Emotions and eating - HELP!

So, I was dating a solid guy who I thought had potential as a life partner.  No longer dating said guy.  Sad because I really like(d) him and just tired of trying to find love and being disappointed again and again. 
I WANT MY HAPPILY EVER AFTER!
So, I eat to soothe my sadness.  I sleep to avoid thinking about it. 
Eating and sleeping do not help my weight-loss journey.

HELP!

ENCOURAGING Words for our journey !

Do not lose courage in considering your own imperfections.
Saint Francis de Sales

Never, never, never quit.
Winston Churchill

The tragedy in life doesn't lie in not reaching your goal. The tragedy lies in having no goal to reach.
Benjamin Mays

Victory belongs to the most persevering.
Napoleon

Thought for the day

This was today's entry in my Thought for the Day Calendar. I found it amusing and timely. Enjoy!

I've copied here the email I sent Margo B-cubed this morning after her data crunch. I once saw a personal philosopy stated as "The number one sin is f-r-e-t-t-i-n-g." In thanks for all she's doing for us, let us chorus our MARGO LOVE!

Oh, Margo B-cubed, we've all had data disappear to Normal Human Negligence. Do not fret, dear lady, we're all your friends. ღ ღ ღ The great value for me is not the money at all; I have no expectation of collecting anything. I just appreciate so much your creating a place where I could have company in my quest. Your number-crunching and attention is such a gift to us that a bobble here or there is insignificant, truly. It's just a game. :-)

New Top 5

Hey! Hey! Good work, Heather! What fun, new leaders. Of course, it was just the pressure getting to me. I'll be back! And I'll quit going out socializing (read: eating) on Sunday nights! My next trick: brush and floss my teeth at 5 pm, to be sure nothing goes into the mouth after that. Pitiful, really, but it works!

Cafeteria at new job

The Orchard, here at Roll Global, serves healthy food, the correct portions, and has posted for every item, the calorie, fat and sodium content.  The food is cheap and prepared to order.
No reason why this should not be a tool in my success.  Eating an egg white, veggie omelet as I type.
I need to scratch my way into the TOP 5!

Super Bowl buffet blues! I GAINED weight this week! But as we've all learned with weight loss, ya' gotta' get right back on the horse that threw ya'. (OMG, I sound like Sarah Palin!) Since by some miracle I am still in first place, I will re-focus by declaring to myself and anyone interested, my most effective tactics, all of which are endorsed by sanity in the form of Dr. Weil, Dr. Oz, Prof. Walter Willett of Harvard, Michael Pollan, etc.

1. Eat a light breakfast, a moderate lunch and no dinner. Just a 50-calorie "clean" snack in mid-afternoon and early evening.

2. As Michael Pollan's superb book "In Defense of Food" says, Eat f-o-o-d, not processed s-t-u-f-f. If my great-grandmother wouldn't recognize it, I no longer sabotage myself by dragging it home. Unlike Grandma, I throw out the sugar and all flour, even whole wheat, which is so processed it spikes the Glycemic Load. Across the 5-million-year history of primates, our bodies developed to metabolize nuts, berries, beans, greens, unprocessed grains, fruit, lean meat rarely, and frequent fish. Since humans always had to live by water, fish has always been primary. Grilled, of course, or baked!

3. A mouthful or two of any food may be all I really need/want right now. If I sit down with a small bowl of low-sugar granola, yogurt and fruit, I don't have to eat it all, I can save the other part for my afternoon snack. Portion control!

4. It's easier to do what I'm doing because I don't have to cook for anyone else and be around their tempting food. I salute every one of you who runs a family and works in addition to taking care of yourself. Bless you, ladies, for doing the most important job in the human species---mothering!

Diet Envy

Since I've began to change my lifestyle habits, I've begun to experience what I have termed "diet envy." While in New York celebrating New Year's Eve, my friend became offended when I declined a pork chop, and told her that I no longer consume pork. Her reply was "What did you turn Muslim on me or something? Tell me why you don't eat pork!" I didn't feel like I had to eat the pork chop or explain why I wasn't...and I did neither. I've been force fed enough things in my life, which probably is part of the reason I'm in the situation I'm in now. I grew up in a "eat all the food I put on your plate" household, which makes it hard to leave things, even when I'm full.

