Monthly Recap for September

 How is September over?   It blows my mind!  Time is just flying by at warp speed!  On a personal level, we had a great month! We went to the ocean for a quick trip, we got some great hiking in and we enjoyed every moment together.

On a weight loss level.....wow...what a month!

I started the month strong.  I was going to really nail this month.  I was going to explore the realm of being spot on and perfect.  But the month turned out to be anything but perfect.  I kept my eating under control....but I gained!  Yes....seriously!  My average calorie count for the month was.......  That is TOTALLY in line for weight loss!  BUT no...I didn't lose and most of the month I showed up!   It caused me to want to give up!  I didn't give up.  I settled back and tried to figure out what was happening.  I don't have the answers yet...but I am formulating my plans for the upcoming weeks.   I will let you know in a week or so what my plan is!!!!

In the meantime...lets look at my monthly goals and see how well I did!

1. Track every bite of my food  I managed this one.  EASY!  I tracked everything I ate.  I tracked every bite, lick and taste.  I did an awesome job with this!!   I even tracked at the beach!  No problem with this!

2.  Save money  I actually did really good with this.  The savings account did not take any hits and I have put a chunk of change aside! 

3.  Weigh less at the end of the month  This is where things went off track.  I did not lose!  Most of the month I was up quite high...no matter what I did!  It was disappointing, but I am pushing forward and trying to formulate a new plan of attack!

4.  Be active at least 4 times a week  We walked after work every evening.....that saved me from a colossal failure on this one and gave me a win.  My grand plans to ride the exercise bike during my lunch breaks.......work and life got in the way.  Yes, that's an excuse and I aim to fix it!

5.  Stay within caloric/food budget at least 6 days a week  FAILURE!   My calorie count was up near the 1600 mark quite a bit of the time. I have done my experiments.  I don't lose at that point.  I need less calories if I want to lose.  So NO....my calories were not in line with where I need to be!

6.  Have an average of over 5K steps per day for the month.   I managed this one!   The long days of walking at the beach really helped, as did the after work walks!   But I can mark up a win on this one!

So what are my goals for next month?   Yes, I'm aiming for the same.  WIth the exception of vacation week.  For my caloric food budget, on that week only I will be adding in my exercise calories and using my NET calories for my food budget.  We should be doing quite a bit of hiking.....and long hikes makes me ravenous.  I will need to be fueling my body.  I plan on eating as healthy as possible....to the extent that we are taking carrots, broccoli, grapes, dips and nuts to snack on to give us healthy options!  OTher than that week, it will be business as usual.

The only other change?  I have decided that I have a nice cushion in my savings account.  I would like it to be higher, but I also have a car payment.  When I am talking interest, which is the best one to work on?  Building the savings or paying off the car?   I am paying more money in interest for the car loan than I gain in my savings account.  So it makes more sense to throw those extra 'savings' dollars toward the car loan.    I will still call it savings....because basically if I pay down the car well above the normal payment it is saving me money!   I have a set amount in my mind for my savings account.  I will make sure that the savings account does not dip below that account and if it does, I will immediately focus on getting back to that point.  Otherwise, I am moving into operation 'pay off the car NOW"!  Which is a wise financial decision!

1. Track every bite of my food

2.  Save money (pay off the car)

3.  Weigh less at the end of the month

4.  Be active at least 4 times a week

5.  Stay within caloric/food budget at least 6 days a week

6.  Have an average of over 5K steps per day for the month.

One Pot Chicken Enchiladas

 I love my instant pot!  I use it all the time, but mainly for veggies.  But every once in a while I pull it out and make an actual meal in this neat all purpose kitchen gadget!  I did that and shared my red beans and rice recipe here.  And that recipe is fantastic!!!  Healthy and delicious!!!

Today I am sharing a One-Pot Chicken Enchiladas.  This is a great little recipe because it combines the ease of cooking in an instant pot with the delicious flavors of tex-mex food.  That is a win -win in my book!

