A Goal Reached.

Remember this?


I was too fat to get pregnant.  My awesome lady Dr. told me all I would have to lose is 20 lbs. to kick start the baby maker. 


Well.  


He was RIGHT!  I am 4 months pregnant!


  I "officially" quit Weight Watchers in October for the time being but I still follow a ton of what I was taught.  I am willing to bet that is why I haven't gained a pound so far.  It's the healthy eating and regular vomiting.  When you struggle with weight like I have it's safe to say that becoming bulimic crosses your mind.  Now that I have experienced 3 months of puking I think it's safe to say that thought has died.  For now my focus is on all things baby.  If you would like to follow me and my plus sized pregnancy journey just click here.  It is safe to say that I will be just a revealing in my pregnancy journey as I have been with my weight loss!  

Shrimp and Squash Vindaloo and Quinoa

Hello mid summer and your sweltering heat!  I bet some of you thought I jumped off the weight loss bandwagon.  I bet some of you thought I had gained all I had lost and was too embarrassed to show my little face around these parts.  Well,  Since I last blogged I FINALLY made it to my first major goal.  I lost 10% of my starting weight!  


Now I am stuck.  Been stuck for a while.  I thought I was so good at this WW thing that I could just count points in my head.  HAH!  While I haven't packed on the pounds,  (Save gaining 2lbs which I choose to blame on my July birthday and also a mission trip in which we had a Professional Personal Chef making things like "Bread Pudding French Toast".  Just being honest!  I ate 2 GIANT slices.  FEW, glad to get that off my chest!  AND I LOVED EVERY BITE!  I digress.)  I haven't lost anything!  It's very frustrating considering how busy I have been.  I will be sharing what I have been up to in a future post so check by often!


In an effort to get back on the WW bandwagon and to continue succeeding in my ultimate goal I am making a new WW recipe for dinner.  In 5 days I have had 5 friends tell me they are expecting in the spring.  If that's not motivation I don't know what is! (Girls, save your hand me downs because hopefully I am not far behind!) Now, on to the recipe and the review!

Shrimp and Squash Vindaloo


2TBS White Wine Vinegar
2TBS Curry Powder
1/2 TSP  EACH Cinnamon, ginger, cumin
1/4 TSP EACH salt, cayenne (I used a little less because my hubby isn't so much into spicy)
1 Med. Acorn Squash
3 Med shallots
2 cloves of garlic
2CUP vegetable broth
1 LB Shrimp


In a small bowl mix spices and vinegar to form a paste and set aside


Cut squash in half along the equator.  Peel and seed.  Cut into cubes


In sauce pan spray a little cooking spray and add onions and garlic minced.  Once they are translucent add paste and mix for about 20 sec.  


Add squash and mix for 20 more seconds


Add broth and bring to simmer.  Cover and let it simmer for about 40 min or until squash is tender.


Add shrimp and cook until pink.  About 3 minutes.  ALL DONE!  11/4 cup per serving and only 5 pts!  


I made a side of Quinoa (KEEN WA)  to set it on.  1 cup of cooked Quinoa is 5 pts.  1/2 c is 3 pts.




Now for the REVIEW:


WW rates this as a recipe that is medium difficulty.  I don't agree.  I think it's pretty easy.  It's just not going to be done in under 30 minutes.  Right off the bat the old olfactory senses are telling me this is a fall recipe.  Between the acorn squash (which I got in my Appleby Community Farm share) and the cinnamon it gives a wonderfully fall aroma.  Now for the taste.  It's pretty good!  It is very fall.  I am going to tuck this recipe away when the weather cools.  If you are serving your whole family I would suggest to cut the cayenne completely.  The curry is enough spice.  I think the squash could have cooked a little less possibly making this a 30 min recipe! It needs something...OHH...I added craisins!  Now it's TOTALLY thanksgivingy.  Not a word but is now!   I bet some shreds of unsweetened coconut shavings will do the trick too.  The quinoa makes it more like an etouffe than a gumbo.   I think I will be replacing my rice for quinoa!  It's very high in protein!  It is very good but it didn't pass the husband test!  Too weird for him!  DARN! 


That means more for me!  

