit), the already chopped onion I had left over from tacos, and the grapes.

I chopped up the grapes, mixed everything together, and put together my sandwich. I gave myself an extra side of grapes, then let out a sigh, "Here goes nothing." I took a bite.
"Oh my gosh! This is so good!" Light bulb moment: "This is blog worthy!"
I rushed to grab the camera, took a couple pics, and sat down to enjoy my YUMMY
Grape and Tuna Fish Sandwich!!"Don't diss it, before you try it!" ;D
Seriously. It's pretty darn good folks. The grapes add the perfect sweetness!
Calories:
About 220, not including the extra side of grapes.


After lunch, and some cleaning around the house, I finally sat down to see how everybody was doing in blogland.
I clicked on over to CBG blog, and saw that she was hosting a
photo comparison challenge! You take a picture of yourself today, and compare it to a picture of you at your heaviest. Then you compliment yourself on the changes you've made!!

It's hard to compliment myself, or to even see the difference between me at 206, and me at 180. Sometimes I convince myself that I'm exactly the same. This challenge was a great way to help me see the progress I've made, and give myself a pat on the back!!

Here it goes! :

Before picture:
(February 2007)This isn't actually me at my heaviest. I was about 190-195 (my heaviest was 206). This was either right before or soon after I found out I had low thyroid, and got put on low thyroid meds. And it's before I found out I had PCOS. It's pretty weird that I'm only about 10 pounds lighter now, then I was in these pictures. Back then I was bloated, and my hormones were all out of whack. This was a very painful time for me. I gained 50lbs in 1 year. I didn't know what the heck was going on. All I knew, was I was fat, unhappy, and embarrassed. I refused to meet new people, and to be honest, I didn't go out of the house much. I never wanted a picture taken of me. The only reason I have these pictures, is because it was valentines day, and my husband insisted on getting a picture of his beautiful wife, on v-day. I love my husband so much for loving me during that time, and still telling me I was beautiful each and every day. Gosh I'm lucky.

Today's Picture:I see quite a big physical change. My chubby cheeks aren't so chubby. I don't have as much acne now (glad that's gone!). And I have a bit more of a jawline!!

But the true changes I see, go way past my physical appearance.
For one, I'm posing for the camera, and I was actually having a fun little photo shoot (in my bathroom;). I actually feel pretty enough to snap away with the camera! I feel worthy enough to be apart of the world (although I'm realizing now that I was always worthy...).

Looking at my before pictures, reminds me of all the struggles, heartache, and confusion I had back then.

Today I'm happy.
I can see it in these pictures, and I can feel it.
I'm taking charge of my life, and my health. I'm no longer confused, and feel like I have no control over what the heck my body is doing. I'm in control. I'm on one of the most wonderful journeys. Everyday I wake up, I know I'm getting closer and closer to my happy ending, and that fills my heart with excitement, and hope, each and every day. Two things I did not have, in my before picture!
Today, I'm :Deliciously Healthy! And man it feels good!!

YAY!!

I Chose "YAY!!" To be the title of this post, because I have a lot of things to celebrate, and be happy for! :

Remember how I told you that I had some business I needed to attend to, and I promised I'd tell you all about it, when I was done? Well, I'm finally done!

A few weeks ago, I got jury duty. Big whoop right? Well, as my luck would have it, I got picked to be on the jury for a murder trial! Out of 300 people! What are the odds?! It lasted 3 weeks, and it's finally over! YAY! I had planned to tell you all about it in more detail, but I think it's smart to keep quiet for a while...

I'm happy to be back to life before this whole thing began.... and back to blogging again! Thank you for sticking by me, even though I've been a total blog slacker! On most nights, I just wanted to eat dinner, and crawl into bed. Towards the end of the trial, the judge ordered us to stay off the Internet, so I couldn't even blog if I wanted to!

During this whole trial, I had some :Deliciously Healthy triumphs, that I'm pretty proud of! :
1. When I first found out that I was definitely on the jury, the thought came to my mind, to go of my diet, until the trial was over. I wanted comfort food! But then I remembered, that life throws you curve balls, and you have to learn to work around them. I was determined to not let this curve ball, throw me off track! I'm happy to report, that over the course of this 3 week trial, I lost 5 pounds! ...And I'm pretty darn proud of that!
2. Everyday on our lunch break, we would walk around downtown Denver, and get lunch. It was a lot of fun walking around the city, but there weren't a lot of healthy options to chose from. My 2nd triumph, is that I learned how to eat out, while sticking to my diet! This is something I never thought I had the strength, or willpower to do. I thought for certain, if I had to chose a salad, or a big juicy burger, I would always chose the burger! It actually wasn't that hard! I just said to myself, "Brittany, you deserve more then a greasy burger! You deserve to be happy and healthy!" It worked every time! ...YAY!

