Project Self: My Scale is Broken

I took a week off last week... not because I wasn't working on Project Self, but because I was exhausted and didn't have anything to write about. Well, I sure as heck have something to write about THIS week. Guys, my scale is broken.

image via

I have been walking my butt off and really looking at my food intake and I swear, I cannot get past 179. What is going ON? I cannot be plateauing at 179. There are way too many more pounds to go in this game. Lessening my calorie intake is NOT an option. Cutting more simple carbs would be nearly impossible. I'm not giving up my one time a week pasta. So what gives? When you run into a time like this, what's your go-to problem solver? HELP!

last time I weighed: 180.6

current weight: 179

down: 0.8

lbs. to go: 59

I hope you link up with your Project Self- tell me how your week went and how your goals are going! And if you have any advice, I'd love to hear it!

Project Self: Anniversary Trip Day 2

Yep, I'm still flooding you with photos from our anniversary trip! So for those of you keeping up with Project Self, I weighed in two weeks ago and I try my hardest to do the same EVERY Friday morning! I really want to get this trip recapped, though, so I'm not fully dedicating today's post to a Project Self topic other than the weigh-in and wanting to praise the great outdoors! We walked and walked (and walked and walked) on our trip! And now that the weather (in most places) is getting bearable outside, it's a perfect time to really embrace walking, jogging, hiking, or just running around outside with your kid(s). We had an awesome time enjoying the outdoors, which isn't something we generally do. Husband and I do.not.like the heat. Thankfully, the plunging temperatures are inviting us back outside to be more active!

last time I weighed: 179.8

current weight: 180.6

up: 0.8

lbs. to go: 60.6

Oops. So, I ate a ton on vacation and haven't gotten back in my groove at.all. this week. You'll have to excuse my health hiatus while I jerk my chain back into shape over this coming weekend. I hope you all are doing well and didn't decide that the bandwagon was a good place to fall off of this week!

And... onto the picture party!

And, oh, the tennis shoes.

t-shirt: Old Navy

tank: Target

I may or may not have (definitely) worn this tank yesterday...

jeans: Old Navy

bag: Old Navy

shoes: New Balance

All of these outfit photos were taken on the driveway/rocks right outside the front of our cabin. See that long road down there behind me? Bears walk right down the middle of that sucker just like they're cars. Not lying. I have proof. 

Obligatory Hard Rock emblem photo.

Cool fact: Hard Rock, Gatlinburg is the only Hard Rock, EVER, where you can get married! They even have on-call officiants!

Thursday, September 29 was, perhaps, our most "touristy" day. Hard Rock? Come on. But seriously, no one has hamburgers like them! I had the Red, Black, and Bleu, which was blackened with Cajun seasoning, smothered with hot sauce, and topped off with bleu cheese crumbles. Drooooooool.

After lunch, we decided to walk off the beef and hit the ginormous Ripley's Aquarium! Thank goodness it's so big. At least we got to walk for two hours straight after ingesting the biggest burgers of all time. I'm also a HUGE fan of water and water creatures, so whenever we're somewhere that boasts a fancy aquarium, it's on my to-visit list. When we went to Gatlinburg 6 years ago, we visited this same aquarium. In fact, the river bend right behind it is where I fractured my ankle! Husband and I had a great time going on our own, taking our time, reading about the animals, and really enjoying the feeding shows and all of the displays.

Baby Stingrays:

Jellies

Flounder (can you see him?)

Nurse Sharks!

Enourmous Jelly

Husband and I in front of the enormous jellies!

Nautilus (cousin of octopus and squid)

After the aquarium, we headed to a little walking mall to see what it had in store. On our way back outside, I saw THIS beautiful thing. The Aqua Massage! First, I thought, "What a crock. This is such an easy way for people to pull in tourists and grab a few bucks." Then I thought, "Well, my back really does hurt..." Husband told me to go for it, so I just got 7 minutes in a machine that looks like a cross between a personal car wash and a headless tanning bed. You can learn more about this little slice of Heaven here.

Funnel cake for him, mini golf for both, and we called it a night!

Hope you're enjoying our trip! Only two more days to go! 

LINK UP with your Project Self this week! (Go 'head! Just fill out the little form below!)

