Awesome Low Carb recipe.

Oh my God I just loved this recipe courtesy of Linda's Low Carb Menus.

This Spicy Chicken and Spinach Casserole was just the thing on a insanely cold day like today.

I didn't have the sour cream, so I omitted that and I used a bag of fresh salad spinach instead of the frozen. Even my husband and 1 year old son loved it. And my husband normally hates spinach.

My son kept saying Mmmmm Yummy! as he gobbled it down. I served it with rice and tostadas for them and a low carb tortilla for me.

I think that's what I like so much about low carb dieting. That I can easily make one meal that the whole family can eat together and just tweek a few things at serving time.

At 5 net carbs per serving + 3 net carbs from the LC tortilla, I felt I could splurge on a Bud Light Lime (8 carbs).

Mmmmmm Belly is very happy!

Absenteeism

Sorry I disappeared for awhile.


I’ve been dealing with some things in my family that have taken my attention from blogging. Turns out my Grandfather, who was more of a dad to me than my biological father was, has lung cancer that spread to his liver. This is his third bout with cancer, but it doesn’t look like this time he’s going to beat it. I’m sad, but at peace with it now. He’s the greatest man I’ve ever known. So my family has needed me to be there right now. But now that the initial shock of the situation has dulled slightly, life is beginning to settle back into its old familiar routines.

The weight loss has been excruciatingly slow. I think I’ve lost maybe ½ pound in the last two weeks. I’m really not cheating that much, so I’m not sure what’s going on. Can you plateau this early on? I’m not good at counting and measuring, so I’ve been trying to eyeball everything. I guess it’s time to get a kitchen scale. I know I don’t drink enough water. So I bought a nice water bottle to keep on my desk. I have a pledge to drink two bottles before leaving for the day. I was skipping breakfast the last few days too, so I decided to stop doing that. Hopefully these changes will get me back to losing significant amounts again.

Keeping my fingers crossed for Tuesday!

Everybody needs a goal...

I was noticed! Hooray! My good friend Sara at work today asked me if I was on a diet because she noticed that I was looking thinner. She’s such a sweetheart and totally made my day. I’ve been keeping my weight loss attempt this time to myself for the most part. I’ve only really told my husband and my mom so far. I don’t know why, I guess I was just a little embarrassed to be trying AGAIN to lose the pounds.


Thanks for the encouragement on the last post too. I know I shouldn’t be so hard on myself. Continuous Changes was right, she said “It's harder to build yourself up when you are the first person to tear yourself down!!” So I’m taking this advice to heart. I am going to try not to beat myself up for my mistakes. And I am going to try to reinforce good behavior with a reward system for meeting little goals. This way I have something to look forward to and motivate me along the way.

So here’s the list-

5 pounds gone – New earrings
10 pounds gone- Trip to the Almay make-up counter
15 pounds gone- Manicure
20 pounds gone- Cute new sundress
25 pounds gone- New strappy sandals
30 pounds gone- Shorts (hate wearing b/c my knees are so fat.)
35 pounds gone- Bathing Suit
40 pounds gone- Sexy underwear
45 pounds gone- New jeans
50 pounds gone- Shopping spree!

I’m only a little more than one pound away from those new earrings. I can’t wait to go shopping!

Consistantly inconsistant........

Weigh in Week 2


234.00 loss of 0.2

Are you kidding me??? Seriously? What the hell! Only .2 pounds…

THIS REALLY SUCKS.

I know a loss is a loss. But at this rate it’s going to take me 3 ½ years to get to my first goal. Seeing that this morning really makes me hate myself. I’ve been trying so hard to stay positive. I want to cry but I can’t. I’m not giving up. I’m going to stick with it.

I feel humiliated and embarrassed. I feel like a disgusting whale. I am completely depressed. What did I do wrong? The only thing I can think of is I did little cheats here and there. Nothing major, but a taste while cooking for my son and husband, licking the spoon after making them dessert, a slice of bread over the weekend…

NO MORE!

I guess I was feeling a little cocky after the first week’s big number. I am going to start getting on the scale every day again. I know that seems obsessive, but I would rather catch a creep-up immediately so I know what might have caused it.

I have no patience for this bull pucky. I want to be thin NOW darn it!

Argh.

I'm a cheater...

