Thankful for Thanksgiving

Hope everyone had a nice break-mine was the bestest evah.
We were with my family in Conroe. That means my Mom, my Dad, my sister and her family (husband, son and daughter) from Monroe, LA plus two aunts and 1 uncle from Granbury, Tx.
My husband and I totally hit the black Friday sales and it was fun to spend time together but I don't know if I will do it again. I told him I liked the after Christmas sales when I focus on myself and not getting for others! Sounds selfish but there was a lot of self imposed pressure to get what was on our list!
So, food-We did ok, not perfect but ok. I rolled a huge igloo with me filled with the kinds of foods we can and should eat. At each meal I would look at what was being cooked and decide about whether I needed to add to the choices.
The results? Today I am at 197.5 which is AWESOME!! I have been floating between 200 and 199 for a while and it is getting frustrating. I am focusing on 190 as a new goal.
I have to share the most exciting thing that happened. Ok, my sister has been on a diet/exercise thing for a while and she looks AWESOME-I mean like healthy and skinny-so good.
All of the ladies went into my moms bedroom and my sis was going to try on some jeans my mom had stored away. It ended up that my sis is a size 14 ( I was insisting that she looks like a 10-what do I know!) anyway-guess who inherited all of her 18's?! Me! I left with a pile of jeans that fit just right. So lovely and also so great to see that with continued dedication, I am only a few steps away from her current size. "Skinny" doesn't seem like and impossible dream anymore.
We have decided to focus on adding back exercise so I am going to go to Fit Club tonight.

The week

This has been a weird week. I felt very lazy about prepping and cooking for us. We ate as we should but it was very random. I enjoyed going to the session on Tuesday-it was motivating. My husband was sick this week with some major gastric intestinal distress so Thursday night free night ended up being Chick Fil A for the boy. I had sampled at Pappasitos Wednesday night when I hosted a educational night there. Tonight is Saturday and I am back at 199 and so happy. I have eaten a small bag of dark chocolate covered almonds-so not good. The husband is right-the extra, unstructured time on Saturdays and Sundays can be difficult. What to celebrate? I made two really good meals today. The boys has been eating "chili dogs" (Ezekiel buns, organic hot dog and chili beans with mustard). I made myself a sloppy Juan (lean beef with beans and lots of Mexican spices over 1 hamburger bun + cheese and mustard). For dinner I did Uncle Ben's mushroom wild rice with cubes of chicken breast and zucchini. Yum.
Our plan for free choice tomorrow is breakfast out (this may not happen), the boys will have chicken wings and I will get some Mexican in for dinner. We have talked about small treats instead of a free for all-I hope our bodies are fooled and we don't gain too much.
We will be with my family after Tuesday. My sister is on a major health kick and my mom has a black belt in weight watchers so healthy eating won't be too much of a challenge.

Reflections

Well, yes I had those cheese enchiladas and lots of sweets on Sunday. Yes, I gained some weight. I am trying to get it back off. Today I was 200.5. What a bummer. Dr. Kalia is so smart. I will never again over eat during a free day. I will have my enchilada, I may even have 1 sweet but I will never again have a free fest.
I loved the meeting tonight. I loved how everyone was so open, sharing about where they were. I LOVED how Susan and Dr. Kalia listened. That is so rare these days. So many people want to be heard-so few can give the gift of listening. I felt very edified from the evening. I had a great opportunity to reflect with my sweetie on the way home. He is sooo incredibly supportive- I am so thankful.
So- I think this is the beginning of me boycotting sweets for a while-I just can't control myself and once I have one-I have the craving on my tongue for too long. It really is like crack cocaine for me. Did you know that I grew up drinking many Dr. Peppers a day my entire life? Two years ago I decided to give it up and I thought it was going to be impossible. It turned out to be easy. I can give up almost anything but sugar is really my mountain to climb.
My sweet husband is feeling hungry after dinner. He is looking for solutions.
I have been a bit lazy this week about dinners and lunches. I need to motivate myself to work ahead-things work so much better when I do.
Recipe we love:

Cinnamon Apple Bagel
Toast one half of an Ezekiel bagel
While it is toasting, chop one apple into very small cubes and sprinkle with cinnamon.
When bagel is ready, spread with natural peanut butter and sprinkle 2 tablespoons of apples on top.

198

Well, this morning I did it. I have been at 201 and 200 for a while. I am totally spoiled-losing about a half pound each day. I know it will end or even slow down at some point. I have been telling my sweetie that I just wanted to get below 200 and also telling my bestie at work. Well this morning when I hopped on the scale, I saw 198.5. Whoo hoo! I did the happy dance right then and there-just for me.
It washed the stress and strife I have been dealing with at work just wash away. Tomorrow is a free day dinner. Mmmm cheese enchiladas. I wonder if I will be back to past 200 after that?