I'd love to hear what you're doing for yourself and how you're progressing!

Project Self: Weight Watchers

Could you fill out this little survey for me? It won't hurt and it'll take juuuuust a sec. 
<--- THANKS!

"If you don't know me by now, you'll never never never know me (oooooo)."
Basically, that's how I feel about Weight Watchers. Right? If you don't know about it, you never will. Or you've been hiding under a rock. Whether you need to lose weight or not, WW is prevalent in our media. There's a reason for that. IT WORKS. The thing about it, though, is that it's not a diet. Like everyone who ever tells you about leading a healthy life, they are preaching a "lifestyle change" and not a quick fix. That means once you've started on and had success with WW, you have TO STAY on the plan for life. You might not need to count every point once you meet your goal weight, but that's mostly because you've got it down pat. Not because you aren't watching what you're eating. Once you've calculated your points for X amount of time, you can calculate points in your sleep.

This, my friends, is why I have jumped on the Weight Watchers bandwagon. Jennifer Hudson may have a personal trainer and a hired chef to look that good, but my mom doesn't. And she looks amazing. I used WW to lose 20 lbs before my wedding, and then, of course, I hopped off. I paid homage, said my "Thank yous" and moved on.

Here I am: 179.8
pants size: 16-18
top size: L

Here's a mid-way goal: 150

pants size: 12

top size: M

And... I don't have a photo of my goal weight because, well, I'd have to dig through old photos and scan it in and that's just a whole lot of work for right this second! I wonder if I even have those photos or if they're all at my mom's house. I should get them, right? And plaster them in my closet so my hot little self is staring at me all the time. Now I'll go eat a piece of humble pie so I can calm myself down just a little bit. Simma down now, self.

last time I weighed: 182.4

current weight: 179.8

down: 2.6

lbs. to go: 59.8

And I don't know if you've noticed, but this is the second mini-goal (you might recognize the second photo in this post, ahem...) I've hit, with which I promised to reward myself with new tennis shoes. If you remember, though, I already did that. So I'm just going to peace on out to a cabin with Husband next week to celebrate our five year anniversary, lounge in the lap of luxury (ie: hot tub on a cabin balcony in the woods), and take that as my 180 reward. 

What have you been doing to take care of yourself this week? If you aren't linking up, I'd still love to read a comment about one thing you've done for YOU this week!

And if you haven't, yet, make sure to enter to win the beautiful initial necklace (personalized for you, of course) by clicking the button below!





Ready. Set. LINK!

Project Self: YOU Time

Usually, I write about weight loss, fitness, and otherwise health-related things on Project Self day, but today's topic is JUST as important (if not moreso) for you to stay on the track to a healthy, happy self. I'm talking about YOU time. When was the last time you did something for yourself? When did you put yourself at the top of your ever-important, ever-inflating list of things to do? This week, I've realized that once again, I put myself at the bottom of the list and it's effected the way I eat, the way I treat my family, and the way I dress and blog.

Last night, my neighbor (Hi, Linds!) invited me to small group/bible study with her. It was AMAZING to go off, meet some new friends, let husband care for Little S. (feed her/bathe her, etc) and really do something for myself. I feel blessed to call Thursday nights "my time," now. I'm obviously not saying that you have to do something religious to celebrate yourself, but ever since I started going to church a few months ago, my outlook on life has really gotten more centered. I'm less worried about money and more concerned about my and my family's happiness. I took on some extra hours at work a few months ago and have since talked to my boss about going back to the older hours where I'll have afternoons off every other week. It was really hard to say goodbye to the extra pay. But it's more important that I have peace in my home and spend more time with my daughter, one-on-one. 

Thank goodness for understanding.

So, LINK UP, friends. This week is all about doing something for yourself that makes you feel like your very own number one! It's more important than you think. And putting yourself first makes a world of difference in all aspects of your life.

READY. SET. LINK!

Project Self: Juice

Most of you who regularly read already know that my husband and I are doing a juice fast. Today is day 7 and we've both had some ups and downs from last Saturday to this point, but I think we're happy to keep going after talking through our feelings. Husband is very confident that he can "go the distance," while I have wavering cravings between lentils and salad or pizza and pasta. Obviously, I don't want to break my fast on a pizza/pasta kind of day.