20 Ways I Can Tell I've Lost 20lbs.

1.  I have a lap.


2.  My towel wraps around me.
           
3.  I can bend over to tie my shoes without sounding like a pig.


4.  Fatigue is no longer a problem.


5.  I can feel my collar bones.


6.  I can feel my hip bones.


7.  I can feel my butt bones.


8.  In short, I have bones I didn't know I had.


9.  I can run.


10.  I can play Ultimate Frisbee with my Youth.  They actually pass me the Frisbee too!


11.  I don't need to shop in the Plus Size area anymore!


12.  I can slide into a booth with ease and the table doesn't cut off my air supply!


13.  I can clasp my hands behind my back.


14.  I bought a swimsuit last year and it's too big!


15.  My back doesn't hurt.  much.  (ehem...I still haven't lost much in the chest area....)


16.  My underwear falls off and my bra actually fits correctly!  


17.  My Netflix have been seriously neglected.


18.  I am excited that my husband is buying me running shoes for our anniversary.


19.  I have lost 35 inches from all over my body.


20.  The scale says so!  (From 244 to 223.2)

Over Half Way There!

Tonight I just finished Week 5 of Couch to 5K (C25K)!  I feel great!  I never thought I would claim to be a runner but I am really enjoying it.  This was the first time we ran 20 minutes straight.  I am still in shock that I was able to do it!  I more than did it!  I CONQUERED IT!  Now, now, don't get me wrong I wanted to stop.  My body was telling me that this is hard but it also celebrated when I finished!  I like that feeling, could it be a runner's high?  I feel like making it to 35 is nothing now.  (We will see if I am still saying that by Week 9)  Training for the 5K does cause me to wonder, why in the heck did we not run this way in school?  What I remember of running in middle school was that you had to run a mile.  There was no real warm up or training for that kind of thing.  I think if there had been I would have been more successful in gym class. 

On a weight loss note,  I am struggling to officially get to my first 20lb loss.  I have been hovering right under it for a couple of weeks now.  I think I am at 19.6!  I haven't tracked my food as well as I should and boy that makes all the difference in the world!  My goal is to track my food every day this week and see what a difference that makes on the scale on Thursday!  (I know the answer already!  It will.)  Do you remember this picture?

Here I am with my husband in the same dress.  I know it's not the best picture of me in the dress but let me tell you I could zip it up without the help of SPANX!  Do you see the best part?  It's right there above the dress.  The average eye wouldn't even notice it.  It's a neck!  I have a neck, people!  Go ahead.  Scroll back up and look at the first picture (it is beyond me why the dad gum thing isn't centered) you know you want to.  That's right.  No neck.  Neck.  No neck.  Neck.  It's a beautiful thing!

Stay tuned for my first Top 20 List!  Hopefully this week will be my week! 

Happy Eating!

C25K

No, It's not a new, hip boy band.  Are boy bands still around?

It's the Couch to 5K. 

The C25K is a pretty straight forward plan to get the average couch potato in enough shape to run a 5K in 9 weeks.  I started it last week with my friend Britney and coincidentally with my neighbor/parent of one of my preschool kiddos.  (I really love when you find out things on Facebook that you otherwise wouldn't know about people and then FB helps keep you accountable, and by love I mean I also sometimes hate the extra accountability!  But that's only on days I don't want to do whatever I am being held accountable for) 

There are several ways to follow the C25K plan.  You can buy it on your computer or, if you are hip like me, HA, you can buy the App on your smart phone for $2.99.  Next to the Apps I bought for my friend's toddler to play on while we are at dinner this is by far the best way I have spent my money.  It is super user friendly.  I just pick which days workout to do and my hottie of a trainer (that's how I picture it in my head) tells me when to run and walk.  Don't worry guys you can change it to a lady trainer's voice, but don't tell my husband!

Britney and I started on a Monday last week and I wanted to die a little.  Not only that but I sputtered and coughed for the rest of the night.  The very next day we went for day 2 and I saw an immediate difference.  My stamina and breathing were already better!  Britney and I finished our week on top, there are only 3 workouts a week, but I felt like I should workout an extra day before the step up on week 2.  I never did the extra workout and I gotta tell you that I did fine on the first day of week 2!