For my birthday, I was allowed to drink, but didn't have much. After my birthday, I began to decline drinks or offers to go out and drink. People become almost irate "What are you on a diet?" Almost as if they are disgusted. Like how dare me be on a diet. I would explain, but again, I don't feel like it's necessary. In my mind, I am making lifestyle changes, that will help me lead a healthier, more productive life...and hopefully win some cash in the process. ;) This weekend a friend invited me out for Mexican food and margaritas, but then didn't return my text when I said I wasn't drinking. I became really amused. I'm not ashamed of what I am doing, by any means. As a matter of fact, I'm very proud of myself. I think it takes a lot of courage to change your habits. If nothing else, the process is teaching me who's really in my corner and who isn't. I'm also learning that it's really psychological. Changing your mind goes a long way in changing your habits. I hope that everyone else is holding up well, and not experiencing diet envy. :) Keep up the great work!

If you're a fan of wings, read here

I LOVE lemon pepper hot wings, but I can't eat the sauce on my diet. My workout partner and I have put our own twist on it. We mix "Lemon pepper" Mrs. Dash, a little olive oil and "Extra Spicy" Mrs. Dash. Toss the wings in the sauce. Then cook on the broiler pan for about 10 minutes each side. Delicious! :)

New Dietary Guidelines: Cut Salt and Sugar, Eat More Fish

New Dietary Guidelines: Cut Salt and Sugar, Eat More Fish

Food Cravings

So now that it's almost been a month, i am getting to the point where I am starting to crave stuff. And ofcourse none of these are healthy cravings so I went on the search for healthy alternatives. These all looked easy and they are low in calories (just what we need!!)
Keep at it ladies, we can't give up! We will do this!

LIST OF HEALTHY SNACKS TO TRY IF YOU'RE CRAVING SWEET
1 HOSTESS 100 CALORIE PACK CUPCAKES Lemon(100 calories, 2.5 g fat)
3/4 CUP MANGO tossed with lime juice and red pepper flakes(86 calories, 0.5 g fat)
1 SHEET (4 SMALL) GRAHAM CRACKERS spread with 1 teaspoon each part-skim ricotta and jam(86 calories, 2 g fat)
1/2 CUP STRAWBERRIES dipped in chocolate (microwave 1 tablespoon chocolate chips in 10-second increments until melted)(93 calories, 4 g fat)
1/2 LARGE PINK GRAPEFRUIT sprinkled with 1/2 tablespoon brown sugar and broiled for about 5 minutes(69 calories, 0 g fat)

LIST OF HEALTHY SNACKS TO TRY IF YOU'RE CRAVING SALTY
1/2 CUP EDAMAME sprinkled with a pinch of sea salt(95 calories, 4 g fat)
1 LARGE HARD-BOILED EGG, sliced and sprinkled with salt and cumin, celery seed, or nutmeg(80 calories, 6 g fat)
3 OUNCES DELI TURKEY spread with 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard and rolled in 2 romaine lettuce leaves(90 calories, 1 g fat)
1 CUP CAMPBELL'S SELECT HARVEST LIGHT SOUP Roasted Chicken with Italian Herbs(80 calories, 2.5 g fat)
LIST OF HEALTHY SNACKS TO TRY IF YOU'RE CRAVING CRUNCHY
TORTILLA CHIPS (cut 1 corn tortilla into triangles and drizzle with 1/2 teaspoon olive oil; bake at 325 for 10 minutes) with 2 tablespoons salsa for dipping(80 calories, 3 g fat)
16 POPCHIPS Parmesan Garlic Potato(96 calories, 3 g fat)
BAKED APPLE CHIPS (thinly slice 1 small apple and toss with 1 teaspoon each cinnamon and sugar; bake at 250 for 1 hour or until crispy)(99 calories, 0 g fat)
1 CUP JICAMA STICKS with 2 tablespoons hummus for dipping(96 calories, 3 g fat)
1 RYE CRISPBREAD topped with 1 tablespoon cream cheese and 1 tomato slice(91 calories, 5 g fat)

LIST OF HEALTHY SNACKS TO TRY IF YOU'RE CRAVING CREAMY
SMOOTHIE (blend 3/4 cup nonfat milk, 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder, 1/4 banana, and 3 ice cubes)(72 calories, 1 g fat)
1/4 CUP CANNED PUMPKIN mixed with 1/2 cup nonfat Greek yogurt, 1 teaspoon maple syrup, and 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice(100 calories, 0.5 g fat)
1 JELL-O MOUSSE TEMPTATIONS CUP Dark Chocolate Decadence(60 calories, 3 g fat)
1/2 SMALL WHOLE-WHEAT PITA spread with 2 tablespoons guacamole(77 calories, 4 g fat)
1/2 MEDIUM BAKED POTATO (pierce and microwave for 4 minutes) topped with 1 tablespoon each fat-free sour cream and salsa(81 calories, 0.5 g fat)

We can do this!!