Ingredients:

1 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 (4oz) can green chilies, chopped

1 envelope taco Seasoning

1 cup chicken stock

2 cups tortilla chips

1 (10oz) can enchilada Sauce

1 cup colby and cheddar cheese blend

Sour cream and green onions for garnish (optional)

1.  Place the Chicken, Chilies, taco seasoning and stock into the Instant Pot; secure the lid.

2.  Press the Manual button and enter 15 minutes.

3.  When the cook time is complete and the pressure has fully released, remove the lid with caution.

4.  Add the tortilla chips, enchilada sauce and cheese to the Instant Pot, stir; secure the lid.

5.  Press the Manual button and enter 3 minutes.

6.  When the cook time is complete and the pressure has fully released, remove the lid.

7.  Garnish with green onions and sour cream.  Serve Immediately.

Cal 413

Fat 20.9

Sat fat 8.2

Chol 103.8

Sodium 1121

Total Carbs 20.4

Fiber 2.3

Sugar 4.2

Protein 35

For a printable Recipe you can click here.

A wee little break

 Last week when I wrote my weekly weigh in I was so super disappointed and disillusioned.  I am tired of getting no results on the scales.  I'm tired of keeping my calories down around 1400-1600 calories and NOT losing!  That range SHOULD have me losing at least a pound a day!  But no...not my body!   

I talked in my last weekly check in blog about how I was frustrated I was and how I was just trying to hang tight until after my vacation!   I think I did a pretty good job of that this weekend.  I didn't go crazy.  I just kept myself at an even level!  And to that end, I didn't gain nor did I lose!

I think this might be a good thing....a sort of 'vacation' from the stress and constant counting and worrying about my calories and my weight loss efforts.  I have been on this weight loss journey for years.  YEARS!  It gets old.  I'm not giving up...I'm just stepping back and regrouping.  I am thinking about how to change and adapt to a lifestyle that will be conducive to me actually losing weight!!!!   

I am a work in progress and I am working to adjust and adapt.  I may be stepping back and reevaluating but I am not out for the count!!!!!!

Hiking Pants

 We are starting to get excited about our upcoming vacation!   We had pondered for so long about where to go...beach or mountains!   We finally cemented the decision to go to the mountains after a quick weekend trip to the beach.   While we had fun, wearing masks on the boardwalk...OUTSIDE was just to something I want to do for a week long vacation!  So we decided that the mountains sounded like a great plan!!!!  

We decided to head back to New River Gorge.  We had been there in late June for a short trip and we had LOVED it!  YOu can see highlights of that trip here  and here.   At that time, we already had the beach trip booked but we made the comment, 'we could come back here for a week and have plenty to see and do'.  Little did we know that about 3-4 months later we would be going back!  It will be a trip of hiking and lots of outdoor activities....and the temperatures will be in the 60's and maybe low 70's!  

I started to plan for a trip to the beach and I immediately panicked!!!  Holy smokes!  I don't have enough pants and clothes for a trip like that!  I only have 1-2 pairs of jeans.  My exercise pants are old and well worn.  What in the world was I going to wear on vacation?    I went onto amazon and picked out 3 pairs of hiking pants.  I wasn't sure of size.  I wasn't sure of anything.  But I decided to give it a try!  (Some of our local stores aren't letting us try on clothes either so that wouldn't have helped!)

Amazon has a sizing thing that you can enter your height and weight and it will recommend the size.  I was contemplating trusting their sizing guides and buying the recommended size.  But then I remembered that I have purchased hiking pants before and they seem to run small.  I was a solid 16 at that point and I couldn't fit into the 16's.  So I was leary about doing the 'recommended' size.  I bought my pants in a bigger size.  And then I sat back to wait for my packages to arrive.  

The first pants were the Toomet hiking Convertible Zip off pants.  (Amazon Affiliate Link).  They actually fit!!!  I was so excited.  The legs seemed a bit loose around the ankles, but that won't be a problem! 

I was so super excited to actually have a pair of pants that fit and fit well!  They are dry fit, so if we do get rained on or go through a stream crossing they will dry fast.  The legs zip off in case we have a bit warmer weather than expected!   YAY!!!  But was I going to get lucky with the next two pairs?  I waited for those packages to arrive!  I am a size 18 and purchased the size 38!  They cost me about $25.  WIN!