Another challenge facing us right now is hurricane Irene. She's headed right for our area on Saturday afternoon and while everyone is boarding their windows on the coast, inland, I'm worried about the electricity going down for a length of time, in which case, we can't juice. Also, produce will go bad in the fridge after 24 hours, so we're praying and crossing our fingers that everyone stays safe and that we have access to the juicer. I know that sounds so lame in comparison to the millions who've been hit and for what's to come. I'm really not shallow, but it's something we have to face this weekend if the time comes. Most canned/dried foods aren't exactly "healthy."

If you're interested, keep reading to see some of my favorite juice recipes to date and a photo of ... a ton of produce at once.

8 cups of kale, 8 large carrots, 4 large beets, 2 red delcious apples, 2 inches of fresh ginger

My friends, that is a picture of TWO juice servings pre-juice. You ingest so.many.nutrients on this fast, it's not even funny. In the same vein, you are not ingesting several of the things your body is used to, so you have to weigh the pros and cons if this is a fast you're interested in trying. Barring the last two days, while I've had a really bad head cold, I've felt pretty good. I had a headache on day 2, which is totally normal. And colds are normal as well, but I still attribute my virus to the kiddos since they all have runny noses and slight coughs. We all woke up with it on the same morning and they're not juicing. The math is pretty plain to me.

Our favorite juices so far are: Blackberry Kiwi and my creation, "Watermelon Wonder."

Watermelon Wonder Juice

- 1/4 small watermelon, sliced and cubed, use rind!)

- 1/4 c. fresh pineapple, cored and diced

- 1/4 c. fresh blueberries

- 1 c. purple cabbage

- 1 heart of romaine

** Place ingredients in juicer, stir to blend. Enjoy.

Yes, we like fruit in our juices. Yes, fruit is high in sugar. And yes, I'm a little nervous about all the sugar I'm taking in by juicing a zillion fruits a day. I also juice tons of veggies and greens, but just because I have lots of those doesn't mean they cut the sugar I'm taking in. We were also nervous about protein, although I've read tons of mixed reviews on worrying about protein while fasting. One school of thought is that your muscles will break down if you don't eat the right amount and right type of protein, so a fast is depriving you of that. The other is that a fast is a cleanse- a detox, and while your body might not be taking a certain nutrient, now is not the time to build. It's the time to break down so you can be a clean slate to build upon when done. Now, if I planned to go a ridiculous amount of time on juice only, I'd be a little nervous about the protein thing. But we're not getting crazy up in here. Promise. And we do eat two egg whites each day + kale and spinach are packed with protein! Usually you wouldn't get the amount you need via eating a green salad each day, alone. But with the quantity of greens we take, I'm not that concerned.

I really appreciate ALL of you who are supporting and encouraging me to continue this fast. Your comments, emails, and tweets have been pushing me forward when I get weak. I hope I can make it to my projected goal date, but I also want to break my fast in time to re-introduce solid foods and feel comfortable enjoying my best friend's wedding! So everything is day-by-day and in stride. We do what we feel and right now, we're moving forward with juice tomorrow! Now, for the weigh-in!

last week's weight: 189.6

current weight: 182.4

down: 7.2

lbs. to go:  62.4

Obviously the fast helps you lose weight. But it's tough to keep it off since this is such a drastic way of "eating." I'm also painstakingly aware of that, but if you've read over the week or watched my video diary, you know that I'm in this for the cleanse, not the weight loss. It's just an added perk and good motivation to keep healthy when we move on!

Check out my juice diary!

Now, link your healthy self up!

Project Self: Clean the Fridge

The most important part of leading a healthy life (other than making the commitment to do so) is eating properly. We've talked about it before, but let me just show you what I mean. Here's my refrigerator in its current state. I had to really break down, empty the entire thing, and start from scratch. But now, we build on healthy blocks every week and don't have any toxic residue left behind for temptation.

Preface: Not all of my food is organic. And no, beer and wine are not good for you while you're trying to lose weight. Duh. Oh, and that beer is NOT mine. Ew. I can't say the same for the wine...