***

My 2nd big YAY, goes to the fact, that I've passed up my first 20 pounds lost, milestone! YAY!!

Last weekend, the oh so beautiful scale said "186" Which meant I had lost 20 pounds, since around October- 09' when I weighed 206!

This weekend I weigh 184! The scale has definitely lost some of the beauty it had last weekend, but I'm still very happy with my 2 pound loss this week! I seem to lose 2 pounds every week. I wish it were 3, but hey, at least it's something! ;)

Before meets After...

Here's me at 206:
( This one's pretty telling, isn't it? ;)
And Here I am now, at 184! (22 pounds lighter):This is a milestone, that a little voice inside my head, told me I'd never reach. But guess what? I totally did! When I stepped on the scale the morning that I found out I had lost my first 20 pounds, I gave myself a little pat on the back! Literally ;) Everything has been worth it, to feel the way I felt when I stepped onto the scale, and saw that I hit that beautiful milestone. Those cinnamon rolls that I turned down, the donuts I had to pass up almost every morning while on jury duty, the pizza add I got in the mail that made me drool...NONE of those things could have brought me the satisfaction, joy, and the complete sense of accomplishment that I got from reaching my first 20lb milestone! ....No cheesecake in the world could have compared to the joy I felt when I got my period last month, or the way I felt when I got my very first compliment, or how rewarding it felt when I bought a size 16 pants!
It's so worth it! I'm so worth it!

THANK YOU
to everyone who stops by my blog, and gives me support! I know that my blog is one of the major reasons why I've (finally) been successful this time around! I heart you guys!

***

My 3rd big YAY, goes to the fact that I've been feeling great lately! I can definitely feel a difference in my knees, now that I've lightened their load! I first went on this diet, because I wanted to be healthy. To be healthy so that we can have a baby. To be healthy so that I can function with less pain. To be healthy, so I can stay far away from even more health problems, like diabetes. And to be healthy, so I can hold off on knee replacements as long as I can.
It's working. I can feel my body changing, and becoming healthier... I feel healthier! I realize more and more as the days go by, that the numbers don't define my journey. I'm a healthier person now, then I was before, and next month I will be healthier then I am now. But, since the scale doesn't have a brain, it neglects to tell me that part ;)

Eat Deliciously Healthy. Be :Deliciously Healthy.

***

And lastly, I tried a delicious new recipe! YAY!

I heart Italian food. After seeing one delicious Italian restaurant commercial after the other, I decided that I had to do something about it!

So, I made, Jumbo Stuffed Shells!
And it was everything I hoped it would be! :
You Will Need:

~12 jumbo pasta shells
~1 cup fat-free ricotta cheese
~1 1/4 cups finely shredded low-fat mozzarella
~3 tablespoons reduced fat parmesan
~1 large egg white
~1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh parsley
~1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh basil
~1/2 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
~2 1/2 cups low sodium marinara sauce
~1 tablespoon reduced fat parmesan
~Salt and pepper

Here's What You Do:

Cook pasta according to package. Drain, and place shells side by side on wax paper. In a bowl, mix Ricotta cheese, and next 6 ingredients. Evenly spread out 3/4 of a cup of the marinara sauce in a 10 inch round, or 11x7 baking dish. Spoon in, or use a pipping bag like I did, 2 tablespoons of the mixture into each shell. Place stuffed shells in a single layer, in the baking dish. Spoon the remaining marinara sauce over the top. Sprinkle parmesan over the marinara sauce. Cover with foil, and bake for 20-25 minutes.
**This would be awesome with some Italian seasoned lean ground turkey! You could either make meat balls, or mix it in to the marinara!

Here's What I'm Thinking:
~About 100 calories per stuffed shell.
**I had 3 shells, and a side of steamed asparagus. I rounded it all out to be about 350 calories.

***

I'm headed to bed.
Tomorrow I have A LOT of catching up to do on all my blog friends!
I can't wait to see what you guys have been up to!

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