The second package arrived!  Would I get lucky a second time with a pair of pants that actually fit???   This package contained a pair of pants from Columbia.   They are the Columbia Women's Saturday Trail Water & Stain Repellant Stretch Pant.  (Amazon Affiliate Link)

These fit even better than the first pair!!!  They were comfortable and allowed me to move.  I bought these in a size 20 and they cost me about $30.  They are also dry fit fabric so they will dry in a jiffy.   These do not zip off.  Instead they have the buttons and straps to roll up the pants and turn them into a capri. (Which you can see just a little at the bottom of the picture!)   I was so happy!  Two pairs of pants!  I was on a roll......but, there was one more pair to check out!

The third pair arrived.   I opened the package and I was in love with these right out of the box.  They were the same brand name as the first pair...Toomet and the same size.  BUT these were a different model. These were the Toomett Hiking Pants Women Convertible Outdoor Lightweight Quick Drying Travel Trail Durable Stretch Pants (Amazon Affiliate Link). I was worried about these because that first pair was the same company and while they fit, it wasn't the 'perfect' fit! But I tried them on!

These fit perfectly!  These fit amazingly well!  They allowed me to move, but they weren't baggy.  The bottoms of the legs were not baggy an saggy.  These were awesome!  I paid a bit more for these.  I paid almost $40 for this pair.  The legs also zip off allowing a little more 'cool' on a hot day.  They are also dry fit and they have all these pockets that zip up!  I am in love with these pants!!!  

All three pants fit!!  How awesome is that!   I am so stoked and excited to use my pants during hiking expeditions while we are on our vacation and even when we got home and hike during the fall and winter!  I am ready!!!!    

For a video of the pants and better view of the pants at all angles....please watch my YouTube video. 

Hanging in there

 I haven't given up on my weight loss journey.  Even though my last post was tinged with a feeling of helplessness.  Giving up is honestly not an option for me. It sounds tempting but then I start to think about how I want my life to be. I think about what life I want to live.  And when I thought of those things, it made me realize how badly I want this.  It made me tighten the reigns and not go crazy with my eating.

We had a busy weekend.  We had a handful of errands and some visits that we had/wanted to make. We didn't even have enough time for a full hike.  We did make it down to the canal and we walked for about an hour.  But that was all.   Don't worry...we got a lot of steps in while doing our errands!!!  

My eating....on Friday and Saturday was a bit higher.  My calories were between 1400-1600 each of those days.  But by Sunday I had pulled it around and my calories were quite a bit lower and down in the range that I typically like to be in (1200-1300 calories).    

My weight managed to hold steady over the weekend without going up.  So that made me happy!   

I'm NOT giving up.  Giving up is the ONLY way to fail!   Failure is NOT an option!  

And since this post is short, I will leave you with a picture of the infamous Mertz!

I want to give up on Weight Loss

 I am struggling with weight loss!  Boy am I struggling!   I came back and weighed in last week and I was all strong and mighty!  I had managed a mini vacation with a maintain.  I was invincible!  I was superhuman!  I was on top of the world....because seriously...a maintain at the beach is amazing!   I had great plans for the week!  I was going to nail the week!

I was going to .....that's the phrase you need to hear.  I was going to. 

All of my plans fell away.   I was super tired.  I had the monthly ick.  It was just a week and a half long.   My eating was actually in line!  I swear!  It was!  I tracked every bite!  My calories were sitting at around 1400 to 1600 calories.  That should be a loss!   

But it wasn't a loss.  It wasn't even a maintain!  Honestly...at one point I was 6 pounds up!   I actually ended up with a 3 pound gain. And let me tell you, I am so discouraged!  I feel totally helpless.  I feel like giving up because this journey is darn hard!

I'm not giving up....but I honestly don't know what to do at the moment.  Vacation is coming up and it is so difficult to not just say 'I'm giving up until after vacation."  But I know that I can do a fair amount of damage in those weeks and then vacation on top of that would and could be disastrous!!!!!   So right now until I figure this out.....I'm just hanging tight!