L to R (all organic/cage free/antibiotic and hormone free): 

turkey breast, turkey bacon, kiwi, strawberries, vine ripened tomatoes

We buy all of our meat at Fresh Market because I can't bear to eat non-organic meats. And it tastes way better this way. Promise.

L to R and F to B: 

organic strawberries, Dannon OIKOS vanilla greek yogurt, Stoneyfield Farms OIKOS plain greek yogurt, more vanilla greek yogurt, Country Crock that I need to throw away because we don't use it, Arnold Health-full bread, Nature's Own 100% whole wheat hot dog buns, Nature's Promise organic eggs, organic egg whites (don't remember the brand)

L to R(ish):

Horizon part-skim organic cheese sticks, organic cheddar (in baggy), Kraft cheddar, organic feta on top of Sabra classic hummus, Little S' ham, part skim shredded mozzerella, Little S' cheese sticks (Borden?), fresh ginger and lemongrass

If you're like me, cheese is a major weakness. Horizon's part-skim organic cheese sticks are a great stand-in when a craving hits and they're a good source of protein for a small snack. Make sure to pair your protein with a good carb like a pear or apple. I stick (as best I can) to a 1400 calorie/day regimen which allows for 3 meals at 400 calories each and one afternoon snack at 200 calories.

L to R(ish):

organic oranges, organic apples, conventional lemons, organic pears, conventional carrots

F to B:

conventional green onions, organic red and green peppers (underneath), organic spinach

Buying organic is definitely more expensive, but your health is an investment. I'm not going to go all haywire on why I choose to eat organic when I can, but it's a choice I've made and try to stick to for my family and myself. What I find *most* helpful about eating organic meats and produce is that when I spend more dollars on healthy foods, I have less dollars to spend on cheapie snack crap. This yields more lean proteins, fruits, and veggies and less crackers, chips, and cookies in our house. Win-win? I think so.

If you have any questions about what foods you should buy organic and which ones you can get away with buying conventional, Katy is a great source!!! She helped me a lot when I first started changing to organics. Now, I don't *always* follow the golden rules. For instance, in a perfect world, my lemons, green onions, and carrots would all be organic. I use the lemon ZEST, so the peel is definitely touched with pesticides and other chemicals when the inside isn't, so if you're just using the meat of the fruit, conventional is totally okay. Get it?

The deets:

last week - 189.6

this week - 190.2

up: 0.6

69.8 lbs to go

My refrigerator is somewhat moot at this point, however.

I'm a little bit frustrated about how clean and healthy I've been eating and I'm not seeing the weight drop. After my initial 16 lbs, nothing has really happened and I've been on a 1 lb fluctuation for three weeks. After talking with my family, watching a few documentaries on cleansing and healthy fasting, discussing my decision with the doctor for whom I work, and getting Husband in on the plan, I've decided to cleanse and reboot. We are focused on weight loss, but not primarily. We want to clean our bodies of the nastiness we've done to them, introduce a micronutrient rich diet into our lives and well... try something drastic together.

So, for the next (x amount of) days, Husband and I will be doing a juice fast. Yep, I just sprung that one on you since I know everyone's going to have a zillion opinions and no matter what, I'm doing it. I'll be reporting!

Ready. Set. LINK!

Project Self: Worth It

If you've been reading or following me on twitter lately, you know I've switched my game from running (or trying to, at least) to Jillian Michaels' Ripped in 30 program. Husband and I were barely surviving it when we both got trampled by either a bad case of food poisoning or a 48 hour g.i. bug. I think I've lost my weight in food and gained it in water, ginger ale, and chicken broth over the last week. But if I haven't been doing something, it's working out. Or eating right. Or eating. Period.

Jillian would be so mad. 

She even looks scary when she's trying to look sexy.

If you've never watched old school Biggest Loser or done any of her workouts, you don't understand the wrath. When I'm literally kicking my own butt (one of her cardio moves) and I'm about to pass out after 15 seconds, she looks at me and says, "There IS NO MODIFICATION. I have 4 and 500 pound people doing this with no modification. Don't phone out on me," all I can think is, "BLEEEEP. Bleeeping bleep bleep BLEEEEP. Bleeep."