The best part so far is that Carl started running with me this week!  I am so excited to see where this is going!  I hope we start running together!  I totally recommend trying out this App.  If you think you should talk to your doctor before starting a new workout, then please do!  I am going to tell you that if I can do it almost anyone can! 

Happy Running!  Look for us at a 5K near you!  7 weeks to go!

Appleby Community Farm

Remember when I said I would post a surprise on Friday? 

Hello Saturday 2 weeks later!  Oops. 

I hope I don't disappoint.  With all the waiting and anticipation I hope the post isn't anti climatic. 

Carl and I invested in a farm!  Well, kinda.  We bought a share.  We are now a part of the Appleby Community Farm!  Really my friend Jennifer and her family and I are sharing a full share.  What that means is every Friday we take turns picking up fresh produce and splitting the share.  The food is grown right there on the farm for us to see and is all organic.  We even have the option of buying organic eggs and goat milk and cheese at pick up.  I picked up our 3rd share yesterday and I am so happy!  Right now we are mostly receiving lettuces.  It's so much that I still have a produce drawer full by the time the next Friday rolls around! 

Here is what a share looks like. 

Butter lettuce, Collard Greens, Green Onions, Spinach and Lamb Quarters

See how much!  The veggies are in the floor of my car!

Jennifer and I went out last Thursday afternoon and worked on the farm.  To keep costs down on your share you have the option to work the fields.  It is mostly all about pulling weeds but we also got to pull some veggies that had bolted.  Bolting is when a plant seeds and becomes bitter.  I am learning so much!  Speaking of learning,  I learned that bull nettle sucks!  It stings like the dickens!  I got it on my hands and knees and it was still stinging by the time I was ready for bed.  I used an old East Texas remedy that was gross but also worked like a charm.  Even with the stinging nettle, working in the garden was a blast!  I was able to get a good workout and also a nice therapy session with Jennifer!  Therapy=pulling weeds.  If you are interested in buying your own share at a community farm check out Local Harvest!

I am off to make a green smoothie using the wild lambs quarters.  YUM!  Enjoy your Saturday!

Green Smoothie

For the last three weeks I have started my morning by drinking a "Green Smoothie".  In the last three weeks I have been able to see a difference in my energy, my weight and my bowels (too much?).  I have already proved that the "Green Smoothie" curbs my cravings for sweets and gives me a lasting fullness.  After all there was that day I didn't drink one and the mini binge that ensued.  So, ah la, The Pioneer Woman, I will be sharing my "recipe" for the "Green Smoothie" with pictures.

First, grab some produce.  Anything really.  Spinach.  Kale.  Chard.  Lemons.  Limes.  Oranges.  I use mostly frozen fruit for cost and because we don't have ice.  Can't have a smoothie without something frozen.

Gather up the "Super Foods" you would like to add to boost your beverage.  Here you see Mesquite Pod Flour, Coconut Water, Flax Seeds, Black Cherry Concentrate.

Cut, peel and clean the produce.

Frozen fruits in first.  I buy whatever fruit is on sale.  If you want to trick your husband or children into drinking this smoothie you better add some dark berries so they don't see the green stuff.  If you add only light fruits you will truly have a GREEN smoothie!



Add your pick of "Super Foods".  Here I am adding some black cherry concentrate.

Add the "Green".  I like spinach because it is mild and you can't taste it.  Kale.  Not so much.  I may be adding more greens later but for now this is the one.

Add more power packed foods.  Here I am adding Flax seeds. 

I forgot to add the picture of me adding coconut water.  You can also use regular water to make your smoothie smooth.  Otherwise it will come out in chunks.  Who likes drinking a chunky?  GROSS!

Blend.

Saving the environment by using reusable straws.

Enjoy.

There really is no one way to make this delish drink.  Adding yogurt makes it creamier but it also adds points.  I have been very happy with just using water or coconut water.  You might not believe me but the fruit is sweet enough!  You don't need to add anything to sweeten it up.  No, really, you don't.  I just added a lemon this morning and I swear it tastes just like kind of like Sonic's Lemon Berry Slush. 