The monster sized dollhouse

So last weekend I went to pick up my dollhouse and both Jason and I were in for a surprise!   It was huge!  Ii talked a bit about it on my post from Monday    But had some requests to share the dollhouse!  Plus...well it’s my hobby so I like to share!  So here it is!!!

The dollhouse has 7 original rooms and an addition that adds two more rooms on the side.   There is one huge room in the attic and one smaller room under the eaves in the attic.   The second floor has two rooms and a bathroom.  The bottom floor has one large room and one smaller room.  The addition is off to the right in the picture below and adds two additional rooms.

 My current thinking?   The big room downstairs will be a living room.   The smaller room to the right of the steps will be the kitchen and the dining room will be in the downstairs of the addition.   The second floor in the addition will be a library.  The middle room on the second floor will remain a bathroom...and the two other rooms will be bedrooms.   The attic...right now I am leaning toward a craft from for the lady of the house combined with a playroom for the child of the house.   In the room under the eaves...a workshop for the man of the house.   

Other options:

I have toyed with making this a 1920’s era house..and making the addition an doctors office.  

I have toyed with making the addition a music room and library. 

The possibilities are endless ...right now I’m stumped though!!!!   Any ideas...please pass them along!!

I have repaired the shingles...and I have recreated some of the porch rails.  I will paint them and the house and then reinstall them.  (It’s easier to paint before I install!).   

I am thinking of keeping the house gray...but all the trim will be red (or green...Jason likes green).  So the door and window boxes will no longer be yellow...and the shutters will no longer be black...it will be one trim color!

Ideas and thoughts on paint scheme??

So how big is this really???  My McKinley dollhouse was previously my biggest house....you can see that dollhouse dwarfed by this new one in the picture below!!

I am looking forward to the work that I’ll be doing on this house!!! But the size...it is overwhelming our apartment.  I think we need to move!!!!  

So there you have my new purchase!!!!!!!!  Let me know your thoughts!  I would love to hear how this speaks to you!!!

Crustless Strawberry Pie

 I absolutely adore strawberries!  I love them!  I don't know if I have ever gotten to the point of saying I've had enough!  They are delicious! It doesn't matter what format they come in either.  Strawberry shortcake?  Sign me up!   Strawberries with a little sugar?   I'm in!   Warm strawberries straight from the strawberry patch? OH my mouth is watering now!     But a few years ago I stumbled upon a recipe for a Crustless Strawberry Pie.  And I was intrigued!

The crust on a strawberry pie is what holds a lot of the calories!   So crustless sounds fabulous!  Do you know how many calories I can save.  And seriously, what strawberry lover hasn't scooped the delightful strawberries out of the pie and left the crust???? I made this recipe a few times and loved it.  But then promptly forgot about it.  I forgot about it for YEARS!  Until this summer when I stumbled upon this easy recipe!  I started making it a few weeks ago.  EVERY WEEK I make a  new one!   It is soooo delicious!  It's a perfect little touch of sweetness in the evenings after dinner.  It is full of fresh strawberries...and that is a win in my book for taste AND health!

Ohhh...and did I mention that this recipe is easy???   SUPER SIMPLE!!!!  Ok, your hooked now...so let me share the recipe!!!

Main Ingredients

1 large box of cook and serve vanilla pudding

1 large box of strawberry jello

1 pound strawberries

3 cups water

1 tbs Whipped topping

Recipe Steps

1. 1. Slice strawberries and layer them on the bottom of a 9x13 pan 
2. 2. Cook pudding as directed on package using water in place of the milk. 
3. 3. When pudding is boiling, add contents of the jello packet and mix thoroughly. 
4. 4. Pour the jello/pudding mixture over the strawberries. 
5. 5. Refrigerate until the jello/pudding mixture has set . 
6. 6. Serve with a dollop of whipped topping (optional)

Serves 8 Calories 117 Total Fat 0.2 g Total Carbs 28.1 g Dietary Fiber 2.4 Sugar 16.1 Cholesterol 0 Sodium 98.3 mg Protein 0.6 g

I'm telling you.  Crustless Strawberry Pie is the bomb!  It's easy to make. This is delicious.  Even better, the serving size  is a decent portion.  I  don't know about you...but I don't call a dessert 'healthy' just because it's only a half bite.  I want to actually have a nice serving of something that this dessert checks that box but still not break the bank in calories!!!!  This dessert does it all!!!!!!    If you try it, let me know what you think!

