Help!

People are my passion. I really love people and love to help in any way that I can. I think that is why I am feeling a bit overwhelmed. Since I have been successful at losing 100 pounds in 9 months, I have been getting peppered with questions about how I have done it and what I did. I love answering all those questions and I love sharing with anybody that cares to listen, but I know that what works for one does not work for all. I wish I had it figured out and how to give the right answers that will help everyone, and so I am feeling so underqualified.

I think for me, I finally had my "aha" moment and that is why I have been able to stick with this. And it is mostly because of my stubborn nature. People telling me I had a right to look the way I did and a desire to prove them all wrong. I want to help everyone else have that same epiphony as I did, but I know that is unrealistic. I didn't even know what would do it for me until it happened. But, that is my challenge to you. Think about your personality. Think about the things that are motivating for you. Is it the thrill of a good challenge and some healthy competition? Is it having a piece of clothing that you long to fit into staring at you day in and day out? Is it writing down your goals and reasons for wanting to shed those extra pounds? Whatever it is, search for it and go for it. And I will be here to support and encourage you along the way.

Like I said, I love to help people, so if there is something I can do for you, let me know. I am only human though, so don't ask for some superhuman act like guarding every bite you take throughout the day. But I am here for you. Leave me a comment and let me know what you would like someone to help you with along your journey.

I hope these can be encouraging to you. Here are a couple of my 100 pound celebration pictures taken by my friend at http://www.nhphoto.org/.

Tasty food

So, today I talked to a few people and I was asked about some of the foods I cook for my family since I have started to lose weight. One of the biggest things I tell people is that I tried to find foods that my family liked so that I wasn't making anything separate for me and my whole family ended up eating healthier.  I thought I would share a couple of those recipes with you.

This first one is a really quick and easy dish when I don't have a lot of time. I usually make some instant brown rice and steam a veggie to go with it.

Parmesean Tilapia

1/2c. Parmesean cheese
1/4c. butter (I use light margarine)
3T. mayonaise (I use light mayo)
2T. lemon juice
1/8t. onion powder
1/8t. celery salt
1/4t. dried basil
1/4t. black pepper
2lbs Tilapia fillets (about 8 fillets)

Preheat your oven's broiler. Mix together everything except tilapia. Line pan with aluminum foil. Arrange fillets in a single layer on the pan. Broil a few inches from the heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Flip the fillets over and broil for a couple more minutes. Remove the fillets from the oven and cover them with the Parmesean cheese mixture on the top side. Broil for 2 more minutes or until the topping is browned and fish flakes easily with a fork. Be careful not to overcook the fish.


This next one is a WW recipe that my husband just loved. I think it was the first WW recipe that I tried on him and it convinced him that this wasn't going to be all that bad for him. And after I made it, I realized that I didn't have to make the sweet potatoes and apples with it. They are just a side, so if you would rather make another veggie, or have a salad, go for it.

Crusty Pork Tenderloin with Sweet Potato and Apple

1 T. parsley, fresh chopped ( I used dried)
1t. lemon zest (I use lemon juice)
1 clove garlic, minced
1t. oilive oil
1/2t. salt (divided)
1/2t. black pepper
1lb lean pork tenderloin
1 large sweet potato (peeled and cut into 8 slices)
1T. water
1 medium apple, cut into 6 wedges
1t. packed brown sugar, dark (I use regular brown sugar)
1/8t. ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 450. Spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray (I use olive oil spray).
Mix the parsley, lemon zest, garlic, oil, 1/4t. of the salt, and the pepper to a paste in a small bowl. Place the pork in the baking dish. Spread the parsley mixture evenly over the top of the pork and let stand 5-10 minutes.

Meanwhile, place the sweet potato slices and water in a small microwavable casserole dish. Cover and microwave on High until parcooked, 3 minutes; drain.

Place the sweet potato slices and apple wedges around the pork. Lightly spray the sweet potato and apple with nonstick spray, then sprinkle with the sugar, cinnamon, and remaining 1/4t salt. Roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center of the pork registers 160 for medium and the sweet potato and apple are tender, about 30 minutes. Cover the pork lightly with a foil tent and let stand 5 minutes.
This makes 4 servings.


And I got my new pictures taken yesterday, but it might be a while before you get to see them, so please be patient. I will put them up here as soon as I can so you can see where I am now. Hope you are finding some encouragement and help here. If you have any questions for me, feel free to ask. I am open and willing to share everything I can with you.

I hit it!

My goal that is. Today I got on the scale and it said 149.4!!! What a day. I had been inching closer for what seemed like forever that I was afraid it was never actually going to make it. I actually weighed in without clothes yesterday, just to see if it would go under 150 and it did. But, being the perfectionist, rule follower that I am, I couldn't count that as officially meeting the goal. And, if I am going to be picky about it, I probably can't even count this as officially losing 100 pounds because the scale I started with was horrible and I believe it was heavy by a few pounds. So, since I got rid of that scale and can't prove to myself that it shows 100 pounds less, I will have to take this.

What's next for me? I'm not really sure. Since I didn't really ever think I would make it here, I didn't give it much thought. I do feel really great, but I think it would be reasonable for me to drop a few more pounds, so I'm going to try. I think I will shoot for another 15 lbs and see what happens. I'm not going to stress about it, but at minimum, I want to make sure that I don't get above 155 again. That seems to be a very reasonable goal for myself.

And Monday I have an appointment with my photography friend who is going to document this weight loss for me in picture form. When we did pictures a few months ago, she told me that when I lost 100 lbs, we needed to do more photos and that she wanted to end up with 100 of them. For some reason, this seemed pretty appealing to me and I think one of the reasons I didn't ever give up the fight for the last few pounds.

Well, I have screaming toddlers in the background, so I will leave you for now. How is your journey going?