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?

Secrets and progress

I figured I would start off this post by giving you a few of my secrets. This one I have shared with a few fortunate souls, but now it's going public. When I would have trouble seeing results on the scale over the course of a week or so, I dedicated one day to only fruits and veggies. I would eat as much as I wanted, but only fruits and veggies. Somehow, this changed things up enough for me to see results on the scale the next day and keep me motivated and feeling like I was making progress. I would have some PB with an apple if I really wanted or dressing on my salad, but other than that, just fruits and veggies.

The other secret is one that I just recently picked up and had to use tonight. When those urges for late night snacks hit, go brush your teeth. There is something about having a minty fresh mouth that seems to ward off those cravings and makes it easier to resist. And it's great hygiene too.

I don't know if I mentioned this here or not, but I know that I told several people that I was not a runner. I was a firm believer that I would never run nor did I ever believe running was fun. I was wrong. I have started to run. Not because I think it's better excercise, but because it's fun. I know, I'm a little sick and twisted, but I am enjoying it. I would like to run my next half marathon in April 2012, so I have started the couch to 5K program. I jumped in at the end of week 3 with a friend and that was pushing my limits. I did the first day of week 4 yesterday and made it. I'm quite proud of that. I do find it a little overwhelming though to think that when I am done with that program, I will be trained to run 3 miles and a half marathon is 13.1 miles, but I guess I will get there, hopefully.

For those of you who get jealous or discouraged to know about my progess, you can stop reading now, but I really like to keep track of this part too because it's so awesome to be able to look back and see where I was at.  I weight 153. 97 pounds down only 3 to go. I am having a bit of trouble because I feel I have hit a mental block, but I am trying to power through it so that at least I can hit this HUGE goal and feel I have succeeded. If after that I gain 5 pounds back, I'm not going to sweat it. And I am wanting to schedule a final photo session to document my achievement and I will make that happen.

The Marathon Experience

I don't even know where to start. Completing a half marathon (13.1 miles) last weekend was such an amazing experience. If you have given any thought to doing one, go for it. I don't think you will regret it.

We had to go the day before to pick up the race packets and to check out the expo.

A side note that I find interesting is that auditions for the tv show America's Got Talent were going on that same day in that same building. Kind of cool seeing some of that.

We went for dinner and back to a friend's cottage to hang out together, watch an inspirational documentary, and head to bed somewhat early. We awoke on race day at 4 am. (That part was not so much fun.) Then took off towards St. Louis at 5. We arrived and traffic was not as bad as I was expecting, so we got parked and headed on foot about a mile to the race area.

Another side note. I have heard about homeless people. I have been close to those that ministered to homeless in St. Louis, but I have never seen it with my own eyes and been so close. During our walk to the race area we passed several people sleeping in store doorways and I was completely humbled. Then, on the way back to our cars after the race, we saw a tent community and signs about the bad economy and how it needs fixed. Wow! I think I have it bad when I can't afford new shoes to run in. Talk about perspective.

Once we got to the race area we stretched and found our corral. And we watied, and waited, and waited some more. See the funny thing is that if you aren't really racing or planning to run very fast, they put you at the back. And in a crowd of 21,000, that's pretty far back. The first racers started at 7:30, but we did not get to cross the start line until 8:00. But, off we went. And after all that standing and waiting, I was ready to start sprinting, but I didn't. We walked, and walked, and walked.

Jim had planned to come see me cross the finish line, but he texted me during the race and said that he wasn't going to be able to make it, but he also told me that he was tracking me on the computer. You see, you wear a tracking device and at the start line, you cross a tracker and at a few other intervalls along the race, so he was able to see how quickly I was moving and a projected finish time. After about 9 miles, he said I should finish in 3 hours 8 minutes. One of the other girls said that she would love to finish in under three hours, so we decided to make that the goal. So we ran some. At mile 12, we split up and decided to make our own best effort to get to the finish line. I have never ran so much in my life (and it wasn't even that much). I crossed the finish line after 3 hours 1 min and 41 seconds. I am not sad. I am ellated. That seems to be a great first finish time.

After crossing the finish line, I was handed a medal. A really cool medal. I am so proud of it.

