Halfway to Birthday Goal!!!

So after the week of the teambuilding event where I lost my mind and ate everything in sight, it's been really hard to get back on track. I only went to the gym twice last week, and didn't do much else. But I stopped getting takeout for every meal and started eating my leftovers again, and while I wasn't excited about it at all, it totally worked.

So now, officially, I am over halfway to my birthday goal (-57 pounds by September 30th)!!! I have lost 29.2 pounds!! This has been great for my motivation this week because I really felt like I was slacking, falling behind schedule for the weight loss, and that I'd never make my goal now - but the official halfway point is not until May 18th, so I'm actually slightly ahead of schedule! (Yes, I counted the days out. Stop judging.)

Now the exciting part....I get a $250 reward for being halfway through. Originally I was going to get a Barnes and Noble Nook or a new purse, but now I'm not sure what I want to buy for myself. I desperately need some new shoes for work and for the gym...but the purpose of this reward was more of a just-for-fun purchase and something that I wouldn't normally buy. Anyway, I'm going to think about it, but since I also finally met my goal from last month, I got this new shirt to wear to the Ranger's game on Memorial Day weekend!

Still can't wait for Rivka and Ashley to be here!

Teambuilding Is Over!

The teambuilding event (for 85 people in my department) finally happened this past Thursday, and it was pretty successful, with very few drama-filled incidents. But, due to all the stress and the planning consuming my entire life, I've fallen off the wagon pretty hard this past week. I don't think I've eaten out so much since before I started in January.

But! Ashley and Rivka are coming in less than three weeks (!!!) and I really want to show off my progress so far, so I'm shutting it down and getting back on track. Which is why tonight I wanted to not work out, but I put on my tennis shoes and went run/walking anyway.

Monthly Weigh-In: April 2011

April's Goals:
Weight: -7.2
20 days in calorie range
20 days working out


April's Progress:
Weight: -5.8
Days in calorie range: 13/30
Days worked out: 15/30

Total YTD Progress:
Weight: -25.6
Days in calorie range: 65/120
Days worked out: 57/120


May's Goals:
Weight: - 7.4
20 days in calorie range
20 days working out


Just as I suspected, I didn't quite make my weight loss goal for this month. However, I did forget that I was a little behind schedule last month as well, so that made me feel better this morning. The travelling and birthday celebrations discussed in the last post really didn't help, but I still managed to lose 7.2 pounds this month, which is definitely significant and should make me proud! 


I have also officially crossed the 25 pounds lost mark, which means I'm SUPER close to my halfway point - which will be 28.5 pounds lost. 


I really want to try and work very hard next month; two of my high school girls are coming into town for Memorial Day weekend and I really want to get a new swimsuit for our float trip! My goal is aggressive but I think it's achievable as long as I stick to the plan consistently. I may try to plan out my above calorie range days so I don't get out of control with the eating out situation (that's what did me in this month for sure). 

Back from Vacation!

The past week and a half I have completely fallen off the radar. I'm up a few pounds (3 to be exact) but honestly I was expecting a lot worse. I have been tracking everything I eat and there were more than a few bad days. Suffice to say I won't be meeting my exercise/within calorie range goals for this month. I probably won't make my weight loss goal either (I'd have to lose about 5 pounds in 5 days to do so). 

First, I went to Shreveport for my friend Cathy's birthday with a few other people, where we gambled, drank, and ate....and ate....and ate.

 

Before we ate 5 pounds of crawfish.

The boys...before they ate...whatever they ate.

Ready to go gambling!

Then I was off to Irvine, CA for a business trip for the better part of last week.

The John Wayne Statue at the airport. It was HUGE. 

Had to get a cheeseburger at In N Out ... animal style!

These beautiful flowers were everywhere!

Heading back to Dallas on the plane. 

My mom was here visiting this weekend for Easter and I went to a friend's housewarming part on Saturday. We planted some pretty flowers for my patio. 

And for now, I'm working from home today, and I'm enjoying a grilled cheese with tomato soup, a Hitchcock movie, and the thunderstorms outside. 

The perfect rainy day meal.