Try it.  Trick your family members.  Enjoy a refreshing and healthy treat.

  PS I love my Ninja Blender.  The End.



5%

Time to CELEBRATE!

I reached my first weight loss goal on Thursday.  I said "Buh Bye" to 5% of my total weight. 

12.2 gone.  That's the size of a one month old!

I am celebrating by eating these.

I am even dipping them in a fat-free mayo and balsamic vinegar dip and it's still 0 points!

Now on to my next goal.  10% or 12.2 more lbs.

Oh, remember when I talked about my veggie drawer here.  Well you will have to wait until Friday to find out more!  I know, I know, you are sitting at your computer in anticipation!  Well, tomorrow I will post my green smoothie recipe to tide you over.

Wordless Wednesday: Lunch

It was the Cookies!

Thanks for all those who played my the game.

Sarah was the first to guess correctly on my fb and Kristin was the first one to guess on here. 

GOLD STARS FOR BOTH! 

The hot dogs are Carl's.  I bought only fat-free cheese.  Let me tell you, no temptation there!



Couldn't help the Dave Matthew's song reference!



See we have this little space between our cheese drawer and veggie drawer, it only holds junky foods.  I was cleaning out our leftovers when I saw them.  I restrained and only baked 8 cookies but within 24 hours all 8 found their way to my belly!  I didn't go over too many of my points and luckily Weight Watchers (WW) has added Flex Points to their plan.  It allows for a Weight Watcher to get through events like Spring Break, a wedding or say PMS without having to dump the whole program and feel like a failure.  I used some of those points to have a mini binge on Toll House chocolate chip walnut cookies.  I have made a connection between me NOT having my daily green smoothie the other day and my weakness. (More on Green Smoothies soon as I take some pictures)  I will say I am proud of how full our veggie drawer has been lately.  I can't wait to share what I did yesterday to ensure my veggie drawer will stay over flowing!  But for now I must go make a green smoothie or bake more cookies....

What Did I Eat?

Let's play a  little game called, "What did I eat to make me go over my Points* today."

This is a partial picture of my fridge.  The culprit is in the picture.  If you can tell me which food item caused me to go over my WW Points* you get a gold star!

*Weight Watchers (WW) has a point system.  The scientist that work for WW came up with a formula using a person's sex, weight and age to determine how many Points a person of said criteria can use to eat in a day.  All foods have a certian Point value.  The same scientists sketched out another formula using fat, carbs, fiber and protien to assign a Point value to each morsal of food.  I don't ask too many questions on their theories.  I trust they are smarter than me.  So anyway, a Weight Watcher, such as myself, uses their assigned Points to determine what to eat in a day.  I have 36 Points I can use in my day. 

It's What's for Dinner

Turkey Burger:  lean ground turkey seasoned with salt and pepper only, potato bun (it's only 1 more point than those Deli Flats and I would rather have the bread), Spinach and mustard. 

Pickles:  My dad pickled these bad boys from his own garden.  I believe these are "Mrs. Wages Dill Pickles"

Butternut Squash Fries and Ketchup:  These were super easy to make! Peel and cut up the neck of the squash into "fries" add a little salt and olive oil spray and stick it in the oven at 450 for 20 min. 

It was very filling and not for very many points!  Only 8 points to be exact.  I can use up to 36 points a day for meals and snacks.  An 8 point dinner means I can have dessert!  The best part about this meal is my husband didn't even notice that he was eating butternut squash.  I asked him if I should buy more of those kind of fries and he said yes.  It wasn't emphatic but it was a yes!  I am counting it as a win for the WW team!

Thursdays=Weigh In Day

At 5:15 I had my sixth weigh in with Weight Watchers (WW). 

I gained.  Ugh.  Are you ready for this number?  Are you?

.2 lbs.  Did you even see the tiny little dot before the two?

That's right I gained two tenths of a pound.  Do I sound depressed?  I'm not.  I forgot to pee before I weighed in.  Yeah, that's it. 

SIDE NOTE: To all my math teacher friends:  Are you proud of me?  I did the math on that one!  Now that I think about it, it's surprising how many of my friends are math teachers.   Disgusting really, since I get nauseated at the sight of a #2 pencil or a TI 82 calculator.  But I digress.