I the Husband.........

So the wife so kindly lets me now log into her blog to report.
I am now at 362 which is a total loss of 18 pounds. Being the accountant I weighed the clothes, keys, blackberry, and shoes I was wearing at my first weigh in; so you have to subtract about 5 lbs from that total for a net loss of 13 pounds. I am really excited about that; not sure if that is good or bad but for me it feels great! I don't feel as if I am depriving myself; I feel happy; and the choices are not really that hard. Probably the first program that did not add stress to my day worried about how I was going to stay on the diet. I love what I am eating, I like the choices.
Besides my lovely wife working so hard to shop and prepare dinners and lunches; my favorite change has nothing to do with the food but a change in habit. We decided to make sure we had dinner together all gathered at the table at the same time. We play music, we read articles, talk about our day; and compete to see who can eat the slowest. Tonight was really fun when we teased my 8yro son about his crush on Taylor Swift. I have learned that eating slow really does work to make you feel full. I'm 44 and never really knew this. We ate fast and furious as a child. When I first heard Dr. Kalia's talk about eating slow I tried it. It did not seem to have any affect. What I have learned now is it really is sloooooww. I have to put my fork down between every bite. Talk or read something. Its slow eating, not just a delay in eating. Originally I had tried taking 15 minutes to eat my dinner. It takes at least 20 minutes and longer for my body to start feeling the fullness. It works! I always start to feel full before finishing a meal and its a really full satisfied feeling. I notice the taste of every bite; things that I thought I really did not like suddenly take on a whole new flavor and interest. I have to wonder how many other obese folks could do so much better if they just learned to eat slow and pay attention to every bite?

Last week was a huge success for me. When your overweight; every challenge is an excuse to be lazy and eat unhealthy. I had three business meetings over lunch. Two of them were outside the office. The first was at a Mexican restaurant. Not only did I not partake of the chips before the meal; I made a good choice I think in having the ceviche. Just seafood marinated in lime juice with onions, cilantro and tomatoes. It was so good and satisfying that when I had another lunch meeting, I chose the same place knowing there was a dish I would like and be healthy.
Is it really that easy to not eat the torilla chips? Evidently so!

The other big challenge is wanting to "graze" after dinner. That was my previous way of relieving the stress of the work day and entertaining myself. I think it had little to do with actual hunger. So the wife and I have decided to make that habit our project this week; let's just go to bed earlier! So our new goal is to be in bed by 9pm. I'm running a few minutes late tonight so off to bed we go!

This week... so far

Well, other than work stresses and menstrual cramps, the week has been slow but wonderful. We received our scale (just like the one our nutritionist uses) and I am proud to report that this morning I am at 201!!!!! Can you believe?! Thrilled-I am thrilled. My sweetie has lost as well but I will let him report that.
I am very thankful and appreciative of the additional help my husband has given me this week. On Sunday he could hear my sighs of frustration about chopping and preparing and came to help. What a difference that makes! He also has continued to make our breakfast each morning and that makes my morning so much easier. We have all been involved in dishes and he has helped me prepare some dinners as well. Food this week has gone well for us. I had been craving sweets (probably the time of the month) and had had a square of dark chocolate each night but that has past and for the last 2 nights have had none.
We do have a couple of questions....

1. Someone in our house struggles to drink water and wants to know why Crystal Light is not ok.
2. Our son has eaten what we have eaten for breakfast and dinner. For lunch he has had a sandwich with Ezekiel bread, mayo (light) or mustard, turkey and this week a slice of processed cheese. He has not lost any weight. I am astonished. We have been reflecting and perhaps he needs to eat a smaller portion size or maybe the we need to look closer at his lunches. I try to do something healthy but also easy to PRE-prepare because we are so busy and the morning can be our most stressful time.
3. When can we meet and receive guidance on eating past our apprenticeship?
4. When is our first "free" meal? There is a debate in our house on whether it is Sunday or Thursday.

The weekend

Well, the weekend went very well. My better half and I were able to stay on track for most of the weekend. We both indulged in a sliver of wedding cake but otherwise, we did great! I am so grateful that he is dedicated to the plan. As the leader of our family, I don't know if he always understands the effect he can have on all three of us. I, the mom, have a similar affect but I look to him for strength when I want to eat that giant bar of chocolate or just eat something less healthy because it is easier.
I am wondering about when we should get together with Bluebonnet health. Ideally for us, this weekend to weigh, check in and get marching orders for the future. We could probably skype after that. My sweetie has order the same scale so we should be able to report weight online.
I weighed today and I was at 204.5. My scale at work is a bit lighter than Susan's but I have probably lost between 5-7 pounds.
I "treated" myself with some window shopping. Once I am below 200, I can begin to shop in normal sizes for some things. That spells success for me.