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!

I Heart Costco...

(and yes, that is our Christmas tree in the background. Don't judge. We've taken everything else down, but can't find it in us to take down the tree. We will. I promise;)

***

On a side note:

I've been doing good on this weight loss path. Walking at a slow and steady paste. I've been eating healthy. I've had slip ups, but nothing to cry over, or get me discouraged. I just move on, and do better next time. And next time is always better. I'm enjoying this walk, for the first time ever.
It's the perfect temperature outside, the birds are singing, the scenery is beautiful, and I'm not obsessing over every little step. Sure, sometimes I trip over a rock, or step in a puddle, get pooped on by a bird, or smell somebodies hot dog as they walk by. I have my emotional moments, that make me want to run up to that person, tackle them to the ground, and take off with their hot dog...and there are the times that I do (keep an eye out for the crazy hot dog snatcher lady on the loose, in the news;) but, I get over it. I don't let it stop me from continuing on my journey. I regather myself, and I keep on walking.

I haven't weighed myself yet. Crazy right? Every time I go on a diet, I'm addicted to the scale, weighing myself a minimum of twice a day. But like I said, I'm doing good on this little walk of mine, and I'm not quite ready to look at numbers. I'm building myself up first.
I'm thinking next Monday?

I'm LOVING my two new books, by Bethenny Frankle! They've been very helpful! When I'm finished, I'll give a complete review.

I hope you are all doing well on your own weight loss paths. And if you've had a little fall, detour, or that stupid guy with a hot dog keeps circling you, tell him to beat it, and don't let it get you down. Just keep on strolling... It'll pay off. I promise :D

New Books, and a New Motivation!

These past few days, I've been feeling a little discouraged, because I can't workout much, due to my RA. What I'd give to be able to go running, even just for 10 minutes. Or workout long enough to be drenched in sweet, and really feel my heart pumping. I try to workout, but the pain is just too much to work through, and I can't stand the feeling of it. A lot of my joints are almost completely bone on bone, and in some areas, they are bone on bone. The joints that are the most damaged are: Both my knees, my right shoulder, and both my wrist. When I try to work out, I can feel my joints cracking and grinding in the areas that it's bone on bone. Not only is this very painful, but it's a lot like nails going down a chalk board. It grosses me out, and it's hard to work through. It just feels wrong!

How in the world am I going to lose 75lbs, when I can barley workout? I know losing weight seems like a huge mountain to climb for anyone, but for me, I sometimes feel like I'm trying to climb a mountain without any tools or gear. Sometimes I feel like it's hopeless, impossible, not fair, and just too dang difficult. Sometimes it makes me just want to give up.

Then, my darling husband, who I'm convinced Heavenly Father sent to this earth just for me, came home from work last night. He walked in the door, and said, "Close your eyes!" I was thinking, "Please tell my your not about to hand me my favorite temptation, because I've been crying all day, and I'm just not strong enough right now to turn any kind of chocolate away. I will most likely swallow it whole, like nobodies business!" I opened my eyes, bracing myself, and I saw this:My husband did not come home with a delicious, chocolaty temptation for me to sink my teeth into, when I'm trying to lose weight (He's been known to do this). Instead, he came home with the Bethenny Frankle (I seriously love her), "Naturally Thin" book that I've been wanting, AND her, "The Skinny Girl DISH" book, to help me on this journey. He came home with a tool, and piece of gear, to help me climb this mountain.
I heart him...

As I looked down at the books, I thought to myself, "This is what I CAN do."

I can't change the fact that I have RA. It's the cards I've been dealt. I can't change the fact that I can't go jogging, or even go walking for a long period of time. But I know whining about it isn't going to make me any thinner, and getting discouraged is only going to send me on a completely different path, going the WRONG direction! I don't have control over the things my body simply can't do, but I do have control over what I put into my body. I have to do what I CAN do, and stop focusing on what I CAN'T do!
I can eat healthy. I can be positive. I can be grateful. I can educate myself, by reading books on how to live a healthy life.
"This is what I CAN do."
And this is what I'm going to do.

I'm ready to conquer another weekend!
This weekend, I'm going to have my head in my new book, and not in the fridge saying, "Hmmm. I wonder what I can eat in here?" I'm going to try some new recipes this weekend, and I'm going to do lots of research on things I CAN do with my RA.

Happy weekend everyone!

Happy Award!

My Blog friend, Tammy, passed the Happy Award onto me! Thank you so much Tammy!

This is my very first blog award, so it's pretty exciting and special to me! I don't know if everyone gets this happy over a blog award, but I'm truly honored!

One of the rules is to list 10 things that make me happy.

Here I go! :
1. My Husband, who makes me oh so happy!
2. My family
3. My friends
4. Chocolate. Mmmmm!
5. Knowing that I'm a daughter of God, and that he, and Jesus Christ love me.
5. Reading your beautiful comments
6. Checking things off a list. Whether it's a chore, or a goal, it gives me sweet satisfaction!
7. Being charitable, and helping others (is that 2?)
8. Going on vacations with my hubby, and experiencing new things with him. (That's 2 again huh? I'm bad at this;)
9. My doggies
10. The color pink. When I see it, I get a burst of joy!

The other rule, is that I'm to pass the award onto 10 others. That part is kind of hard for me. 1-I love all of you. If you're on my blog list, it means that I heart you. It means that I love reading your blog, you inspire me, you move me, you motivate me, and reading your blog puts a smile on my chubby little face ;) 2-everyone that I would give the award to, has already received it multiple times, as you're loved by many ;)
All of your blogs make me happy! Seriously, that's why I blog stock you ;) And therefore, I'm not going to pass it on. I cringe a little when I say that. Am I breaking the rules? I'm not meaning to. Is someone going to call me on the telephone asking me how dare I do such a thing? I hope not, and I hope I'm not offending anyone.

Let me also take a second, to express my gratitude to all of you, as it's something I've been wanting to do.

I'm truly grateful to all of you who take the time to stop by my little bloggy blog, and read my words. I'm always so uplifted and touched by your comments, and I thank you. It's because of you, that I'm not just talking to myself ;) Your blogs and your comments truly help me stay on this weight loss path, and the journey toward becoming a healthier, better me. When I step on the scale, look down, and see 120 there before me, I will have all of you in my mind. I feel like we're all in this race together, and YOU are a part of the reason I will make it to the finish line.
I was completely unaware of the beautiful community that is weight loss blogs, until just a little while ago. I had no idea of the support, love, motivation, and inspiration that was out there in the blog world, coming from beautiful women like you. It's amazing to me, and I'm truly grateful for it! I thank you for allowing me to be apart of it!

Thank you againTammy for the award! It made me very very happy!
And thank you again to all of you have inspired me, and who have given me support!
I heart you...