This is the Weight Watchers Record Keeper.

For those who are not familiar with Weight Watchers(WW), every Thursday I go weigh in at the only WW meeting in town.  I stand in line with a bunch of other hefty people wearing an inappropriate amount of clothing considering the chilly weather.  We all have our Weight Records and Monthly Passes in our hands and wait for our own turn to stand on a giant scale in front of one of the former fat ladies (FFL) that is now working for WW.  (There will be a future post on WW meetings, talk about the ultimate place to people watch!)  The FFL then writes in our logs whether we lost, gained or stayed the same.

As you can see, I have a bit of a pattern going on.  Loss.  Loss. Gain.  Loss.  Loss.  Gain.   I am not upset about it.  The gains are tiny in comparison to the losses.  I am actually running at the suggested -2lbs. a week.  I just do it 4 lbs. at a time and then take a break.  I don't even mind if I keep this pattern.  That is only if the gains are all .2lbs and the losses are 4lbs! 

Oh, just in case you were wondering, the awesome gold star is for losing 5lbs.  I should have another one, because I lost 5 more but I forgot to get it tonight.  I have lost exactly 10lbs total to date. Wow, there are a lot of mathy sort of references in this post.  I am shocked.  My middle school math teacher was right, you really do need math skills in everyday life! 

Off to count how many points I have left for the day.  HA, more math!  Who knew.

The Portrait of a Fat Lady

This is my friend Tricia. 



Yeah, I know, gorgeous, right?!?   Well she had a little thing this last November called a wedding.  I was privileged enough to be a bridesmaid.  She picked out this fitted black cocktail dress for her beautiful bridesmaids to wear.  Well,  The dress didn't fit.  I drank Slim Fast for a week so that the dad gum thing would zip up!  The results are as follows:

This is the dress.  Just ignore the fact that I am standing next to another gorgeous friend, Jacqui.  I know, I gotta get uglier friends...or something. 

God gave us two ears and one mouth and how many chins?  That would be one right?  I am hoping to give back my extra.  I am sure God could stick it on some baby.  Double chins always look better on babies.

I wave.  It waves.  I dance.  It dances.  I stop.  It doesn't. 

I wore SPANX.  When they weren't rolling down my back, they were pushing my fat onto my thighs.  Horrible.

So there you go.  The Portrait of a Fat Lady. 

Making Better Food Choices...

...While Eating Out.

As a preschool teacher I am always asking my toddlers, "Did you do the right thing?".  For the last month or so I have asked my self the same question about food.

Today we ate at our favorite restaurant, Posados.  I love to eat Mexican or Tex Mex or Southwestern fare.  It's all tasty. (Who am I kidding, I love to eat, cuisine can change and I will still eat it)  In the past I would get a big platter with a chicken tamale, cheese enchilada, a cheese chili relleno, rice, beans, and 4 flour tortillas.  Now to be fair I would take half of it home.  I haven't even included the chips, queso, salsa, guacamole and the free sopapilla!  No wonder I am fat?!?!?!

This was my meal today:



Authentic Chicken Fajita Tacos with Black Beans and Rice



What is the difference?

My old meal was about 50 points.

The new meal is 15 points.  That is including the corn tortillas I ate before the meal!  That is a HUGE difference.  It tasted just as yummy and I was just as full.  (Really I was less full but all that meant was I could move after the meal, which is a good thing.)

Oh,  just so you know I get 36 points (as of now, the more weight I lose the less points I will have to eat with) a day.

All this talk about food has made me hungry.  I'm out.

Kalena

1st Clothing Goal

I bought 2 pairs of size 20 jeans a year ago.  One fit like a glove.  I loved it because I thought I had gone down a pant size.  The other one I couldn't even meet the button to the hole.  Of course I didn't try it on in the dressing room because the other one fit.  Ugh.  I love them.  I want to wear them.  So I will.  Soon enough.  Goals are good.  Pants that fit like a glove are better.

1 Month Down

I officially completed my first month with Weight Watchers tonight.  It was a great weigh in day!  I have lost a total of 9.2 lbs for my first month.  That is awesome considering I gained a lb. last week.  I did my monthly measuring as well and I was pleasantly surprised.  I lost inches everywhere, but mostly my hip area, 4 inches!