Yesterday was the first day I cheated a little bit.
I'm counting carbs, which is relatively easy to do, but you really have very little wiggle room when you do that. It's not like counting calories where you can make up for a cheat with excercise.
The daystarted off well enough, eggs and sausage for breakfast. But then I have a sugar free vanilla latte. I forgot about the carbs in the milk, I should have gotten a sugar free vanilla coffee with cream. Ok, one mistake- I learned something at least. Then later that day I had a grilled chicken salad from McDonalds. I dumped the whole packet of ranch on the salad before I read the label. Most ranch dressings only have 1-2 grams of carbohydrate per serving. Apparently Paul Newman added sugar to his dressing so this had waaaay more. Again, more of a mistake than an actual cheat. Then I was making vanilla pudding for my husband and son for desert, and I licked the spoon and ate the little bit left in the bowl when I was done. It couldn't have been more than an ounce, but feel terribly guilty about it. I didn't even really enjoy it that much. Anyway, all things considered I consumed about twice as many carbs as I am supposed to.
Tonight is going to be a huge test. I'm going over to my mom's house for dinner. So far she's been supportive, but she really doesn't understand the concept of the diet I'm following. So we'll see how it goes. I know she's making roast beef, so I'll be able to eat that. And I told her to have a salad, so there should be something for me. I thnk the trick is going to be not to make a big deal about what I'm not going to eat. Instead of telling her I won't eat the potatoes, I'll just say no thank you, and leave it at that. 
I can't stop peeking at the scale. I keep wanting to see if it was lower than the last time I was on it. So far it's moving in the right direction, but I know that my weight fluctuates daily and I shouldn't get hung up on the daily numbers. I'm afraid one day I'm going to see it go up and it will make me lose my resolve.
I'll let you know how my first family dinner goes tomorrow.
Fingers Crossed!

Attitude of Grattitude

Too often I focus on what I don’t like about my life. I don’t like that I have a small apartment. I don’t like that I’m not getting a raise this year. I don’t like that I have issues with food. I don’t like the way my body looks.


This negative thinking has become a source of frustration and disease in my life. Feeling badly about my body causes me to over eat to feel better. Because I am not happy with my living space, I spend money on home goods to make my home prettier – spending money that could have been saved towards a down payment on a house. Frustration over my job makes me feel burned out and less eager to perform above expectations, and I end up doing just enough to get by.

After watching the total devastation as rescue efforts unfold in Haiti over the last couple of days, I find that I can adopt a new attitude of gratefulness. This positive attitude will be healthier for my mind and my body.

Five things I am grateful for right now are-

1. My family has an abundance of food and I never have to worry that my son is going to bed hungry at night. I am in an enviable position that I have to try to figure out how not to eat as much, rather than having to worry about where my next meal is coming from.

2. I have a home with all the luxuries that make life comfortable. In a world where so many are forced to live in shacks and tents I have heat and hot running water. I have air conditioning in the summer. I have a washer and dryer and a dishwasher. I have cable TV. I am blessed.

3. Love is all around me. My husband is amazing in what he is willing to put up with from me. Always patient and kind, even when I am not. My son is the best thing I have ever done. He is still very young but I can see that he is growing into a sweet and compassionate person. My extended family is closely knit and we are always there for one another. My sisters and I would rip anyone to shreds who hurt one of us.

4. Every moment is an opportunity. I can choose to be compassionate to others. I can choose to give 100% dedication to my job. I can choose not to eat the cannolis that are in the break room this morning. I have opportunities all day long to be a better person.

5. I am healthy and alive. I know where my loved ones are and I know that they are healthy and alive. I take this for granted too often, but waking up this morning and seeing so many suffering. Hearing the anguish in the voices of those who can’t get through to their mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers, sons and daughters, cousins, aunts and uncles, etc. - I thank God that mine are safe.

So today I have decided not to focus on the things I want to change. Instead for the rest of the day I am going to simply be happy with what I already have.

What are you grateful for today?

Weigh in Week 2

01/12/2010 Weight = 234.2


That’s down 3.4 pounds! I am utterly shocked.

And so proud of myself right now that I’m doing the happy dance in my cubicle at work.

I really want to thank all the lovely peeps who have been leaving me encouragement over the last week. I can’t tell you how motivating that is. There have been several times when I’ve wanted to get into my son’s Teddy Grahams and stopped myself because I remembered that you all believed in me.

So thank you!

I know that that is a lot of weight for one week, and I don’t expect to lose at this pace throughout. Slow and steady wins the race, as the fable goes. I feel a lot more energy this morning than I have in a long time. This is good, because tonight when I get home from work I’m finally going to put the Christmas decorations away.

Can’t wait to see how you all did!