But honest to goodness, when I'm cooling down after the worst sweat session of my life, about to throw up from the intensity of WEEK ONE (people, there are four weeks to this program. aye aye aye!), and Jillian says to me, "Now, take a minute and think of how hard you just worked. Most people don't show up in their own lives..." all I can think then is, "Go me. I just showed up in my life. Again. And so what if I didn't make it the entire 30 seconds in the plank position. I will next time."

And if someday, I can be as inspirational as Ms. Michaels, even for just a handful of people, I'd be so grateful for the gifts of strength, endurance, and word that God has graced me with. Here are some inspirational photos for me to look at when I'm feeling like I've never been skinny, so why try now? Where I am has been a long time coming. And every single place I've been has been so worth it.

Daddy walking me down the aisle: September 30, 2006

Ice skating in Hampton Roads: December, 2006

Scoping out the dining room in our soon-to-be first home: January, 2008

25 weeks pregnant with Little S. in her hand-painted room: November, 2008

38 weeks pregnant: January 23, 2009

39 weeks, morning of induction: January 30, 3009

The day I knew everything I'd been through and everything I'd ever go through was and would be completely, hands-down, no questions asked

worth it.

January 31, 2009

So, if you're down and you can't remember how you got to the place you are today, take a photo journey of yourself over the past few years. Look at where you started. Remember what you've endured. And remind yourself that inside, you are a healthy person waiting to get out. And pat yourself on the back for everything you've experienced... It's what got you here in the first place, but it's also the reason you're turning your life around for the better. Am I right?

Here I am, just a few weeks ago, a little bigger than I used to be, but a lot more blessed than I've ever been. And who cares that you can't see my face? Little S. isn't stealing my thunder. She IS my thunder.

Bluebird Gap Farm - July 3, 2011

A little quote I found on a magnet (and of course, I bought it):

"If you're going through hell, keep going." - Winston Churchill

The deets:

last week - 191.0

this week - 189.2

down: 1.8 lbs

69.2 lbs to go

Did you know that Project Self is a blog-hop? Did you know that I want YOU to participate? It's not just about weight loss or healthy eating? Project Self is about being a better you. It's about taking care of yourself, whether you're giving yourself a half hour in the morning to drink coffee, read, and relax or running a mile a day. It's about getting your hair done if that's what makes you feel good. Project Self is basically whatever it takes to get yourself to where you want to be. Doing a volunteer project? Saving money for your family? Working on redecorating to make your dream home? Link up with Project Self! Just fill out the little form below with your post title or topic, email (that's just for me!) and the URL to your post. The link party is open until 11:59 p.m. on Sunday! Hope you join in!

Ready. Set. LINK!

Project Self: They Got Married

... and I slacked off.

If you've been reading all week, you know I've been sharing each day of my brother-in-law's (and new sister-in-law's) wedding! Obviously, we ended up at a wedding at the end of the three day celebration and THIS is what we wore:

(excuse the quality- we did a quickie photo shoot with our car trunk as the tripod between the ceremony and reception!)

on me: dress - Light in the Box, shoes: Cabrizi

on him: Everything's rented from Men's Wearhouse

on Little S.: dress - Cinderella collection (from Burlington), socks: Target, shoes: Stride Rite, bow: local artist

If the bride hadn't stolen the show with her gorgeous dress and pink high top Chucks, this little one would have taken the cake! (The groom had blue high top Chucks to match!)

basket: A.C. Moore

And as Husband climbed in the car to rush over to the reception site, I basically threw the camera at him and begged for this shot! I originally hated this dress (because it didn't fit) and after some alterations, matching it up with the hairstyle (which I tweaked a bit on my own), and finding white shoes that I could live with, I think the whole look turned out very classy. Please ignore the beads of sweat all over my face. It was only 100 degrees.

