Monday, November 24, 2008

Great Site!!

I LOVE online shopping but HATE paying for shipping. I heard about this great site on the Nest.

Save Money With Free Shipping!

At first I thought it might not have common sites or truly free shipping but it has a lot of great deals.

Monday, November 17, 2008

Say a prayer

Our friends just bought a condo in Yorba Linda that is in the path of the fire. They just did a bunch of remodeling and are also due with their first child in December. Please keep them in your prayers.

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Bleh Bleh Bleh

I sit here feeling like a total blob. The last few weeks, eh actually months have been a roller coaster when it comes to my diet and exercise. I feel like I have said, "I'll start tomorrow" a hundred times. I will do OK for a few days and then something happens that causes me to throw in the towel. Life is coming at me hard and although I've made progress, I still haven't conquered my emotional eating. When I feel stress my thoughts of food are magnified 1000%. I have found ways to cope with this but with all that has been going on lately, it has become harder to manage.

Part of what's made it so difficult is living with the ILs. There is just so much more food at my fingertips then when we lived on our own. I'm not blaming them at all and I know I am 100% responsible for what I put in my mouth. It's just so much easier to grab a cookie or piece of candy that wouldn't even exist in our own home. My ILs are frequent entertainers so even though the food that is consistently around isn't that bad, it's the treats and leftovers that kill me.

So on Sunday, I once again decided that I was going to be back in control. Yesterday I did well and even went to the gym. I am sore as a mofo today but I feel good. Just gotta take it one day at a time.

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Baby Quilt

I guess we are in a new stage of life because now instead of attending a wedding every other weekend, it's a baby shower. We attended a couples baby shower for some friends this past Sunday. Thankfully, this was a very mellow, non-lame couples shower.
Since they do not know what they are having, I made this unisex quilt. I decided to skip the typical yellow and green. The damask fabric makes it a little girly and the geometric fabric is a little more masculine.


Monday, November 3, 2008

Success

I did it!! With moments to spare, I managed to finish my Halloween costume.



Thursday, October 30, 2008

I just might be insane

Being the chubby girl, Halloween costume shopping was a huge drag. I haven't even bothered with one for the last 5 years. Deep down I've always wanted to wear one of those fun sexy aka slutty costumes. Nothing super hoochie but just something with a short skirt and maybe a little cleavage. After losing weight, I decided this year would be the year. I began looking at costumes online back in August to get an idea of what was out there.
With all of the craziness that hubby's job situation has caused, Halloween has been the last thing on my mind lately. So on Tuesday, hubby suggested we go to the costume store. Biggest let down, ever. Everything was either extremely trashy looking or super expensive. Regardless of the fact that we are on a tight budget, I refuse to pay $75 for a handkerchief sized piece of fabric with some tulle underneath. So at that point I wanted to just spend my Halloween at home but we had already made plans. So at that point I just needed some sort of a costume. I didn't care for any of the regular costumes so I decided to be creative and figure out what I could come up with on my own. Some of my ideas were:

  • Emo kid-I found these instructions online. Last week I bought some skinny jeans at Forever 21 so I knew I could wear those. But after reading item 3 "Wear skin tight clothes, regardless of how fat you are" I reminded myself that this is something I could have worn any year.


  • Gossip Girl characters-I also found instructions on how to dress like Serena or Blair. My first choice would have been Blair. I love her headbands but as a blond, I don't think I could have pulled it off without a lot of people asking, "What are you?" As for being Serena, I am lacking the waifish figure and so I fear I might just look like I'm trying to dress "boho chic."

So this morning, frustrated and ready to just buy some animal ears to wear with my usual clothes, the thought occurred to me that I could sew a costume. I realize I only have one day but what's one all nighter in order to have a cute costume? I went to Walmart and found this pattern and decided on Little Red Riding Hood. I got all of the fabric, the zipper and the pattern for $33. The pattern looks similar enough to the dress I made this summer and my mom explained a few ways I can cut corners. So although it's completely crazy to take this on one night before Halloween, I'm excited! I figure blogging about it will be good motivation because I don't want the embarrassment of saying I gave up. Wish me luck!

Monday, October 27, 2008

Happy Anniversary Mrs. D

Happy One Year Anniversary!
Boy how time flies! It seems like only yesterday...

Frozen Yummies

I have tried a few new Lean Cuisines lately that have been awesome. All of them have really good flavor and the chicken is all white meat. They also have no transfats, yippeee!!