As with every time I've begun a weight loss journey, I always experience ups and downs. I know there are several of us struggling right now and I want to encourage you to keep at it! I have always been the person that screws up once and then goes on a crazy eating binge because "I've blown it so I might as well go back to my old ways." It's amazing the effort I can put into being destructive! So this time I am trying not to focus on my mistakes but rather my little successes. The fact is, even if I do a few things better each day, it is a positive step toward my overall weight loss and better health. I am positive I will screw up but I don't have to give up all together! I also see that using this blog and relying on all of you is going to help when I don't feel like being good. I did not want to go to the gym this morning but I knew that it is where I needed to be. I went anyway and God blessed me by surrounding me by two very strong women who gave me the energy to kick butt on the treadmill and the eliptical! I am positive I would not have been able to put in the same effort on my own so it reminded me again how important it is to rely on other people when you are feeling weak. We have an amazing group of women here and if we use each others strength, we are unstoppable! WE CAN DO THIS!

Breakfast is SO IMPORTANT !!

If I had to say one thing ladies........ please make sure you get something in the morning for breakfast.
This was a tough week me (last week), three kids at three schools, husband very busy and trying to get ready for a move , so because i was so busy i did not prioritize my eating plan. OH NO ......
With that I realized that if I had eaten breakfast everyday ( oatmeal, fresh fruit or something) I am sure I would not have eaten so much at lunch :-(

Had a small setback , but pushing forward to making the corrections and getting back on track.

Low Sodium Diet

I am on a low sodium diet and was becoming really agitated trying to create new mixes for my herbs. My friend suggested I go buy all of the Mrs. Dash in the grocery store. Worked for me...My dishes are much more fun now. :)

Portion Control means YOU control the portion!

Even if it's a recipe from the Weight Watchers cookbook, 3 helpings of a 5 point meal is STILL 15 points!! And that's all I've got to say about that.

New Day!

Well, today is a new day and therefore a new chapter in my life. I admit I haven't been using the blog..... nor have I lost any pounds, unfortunately. But in keeping with new chapters, I will begin using the blog as much a possible. I don't want to disappoint Margo or Myrna or myself for that matter. I think this blog is a great idea and a wonderful outlet of communication with like minds. In changing my lifestyle, this is another open avenue and although it's a challenge everyday, I'm up for it. I have a weight loss goal of 2 - 3 pounds this week. Wish me luck! Oh, I almost forgot this is a competition....lol.

8 Amazing Blogger Weight-Loss Transformations

I saw this on yahoo. What great stories!

8 Amazing Blogger Weight-Loss Transformations

Reality Check

My niece also turned 30 at the end of October. She wanted to go out for her birthday, so I took great care to pic this fabulous outfit, makeup accessories. In my mirror at home I looked fab...but I was also probably holding my stomach in. The day after the outing, she tagged me in this photo and I was mortified!

Last night this picture was taken of me at my pole show. Not where I want to be, but I appreciate progress. The biggest change that I had to experience was mental. Yes, my trainer is always yelling at me, but I wasn't always hearing her. Thank you for giving me an outlet through this challenge. xoxo ladies and good luck!

Check-In

How has everyone's week been? I'm going to venture out to the gym today, I think I'm excited. Any active plans for the weekend?

Atlanta "Winter" Weather

I purchased my gym membership in June of last year. I didn't actually step foot into the gym until October (when I signed up for my trainer). I was never an athlete, always an artist (ballet, clarinet, a little drama). It took me a while to warm up to my trainer, I felt like she was a little (being nice) excessive and I don't deal well with bossy people. So, I have finally worked up to a routine of going to the gym Monday through Friday with training at least two of those days. Amid, Atlanta's "Winter" storm, my trainer cancelled on Monday. I have not been out of the house since the snow started on Sunday evening. Not because I am scared of the snow or ice, but because I am scared of other drivers. In my opinion, if the children are still out of school, it's not safe to be on the roads. Maybe my logic is twisted. I am from Atlanta and not used to these East-Coast-like winters we've had the pass couple of years. I miss the gym. I never thought I'd say that. I tried workout dvds, but my workout just isn't the same without my trainer barking at me or people next to me trying to keep up with my running speed. Woe is me. :( Any suggestions? My eating is better though. Being inside forces me to cook. And I don't have any junk food to eat...silver lining.