And it's Project Self time! I swear I haven't given up on my journey! I'm still at the very beginning! But coming home from a week of busy chaos eating pretty much whatever I want, I've had a difficult time getting back on my regular 5-6 small meals a day + regular workouts. Zoe wants to kick my ass, I swear. She's like, "Hey, mom... I'm bored. Take me running. Now." And I'm like, "Oh my GAAAHHH, it's a million degrees outside. YUCK!" So, instead of going running and suffocating, I decided to buy Jillian Michaels' Ripped in 30 DVD. Best idea of my life. And by best idea, I totally mean that I can't feel my arms, my legs are cramped, and although I only finished the first workout last night and second this morning, I don't know how I could possibly make it to day 3, much less WEEK 3 (there are four weeks). But the quote from Jillian, "I have one job and that's to make you look crazy, ridiculous, sick, insane, amazing," totally sold me.

So, here's the news of the week....

191.0

0.8 up

70.6 to go.

The gain was well deserved, although it's hindering to see the scale to up, even when I didn't work hard to make it go down. So, my friends, HOW do YOU get back on track after vacation?

If your secret is to never get off track, you are superperson and I cannot follow your ways.

Are you taking great care of yourself? Exercise? Healthy eating? Well-being? Share it with us! Project Self is a BLOG HOP!

READY. SET. LINK!

Project Self: Goal 1!

It took me a while to finally get to it, but I celebrated meeting my first goal on Tuesday! You might remember how I talked about my reward system a little over a month ago and now that I've finally indulged in a "prize," I can't wait to meet my next goal! At 180, I'mma get somethin' sexylicious to make me feel extra good about all the hard work I'm doing! I encourage you to do the same! There's nothing like celebrating your new body in something you look and feel excellent in!

I just realized, however, that I need to edit my reward system because I've already done a few of the things on it... Oopsie. Honestly, I couldn't have gone any longer without new running shoes. My knees and shins were hurting and after a jog, I felt like the bottoms of my feet were standing on concrete for days. My best friend also gave me highlights while I was visiting my family's cabin, so I kind of did that, but I'll probably still do it again and go all out at 160. I guess I only have to change the 170 reward. So let's see...

170 - three new workout outfits

There ya have it. Documented.

I took Little S. with me to get my pedicure and they did her toes for free! I went a head and got a full set of acrylics since we're in the wedding this weekend and I felt like I really needed a rewarding afternoon after finding out my tooth (yes, that SAME tooth that's been giving me hell since last August) is going to have to be extracted. I cried my eyes out, went to Tropical Smoothie, and walked right over to the nail place. Take that, stupid tooth.

on Little S. - essie movers and shakers

on me - OPI On Collins Ave.

I let the people convince me that I wanted pink and white gel nails instead of an acrylic French manicure. They showed me examples and I have no idea what the difference is... So I went for this one. And then I realized this was $20 more expensive. Duh.

Oh well... I deserved it, right?

NEWS OF THE WEEK! I don't have access to a scale this week, so I'm sticking with last week's weight to be safe.

189.6

0 down

69.8 to go

Since we're out of town for my BIL and future 

(as of TOMORROW) 

SIL's wedding, I've been working my tail off in the hotel fitness center. For the love... No rest for THIS woman! Do you work out when you're on the go?

Ready. Set. LINK!

Project Self: What Does This Mean?

I stepped on the scale this morning and was so disappointed. I didn't lose an ounce this week! Friends, if only you knew how hard I've been working and how conscious I've been of everything I've been doing and everything I've been eating... I know there will be weeks like this. I've had one before- very early in the process. But I really pushed myself over the edge with my workouts this time and my meal plan has been fool proof.

What am I doing wrong?
What does this mean?
What changes do I have to make?


Obviously, something needs to be tweaked.
If you have insight, let me know. I don't expect to see major number changes on the scale every week, but when I really push myself and make the right choices, I expect to see SOMETHING. Maybe, because I started strength training two weeks ago, I'm gaining muscle? Don't we all love to tell ourselves that one?

I don't have any photos today, friends. I'm still in my jammies, trying to get everything situated for our yard sale tomorrow. If you're local, please stop by! We have lots of men's and women's clothing, shoes, electronics, dishes, stuffed animals and beanie babies, children's books, and obviously miscellaneous odds and ends! I've been so frazzled trying to get ready for this sale that I definitely thought I'd been burning some extra calories outside of my scheduled workouts.

NEWS OF THE WEEK!

189.6

0 down

69.8 to go.

Do you have any insight about what I can do to kick start the weight loss again? 

Ready. Set. LINK!