6 WW Points
Calories 310
Calories From Fat 25
Total Fat (g) 3
Cholesterol (mg) 30
Saturated Fat (g) 0.5
Sodium (mg) 540
Trans Fat 0
Potassium (mg) 760
Polyunsaturated Fat (g) 1
Total Carbohydrates (g) 53
Monounsaturated Fat (g) 1
Dietary Fiber (g) 2
Protein (g) 17
Sugars (g) 20
4 WW Points
Calories 220
Calories From Fat 35
Total Fat (g) 4
Cholesterol (mg) 30
Saturated Fat (g) 2
Sodium (mg) 610
Trans Fat 0
Potassium (mg) 650
Polyunsaturated Fat (g) 1
Total Carbohydrates (g) 30
Monounsaturated Fat (g) 1
Dietary Fiber (g) 2
Protein (g) 17
Sugars (g) 8
Sesame Chicken
7 WW Points
Calories 330
Calories From Fat 80
Total Fat (g) 9
Cholesterol (mg) 25
Saturated Fat (g) 1.5
Sodium (mg) 650
Trans Fat 0
Potassium (mg) 240
Polyunsaturated Fat (g) 4
Total Carbohydrates (g) 47
Monounsaturated Fat (g) 3
Dietary Fiber (g) 2
Protein (g) 16
Sugars (g) 14

Monday, October 20, 2008

Creepy Dog People

We went to Laguna Beach yesterday to walk around and get something to eat at this restaurant where you can dine with your dogs. We decided to take advantage of the situation and treat Gunner like the human he thinks he is. I know this looks so creepy but these photos keep cracking me up every time I look at them.
Bailey would have no part in all of this. He was content to stay on the ground and people watch. Even a quick photo seemed to annoy him.
A woman who owns a pet food store right by the restaurant brought the boys some lunch.
What better way to end the day than at Golden Spoon!

Thursday, October 16, 2008

The Upside of Hubby's Unemployment

He called me earlier to let me know he made the bed, folded and put away all of the laundry and picked up our room. This week he has done the grocery shopping too! I had to explain the grocery game in detail to him but still such a great relief to not have to worry about it. We are both enjoying this but he better not get any ideas, when it comes time for kids I get to stay at home :)



Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Hot Dog!

An important thing for me when it comes to eating right is being able to "normal" foods. If I can trick myself into thinking I'm eating junk I can keep from pigging out. I call it healthy junk food. One thing I love is a good hot dog. Thankfully soon after I started WW the very first time, someone told me about Hebrew National 97% Fat Free Hot Dogs. They are only 1 point and don't taste tough or rubbery.

Wonder Bread used to make Wonder Light hot dog buns that were 1 point but have recently discontinued them so I try and find a bun that isn't too many points. It's not always as easy as it sounds. It's amazing how many calories can be packed in a bun.

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Puppy Dog Quilt

I made this quilt for a friend's baby shower. She is a fellow dog lover so this was so much fun to make.

Monday, October 6, 2008

Bob's Big Boy

We were in Burbank for a friend's art show and decided to go to Bob's Big Boy. I think the last time I ate at one I was under the age of 10. The food was yummy but the best part was of course Bob.





Saturday, October 4, 2008

Slimfast

If I actually did the Slim fast diet, I would probably die after the first day. Even now that their system includes more than just a 2 shakes and dinner, I still couldn't hang with that little of food. But I love having them for breakfast. I blend them with some soy milk and ice (3 points) and it keeps me full until lunch time.

Before I started making the Slim Fast shakes, I was buying the Weight Watchers shakes which were $7 for a box of seven. All Weight Watchers products are expensive but things like the shakes that are only sold at the meeting centers are even more of a rip off. Once the shakes became my daily breakfast I decided I need to find a better option.


I have also tried the Kashi Go Lean Smoothies but before you even add the milk they are 4 points and they taste like chocolate milk blended with sand.

I haven't been able to find any Slim Fast coupons lately but occasionally they are in the Sunday paper and I've found that Walmart has it the cheapest for around $6 a tub which makes 14 shakes.

Friday, October 3, 2008

"Diet" Food

My post yesterday got me thinking about the craziness that is diet food. On one hand, it is nice to have "healthier" (depending on what aspect you are talking about) options of my favorite foods when I'm craving them. On the other hand though, they can become my crutch and prevent me from finding a fresh, whole food alternative to satisfy me.
One of the biggest reasons I love WW is because they teach balance. I get furious at other weight loss programs that are based solely on eating their foods. I have heard of numerous people who have tried a certain program, lost a bunch of weight but as soon as they stopped eating the food, they gained the weight back because they had no idea how to eat in the real world. That means either a life of the lose the weight, gain the weight back, return to the plan and lose the weight again, gain the weight back again roller coaster or maintaining but doomed to frozen meals.