(WARNING: SKIP THE NEXT PARAGRAPH IF YOU DON'T WANT TO HEAR ABOUT DETAILED DESCRIPTIONS OF UNWANTED FAT)

Calling it my "Hip" area is a misnomer.  I have no hips.  While we are on the subject of what I DON'T have, I also don't have a butt, but I will talk about that disturbing part of my body in another post.  I don't want induce vomiting.  It's the way God made me.  He made my dad the same way.  This brings me to my most bothersome body part.  For the lack of a better word, I dislike my FUPA.  Don't know what it is, click the link,  you may not want to know what it is though, so I am warning you it's not pretty.  So when I say I've lost four inches off of my hips it's really that other part,  I am ECSTATIC! 

OK, back to the less gross,  Amazingly not surprising is that the part of my body with the least amount of loss is my bust.  Not surprised at all.  The girls have a mind of their own.  The husband is totally OK with them staying just the way they are and for now so am I. 

I am about 3 lbs away from my first official goal, 5% loss.  That is a total of 12 lbs for those not fast on the subtraction.  I have other personal goals I will post separately. 

I will say I am not as hungry as I was 2 weeks ago.  I am still trying to learn what is best to eat and to use the point calculator instead of taking what is on the food box or the generic food in the tracker. 

Sincerely Hungry,

Kalena

-6.0

I am down 6 lbs!  I also got my first sticker!  The five pound star!  It's all very exciting.

I will admit it hasn't been easy.  I am hungry.  I have been able to see stuble changes.  I know that my Route 44 water with lime is my lifeline.  I can tell a difference a HUGE difference in my hunger level on whether or not I've had my water.  I've been drinking a Sonic water every work day for a year and a half now.  I just never noticed my snacking habits until this week. 

The other observation I have made in the last two weeks is that fruit is just as sweet as, say, a cookie.  Or maybe, I just can't remember what a cookie tastes like. 

Either way,  I am 6 lbs lighter and a little more hungry.

Big, Blonde and Beautiful

But I don't want to be anymore. 

Well I mean,  just the 'big' part.  I don't want to be that anymore.  So I am going to do something about it.  Or better,  I have started to do something about it. 

On January 27th, I joined Weight Watchers.  I would like to tell you it is my first time in the program but it's not.  My first was back in 2000 or so.  I was a 17 year old and I took my Aunt Lisa's books and followed the point system religiously.  I lost a ton of weight.  I was my skinniest I had/have ever been when I started college at Stephen F. Austin State University in Fall of 2001.  I know what you are thinking.  "You gained the freshman 15 didn't you?!?!".  Nope.  I actually lost 15 more lbs. my freshman year.  Then I really was the skinniest I had ever been.  It was after I moved off campus that the weight started creeping back up.  Then in January of 2004, six months before my best friend was to get married, I joined again.  This time I went to the meetings.  For a few months.  I lost around 20lbs. but as I indulged in Kelly's wedding cake I kissed WW goodbye.  And the 20lbs + said "hello".

In the six years since my last Weight Watchers experience I have graduated college,  worked as an insurance rep (5 years I will never get back), married my college sweetheart (I am his high school sweetheart!), bought a house and had a major career change.  I am ready to be a mom and there is a major hurdle I need to overcome before that will be a reality.

I can't get pregnant because I am fat. 

It's sad but true.  The saddest part is that even though I know God has called me to be a mom, I am struggling, I mean STRUGGLING, to lose weight.  It was May 2010 that my doctor told me that I was not ovulating due to my excessive weight.  Eight months ago.  I sat and chewed on the doctor's statement, and an endless line of cookies, for EIGHT MONTHS and did nothing!  I've done what is easy for the last eight months.  I am ready to do what is hard. I hope this blog serves as a way for me to stay accountable to my goal.  Nothing will be left off the table.  NOTHING.  I am going to let it all hang out there.  Pictures, scale numbers and the dirty little secrets no fat person wants the world to know.  It's all going to be here.

I'm not gonna lie.

I am one hungry blonde.