The experience was one of a kind. They were so many people there to support their loved ones and even strangers. There were people holding signs and ringing cowbells, there were cheerleaders and bands. I had a lot of fun. And it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be 5 months ago when we began training for this.

I am already planning my next one. I think these are a bit contagious too, because Jim says he wants to do the next one with me. And several of the girls said the same about their husbands. So, unless you want to be sucked into running a half marathon, don't get too close to me.

Time for a little catch up

I'm sorry I haven't posted in a while. It's not because I haven't been making progress.  I have great intentions and then, it just doesn't happen. Life gets in the way. It goes to prove that whatever you make as a priority in your life will get done and the things that aren't a priority won't. And sad to say, this has not been a big priority of mine.

Now, on to the exciting stuff.

My half marathon is tomorrow!!!! I am really excited! I feel that I could be better prepared for it because I haven't walked all week, but the 4+ months prior, I have, so I think it won't affect me too much. My fellow Bacon Lovers (anonymous) are all geared up to leave town around 2pm to go pick up our race packets and spend the night together in anticipation of this big event. Surprisingly, two of the girls in my group are planning to run a full marathon in the spring and two others are considering running a half marathon (because we are walking this one).  I also have been contemplating running a half marathon. I have really been enjoying this form of excercise and I would love to see myself pushed a little farther. I also know several people that I could run with, so that makes the thought of it so much better. Anyway, I will let you know after the race tomorrow how it goes.

On to other news. I have reached my WW goal weight of 155 lbs!! This is not my official goal weight of 100 lbs lost, but only 5 lbs away. I know this sounds kind of silly, but I have a reason. When I first thought about losing all of this weight, I never thought I would really lose 100 lbs. It seemed so unrealistic and out of the question, so when I signed up on Weight Watchers the highest healthy weight for me was 155, so I plugged that in. It seems so long ago now and I am completely amazed that I am about to reach 100 lbs lost. It also seems crazy to think that I might even lose a little more after that. We will see. I am going to do it in a healthy way and not get too crazy with it, so please don't worry about me, but now I feel that it is possible and that is an amazing feeling.

I went shopping last weekend to spend a Macy's gift certificate that I received for Christmas last year, and although very overwhelmed in that store, I had a blast. I tried on so many things and loved that everything fit well, and I wasn't examining myself at the store, just the clothes. Wow. Really, that is huge for me. I hope you are doing as well and finding great things to be excited about. It does take time, but when you reach it, it's like nothing else.

Keep yourself inspired somehow. I am finding new inspiration from watching this season of Biggest Loser. I really love that show and it gives me the motivation to keep going. I have heard lots of people say that they have quit watching because they end up sitting on the couch eating ice cream while watching. I know that feeling. I have done that. But, there is an alternative. Let it motivate you. Let it inspire you. Get up and move a little, even while you watch it. I mean, I have a hard time getting out my step and doing some aerobics while watching CSI or House, but when I'm watching Biggest Loser, I have the motivation to do it.

It's OK

Good friends are priceless. I have been struggling lately and I just didn't know what was going on. A friend walked with me the other day and we just talked. And we vented. And we got some things off our chests. It felt really good and I realized some of what my problem was. See, I was (and still am a little) struggling with vanity. And to compensate for feeling so bad about feeling this way, I was eating lots more junk than I have in the past 7 months. I was self-destructing because I thought I was a horrible person for enjoying seeing my reflection in the mirror. The person on the other side looks nice. I'm not sure if I have ever felt that way. I guess after having been so overweight and hating what looked at me in the mirror, the reflection I now see has so much more appeal. I thought it was a severe case of vanity because I caught myself looking in the mirror every time I went past. After talking with my friend, I came to realize that what I thought was vanity, really wasn't. I think it's alright to like the way you look. I do. And that is OK. It's ok to like the way I look. It's ok to want to see myself in the mirror. And it's ok to want to have my picture taken once in a while. (After years of avoiding a camera, it feels strange) I still feel a little wierd about it, but I am coming to terms with my new look and I am not going to let it get me down. I am not going to stuff my face with cookies to try to sabatoge myself anymore. I am going to lose these last 14 lbs. I can't wait to celebrate this success.