Weight Watchers does have their own version of every food item known to man (I mean is WW cheese really any different than regular reduced fat cheese?)but it is seen as an aid to their program, not the core.
Even when incorporating "diet" foods into WW, I've found that not all are a yummy low point substitute of the real thing. Because they can be so costly, I think some people are afraid to try them for fear of being a waste of money. So I'm going to start blogging about the ones I like and try my best to find links for coupons. Also, I'll blog about the ones that have made me contemplate mailing the chewed up bite of grossness to the company.

Thursday, October 2, 2008

2 New Yummy Foods

In the last week, I have tried two new foods that I'm now addicted to.

First, Fiber One has come out with their version of the PopTart. I'm not a big PopTart person so I wouldn't be heartbroken if they turned out to be gross or didn't taste exactly like the real thing. I can't remember the last time I ate a real PopTart but I they tasted really good and didn't have that fake, diet-y taste. Since they have 5 grams of fiber and only 15 grams of sugar, I was left feeling satisfied didn't experience the crash and burn I normally get from a donut or other breakfast sweet. I tried the Strawberry ones but learned this morning when I went looking for this photo that they have chocolate fudge. I'm definitely going to try those ones next.


I've also become addicted to the Weight Watchers Cookies and Cream Bars. I don't give into the Weight Watchers food hype very often but we were at the store and I needed some WW friendly desserts to keep in the freezer. I had coupons so they only ended up being $3. I was hoping they would be good but was skeptical because a lot of times these diet desserts are the size of my thumb or taste like crap. Hubby tried these before I did and even he was hooked. They taste good and are actually decent sized. I advise looking for coupons and sales before buying any WW products. These suckers are normally $6 for a box of 6.

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

A Goodie Bag

One of my favorite little kiddos (definitely my favorite little girl!) celebrate her sixth birthday today. Gosh it seems like yesterday she was a little baby...


Now, in the blink of an eye, she has become a full blown kid with a whole list of extracurricular activities. She is enrolled in two dance classes and when I was discussing her birthday gift with her fabulous mom, Mrs.D, she mentioned that she needed some sort of bag for her dance gear. She is a girl after my own heart and loves all things pink. Here is her new bag. It's a bit big for her now but is a good size for her gear and mom can tote it around. She'll grow into it :)


Friday, September 19, 2008

Giddy Up

Here is one of the first pieces of clothing I've sewn. I made it to wear to our friends' 1 year old son's birthday party. The theme as you can tell was western. All I was missing was a pair of boots!



(My boobies are not that small, just suffocating. That is the joy of using a pattern. It's really just a guess as to what size you are.)

Friday, September 12, 2008

What a difference a year makes

Yesterday, September 14th marked the one year anniversary of when I decided to restart Weight Watchers for the umpteenth time. My goal was to lose weight to fit into my bridesmaid dress for Mrs.D's wedding. Of course, I hoped that it would turn into a lifestyle and I would become a thinner, healthier person. But that is something I have said every time I restarted. For some reason though, thank God, this time it clicked and I have lost and kept off 30 pounds (40 pounds total from when I very first started Weight Watchers 5 years ago). I have gone from someone who dreaded the gym to someone who enjoys working out.

Sure, there are times I don't want to go or talk myself out of it but I always come back to my routine. I think that is the most important thing that has changed. Being healthy and exercising has become part of who I am. When I over indulge or miss a few days at the gym I feel out of whack and sluggish. When I do get back on track, it's not the old inner voice I used to hear. Gone are the days of chastising and labeling myself a failure. Now it's more like a reminiscent conversation with a friend saying, "Remember how great it felt? Let's get back to the way things were!"

There are still the difficult times and days were I think, "Oh my gosh, I have to do this for the rest of my life." But the good far out weigh (no pun intended, I swear) the bad and I know I'm on a good path to be healthy for the rest of my life. I want to be one of those ladies you see that's in their 60s and 70s rocking out in the front of the class at the gym.
Here are some photos of before I started the first time, restarting last year and now.
Right before 1st time starting WW


Right before restart 1 year ago



Now




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