Creating New Normals: Grocery Shopping

I was in line to check out at the grocery store today, and I looked down at my cart and it struck me as so strange how the items in my cart would've looked so different just a little over three months ago. I think the biggest difference is that I buy very few microwave-prep items. I used to live off of Jimmy Dean D-Lite breakfast sandwiches, a Lean-Cuisine-type meal for lunch, and something quick for dinner (another frozen meal or drive-thru food). I can't remember the last time I went through a drive-thru other than Starbucks. Every once in a while when I'm driving back from work or the gym, I'll think that it would be so easy just to stop somewhere and grab something quick. Not even something unhealthy - a salad from Wendy's, a wrap from Chick-Fil-A, or a couple of Taco Bueno chicken tacos - but I just don't do it.


When I looked down at my cart, I saw fresh fruit (tangelos, tangerines, bananas, and strawberries), meats (chicken, salmon, and crab), vegetables (artichokes, lettuce, and mini bell peppers), wine, walnuts, goat cheese, Weight Watchers snack cakes, baked kettle chips, fat free ranch dressing, and a single serve (NOT a pint) of Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia. Nothing microwave-ready. It was a weird feeling to see that change without even realizing it. I got so proud of myself that I went and bought myself some flowers. (They were only $4, and they make me happy, so why not?)

Also, because I want to post the picture, I went putt-putt golfing for the first time in probably ten years, and it was so much fun. And there was a bunny.

See?

Crab Cakes and Football, That's What Maryland DOES!

Bonus points for getting the reference. Sadly, there is no football today, but I did make crab cakes! I made some crab cakes years ago, but they were expensive to make and pretty disappointing, so I resigned myself to ordering them at restaurants whenever I wanted some.

I was looking in the frozen seafood section at the grocery store, about to get another bag of tilapia fillets, when I saw some frozen crab cakes. That sounded better than boring tilapia again, so I turned the package over to check the label - 190 calories per cake, not bad - and then checked the price. $8! For two cakes! Yikes! I put the package back and sadly grabbed the tilapia fillets. But in the cajun foods section, Zatarain's had some mixes for salmon, tuna, and crab cakes! They were a little pricey compared to Zatarain's other mixes (I'm in love with their jambalaya) but it's pretty much all-inclusive; all I had to get was the canned seafood and then add mayonnaise, an egg, water, and olive oil, and I was ready to go!

Yield: 8 cakes (2 per serving)

Ingredients:
1 package Zatarain's New Orleans Style Crab Cake Mix
8 oz crabmeat (I used canned Bumble Bee white crabmeat)
1 egg
1/4 c Hellman's Light Mayonnaise
1/2 c water
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided


Preparation:
1. Combine Zatarain's mix, crabmeat, egg, mayonnaise, and water together in a non-metal bowl. Let sit in refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
2. Pour 1 tbsp olive oil in oven-safe skillet, place in oven, and heat to 375 degrees.
3. Form mixture into 8 balls, then flatten into patties. Place the cakes in the skillet with the oil, and place in the oven for 20 minutes.
4. Drizzle the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil over the cakes, flip each cake, and place back in the oven for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.

Serve on top of mixed baby greens with fresh lemon juice. Yum!

Rule #76: No excuses, play like a champion.

Weekend Brunch: Breakfast Burritos

Good morning! I woke up craving Whataburger taquitos (SO good). Instead of going through the drive thru, I made some healthier breakfast burritos. For less than the calories of one Whataburger taquito (450 calories, 28 grams of fat), I got to eat two yummy egg, sausage, and cheese burritos.

Yield: 2 burritos per serving

Ingredients:
2 whole wheat tortillas
1/4 cup egg beaters
1 slice low fat cheddar cheese
4 turkey sausage links
4 tbsp chunky salsa

Preparation:
1. Cook egg beaters in a skillet sprayed with nonstick cooking spray over high heat; stir constantly until done.
2. Heat turkey sausage links in microwave according to package instructions.
3. Heat tortillas in microwave for 15 seconds.
4. Split eggs, sausage, cheese, and salsa evenly between the tortillas. Roll up and secure with a toothpick.

I also cut up half of a grapefruit and half of a tangelo and topped it with 1/4 tsp of sugar for a quick citrus salad. Delicious!