Meatloaf......Paradise by the Oven Light

Stress has always been the main cause of my overeating. Along with happiness, sadness,joy, worry...you get the picture. This diet has been going extremely well, except when I am overly stressed. Because I still have to feed my family, I generally make one meal for them and my food for me. This hasn't been a problem unless there are leftovers, which was the case last weekend.

Tucking the girls in has always been a balancing act of prayers, making sure everyone has their water bottles, retainers etc. It is also the time of day when the really serious talking gets done. Depresha had a lot of deep thoughts to share last weekend that left me shaken and you guessed stressed. Enter the left over meatloaf. I will never claim to be an expert cook, but I do make an exceptional pot of chili and a decent meat loaf. The girls had not finished the meatloaf I made them for supper, and the leftovers were still warm in the oven. Granted I could have given it to the dog or thrown it in the garbage, but I cracked. I didn't just cut myself a taste, I got out a fork and ate it right out of the pan. I didn't eat all of it, but enough to make myself miserable. Then to get right back on program I had to drink a shake. Needless to say I was miserable both physically and emotionally the rest of the night. Thankfully the occasional screw up does not ruin the overall weight loss.

I am proud to report that I am down a total of 18 pounds in 3 weeks. Even better than the weight loss, my blood sugar and blood pressure have been normal for the most part.I am anxious to have my cholesterol checked next month. I also lived to see another birthday. 48 feels great!

I see London, I see France....

I see London, I see France I need smaller underpants!!!

Week one is over, and I lost 13 pounds! Even my supervisor was impressed with those results. Molly was home yesterday and I asked her if she could tell I'd lost weight. "Not really," was her honest reply, but we did agree that I may be down a chin. I'm happy with that, because in the last family pictures that were taken earlier in the month, my head looked like it had been inflated with a tire pump. The other thing I noticed today was that my underwear are too big!!

My children cringe every spring when I start hanging clothes on the line. Nothing is off limits, even the granny underwear, which are affectionately referred to as "the great whites." Many a summer day they have been flying high in the backyard, while my neighbors speculate if we are surrendering to someone. I am a long way from needing to shop at Victoria's Secret, but I'm headed in the right direction.

Today was a little disappointing. I had to go to a meeting in Wisconsin Dells. I took some pudding mix and fruit with me, but felt stupid mixing it up at the table so I ate the entree that was served. FAIL. I got right back on program tonight though. Thong season is coming! EWW!

Veggies and Entrees and Shakes, Oh My!

I am just completing day 3 of my diet program, and so far its been "a piece of cake." The program consists of a minimum of 3 shakes or puddings each day, two entrees, and at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables. Easy as pie right? I was a little discouraged after the first shake. I tried to make a banana strawberry smoothie, but had difficulty tolerating the texture of it. I'm such a delicate blossom. Today I tried a chocolate shake and didn't add anything to it. It was slightly thicker than chocolate milk, but tasted quite good. I'm amazed at how good the entrees are. Unfortunately they are very high in fiber, and most contain a lot of beans. Poor Oscar has taken to sleeping on top of the blankets at night for his own safety.

After just two days on the program I was down 9 pounds this morning. I don't expect to continue at this pace, but it's nice to get things off to a quick start. The hardest part has been not picking at Lexi's left overs. She had pizza tonight, and it's killing me to not eat the remaining two pieces. I should just throw them out, but there are people starving in other countries. Thank you all for your continued support and encouragement. I'm so pleased to say "I'm melting, melting!"

Hope in a Box

Who among us does not remember the scene from "A Christmas Story" when Ralphie's father lovingly unwraps his major award, the now infamous leg lamp? The scene replayed in my mind this afternoon, as I returned home from work and found a large box in my garage. The only thing missing was the word FRAGILE (pronounced Fra-gee-lay) on the side of the box. Upon further examination I confirmed that the box contained the first 3 weeks of the rest of my life.

This rather plain looking cardboard box weighed 37 pounds, and it was all I could do to get it into the house without dropping it. Ironically the program supervisor informed me that I could expect to lose 35 pounds my first 12 weeks on the program. That is a lot of extra weight to carry around. Iopened the box with all the excitement of a kid at Christmas. It contained box after box of entrees with enticing names such as savory chicken, mushroom risotto, and 5 bean chili.(Lexi is a little concerned about that one) There were recipes, instant oatmeal, and enough shake mix to frighten the most seasoned dieter. When I opened up that package it was like opening up a healthy dose of hope. I am looking forward to starting this program on Monday, and already feel the support of all of my fb and blog followers. I know I can do this. I just hope I don't shoot my eye out!

Let the Games Begin!

How do I love food? Let me count the ways. As I type this I am licking the popcorn oil off of my finger tips. I have had a long and unhealthy relationship with food. While many of my friends view food as a means of reenergizing the body, to me it is so much more. Food is a friend, a shoulder to cry on, someone to share my failures and successes with. Over the years this companion has lead me down a path of self destruction that can no longer be ignored. I am diabetic, have high cholesteral, and suffer from sleep apnea. All of these conditions were created by my lack of control over food. In a few weeks I will be 48. I lost my dad at 49, from congestive heart failure caused by heart disease.

Last week, following my annual physical I decided I have to do something about my health. I was actually considering surgery, but was too afraid of not waking up from the anesthesia. I have opted instead for a medically supervised home program consisting of prepackaged food and shakes, guaranteed to bring my "sexy back" if I follow the rules. I hope that by sharing my journey on line I will be held more accountable, and hopefully will be supported and encouraged by all of you. I would like to share a "before picture" as well as progress photos along the way, but currently in addition to being a blimp, I am also technologically challenged. To those of you who have not seen me in awhile, suffice it to say that had I been on the Packers offensive line this year, Aaron Rodgers would not have been sacked nearly as much. I have ordered my starter kit for the program, and intend to begin on February 15. In the meantime I am treating myself to all the buffets in town. I have over 100 pounds to lose, and don't intend to quit until I'm half the woman I am today. Let the games begin....