Photos -- the Changes

We can read someone's blog all day long and get an idea of one's changes, but I want to do more visuals with this blog as much as I can. I'm going to keep the camera near the kitchen as well to let you all see what it is that I'm eating.

But let's start with me! This first picture you will see is my sweetheart and I at a football game last September. The 2nd picture is a cropped photo of me this past July. You can definitely see the changes in my face. These are my motivation pictures from this point on to stay on track. As I mentioned before, work got so crazy that I couldn't focus on losing, so all I had was maintaining my weight. Check this out though!

The Tasty Omelette Disaster

I'm looking at my breakfast dish this morning and thinking how some people would look at it, turn their nose up, and walk away. Why? What started off as an omelette, turned into a total disaster. When I started to flip the omlette, it completely broke apart, so I just stirred it up into one huge mess. A delicious mess, that is!

First of all, I must admit to you, last week I wasn't behaving at all. I had just bought a new-used vehicle after being without one for nine months, so we were on the run quite a bit. I probably should have added everything into my SparkPeople nutrition tracker so I could show myself how much shock I put into my body. For instance, the first day I bought it, we were in the drive-thru of Cook Out. This is a NC chain of restaurants which serve burgers that would come right out of your backyard. I hadn't had one in over a year, my daughter wanted a milkshake, so there we were. I came home with a Cook Out "tray" that had a double burger through the garden with cheese on it, a handful of fries, and four onion rings which I washed down with one of their famous large sweet teas. Horrible! But this wasn't enough. To add to the disaster in the period of four days, we'll add in Frito's BBQ-Honey Twists, a honey bun, a package of poptarts, deli style coleslaw (mine is lowcarb friendly), potato salad, molasses baked beans, and a twelve-pack of Cherry Crush.

By the time Sunday rolled around and I woke up for church, I was absolutely miserable. I was miserable because I hadn't been eating these type foods and therefore my body was probably in shock from all the sugar and carbs that I took in. Then, Sunday afternoon, my sweetheart asked me which sounded best, Golden Corral or chinese buffet. I love Chinese food! So, of course, I choose the least healthiest of the two and I had two plates of sugary, fried Chinese food that tasted oh so great, but added more shock to my body. In case you didn't know, Golden Corral is VERY lowcarb friendly *wink*.

Monday morning, I woke up and I knew what I had to do. It was time to get this junk out of me and go back to eating healthier and so I did. Which brings us to this omelette. I was going to take a picture of it and upload it for you all to see. It turned out looking like scrambled eggs with the fillings stirred around. It didn't look good, but it's tasting very awesome! My morning omelette consists of:

2 eggs (1 carb)
1 oz of pork sausage (0 carbs)
1 cup of fresh baby spinach leaves (1 carb)
5 medium fresh mushrooms, sliced (3 carbs)
1/2 tablespoon Chia Seeds in gel form (3 carbs)
1 slice American cheese (o carbs)

That entire omlette was only 5 carbs, which is basically 0 carbs once you take out the 5 grams of fiber and VERY filling!

This is my favorite lowcarb breakfast to have in the mornings as it's loaded with energy and this was before I even added in the Chia seeds. Speaking of Chia seeds, I plan on updating my experimentation with them soon. You'll be surprised to know that during those days of eating poorly? I hadn't used them at all in a few days and I realized one thing that I'll share now, they really do diminish your cravings for junk food.

Have a great day everyone! It's raining here in NC, but it's pleasant with the temperature and that makes me happy!

Progress

The question has popped up a few times over the last month and I wanted to update you all as to how my progress has been. Maintained. That's it. I'm still at the 65lb loss without gain other than water when I don't take my Lasix. I have been so busy with my job, trying to pay bills and save money that I haven't had the time to take walks or do my Zoomba videos. I'm not impressed with reporting this information to you, but it's the truth and I'm sorry. I have to admit I am happy that I haven't gained. I haven't changed my eating habits, but this goes to show that you HAVE to exercise to get the weight off.

Tomorrow isn't always a new day, but tomorrow, I'm going to get back on my focus and at least walk down the street and back if my schedule is extremely busy. I vow to park further away from the store doors when I go shopping as well. A little is better than none. I'm searching for a job on the outside of the house, as you may remember, I do work from home, so once that's put into place, that should help me as well.

Don't give up hope anyone who's in this fight with me! It's not easy, but we can do it!

A side note

One of my favorite click-to sites I wanted to share tonight as I had just cashed out from it. Good luck, it's very easy. They send emails and you simply click on them. Cash out at $5 via paypal!

Experimenting with Chia Seeds

As I sit here writing this blog, I have a piping hot cup of coffee sitting next to me. Typically, one would add cream and sugar to their coffee and be done with it. The cup next to me is coffee, heavy cream, Splenda, and Chia seeds. Yes, you heard me right, I'm enjoying a cup of coffee with Chia seeds.

Last Wednesday, I received my first 2 pound bag of Chia seeds and I've experimented with them every single day since. The first day I received them, I grabbed an empty Diet Lipton tea jar which I recycle in many ways after purchasing them by the case that is, I added 1/4th cup of dry, Chia seeds, and two cups of water. Why? It creates Chia gel. Chia gel can then be used to replace 1/2 the butter in your dishes or even oils. So, I made this gel, shaking it occasionally over the course of 15 minutes, and by then, the jar was completely full of Chia gel.

The first night, I added 1/4th cup of this mixture into our dish. No one could really tell they were in there as each individual seed forms a gel "bubble" around it, therefore you can't actually bite into them. The 2nd day, I replaced the butter in dressing I used to stuff the chicken with. I really hadn't noticed any changes in how I felt, if I had felt full or not, or anything, but on day three? I literally jumped out of the bed as if I were the Road Runner from the Bugs Bunny days, full of energy and completely exuberant.

Part of the reason I bought these seeds is because my anemia causes me to feel lethargic on some days, which leads me to being moody and sometimes even depressed. I figure if I can get energy in a seed, then sign me up!

Anyhow, I'm on day five of this experiment and I truly feel as if I'm taking an anti-anxiety medication as I'm full of energy and my moods have completely stabilized. I also feel fuller! Yes, I don't have cravings for junk food nor either. I keep this full feeling all day long and well into the night.

So far, this experiment has proven that the soluble fiber of these seeds is true as you will definitely be a regular bathroom visitor. It's not diarrhea nor excessive, however it does regulate your bowel movements. You will find yourself energetic and fuller.

This coffee has sort of a tapioca consistency to it, by the way. I'm going to continue through to day 7 and on day 8, I will be back to report fully as to how I'm feeling and what I'm thinking. At that time, I will also break down the benefits of these seeds. I didn't want to get everyone excited just yet, so let me finish this week long experiment and I will be back!