For a printable recipe, you can click this here.

Rough weekend

The weekend came and I was riding high on my maintain over vacation!   Nothing was going to get me down or derail me!

Weekend activities

We woke up on Saturday and relaxed before heading out to pick up a dollhouse that I had purchased through the Amazon Marketplace.  We planned on taking the old car because it would give us more space to carry a bulky dollhouse home.  We got into the car and the battery was dead!   We had an appointment to get the dollhouse so we hopped into the new car and drove the 30 minutes.  The dollhouse was HUGE!  So huge that it wasn’t fitting into the new car.    We drove home and got Jason’s work truck and drove back to pick up the house.   Have I said how huge it is?   It is so big that I feel absolutely guilty about buying it!  It totally fills up our dining room!!   Jason laughed last night and said ‘that dollhouse is just about as big as our apartment’.  In between bouts of guilt and worry about what to do with such a huge dollhouse,  I am having fun dreaming about what I am going to do with it.)

Once the dollhouse was safely filling up our dining room we headed out for a hike.   We knew it was going to be a short one because the dollhouse took up a few hours of our day.   We decided to go to Catoctin National Park.   We wanted to hike the historic Whiskey Trail.   

We thought that trail was longer....a half mile hike is not what we had in mind!   So we did go back to explore the still.

But after we explored. We headed off toward Cunningham Falls.   I was hiking slow.  My head was pounding.  I was just whipped!  It was a struggle for me!  We didn’t hike for long before we caved and called it quits.  My body was just telling me that I was done!

All evening long I remained overly tired.   The tiredness continued into Sunday.  I woke up and was showered by 7AM and I was asleep on the couch by 7:30.  I slept until about 10 or 10:30.   We took an easy day.  We ran a few errands and headed down to REI for Jason to check out some new hiking boots.  I was tired and sluggish all day!

Food

I did amazing on Friday With my eating.   On Saturday I ate a heavier lunch because I was thinking that we would have a longer hike.   The shorter hike didn’t burn as many calories.  My calorie count for Saturday was 1622...not bad but higher than I aim for.   Sunday was worse.  After sleeping all morning I was hungry and feeling so sluggish that I thought a decent lunch may help but I was so tired that the thought of making something  was abhorrent!   I pulled out two leftover pieces of pizza.  For dinner we grabbed subway subs.   I ended my day at 1680 calories.   So higher than I like but still not crazy high.

Weight

I weigh daily....it works for me. (Do whatever works for you.). I was disgusted to see my weight up by 3 pounds today.  Really?  1600 calories each day and I am up 3 pounds?   What is wrong with my body?

I will say that the monthly ick arrived...and my water intake probably was not as solid.  But still...three pounds???

I’m not giving up.   I’m still trucking on...I’m working on drinking my water today and keeping my calories down near 1200-1300 for the day!   I’ve got this!!!   This three pound back and forth is done!!!

Weigh in after a vacation

Well, it is time to explore the possible fallout from our little mini vacation.  What Am I talking about?   What in the world happened with my eating and on the scales during and after our little mini vacation to the beach!

It’s only a month of being healthy

I had made a decision that in September I would be adopting a mantra of ‘its only’.   Basically I can hold steady and stay on track because ‘it’s only a month’.  When I made that decision and challenge for September I was unaware that we would be going on a mini vacation.   It should have been smooth sailing!   But life isn’t about smooth sailing.  Life is about curveballs.  Life is about adapting.  I am not going to say that I restricted 100% and stayed true to being absolutely perfect on my mini vacation.   I honestly can’t say that!   However I am going to be totally honest and say that for the most part I feel like I made some really good choices!  I never went overboard.  I never went crazy.   I kept telling myself ‘it’s only a trip to the beach....next trip I can go crazy’.   But did it work?

Eating on vacation

Let me say that I tracked my eating each and every step of the way!   Every bite of food was tracked!!!   I did enjoy some Thrashers Fries (boardwalk style French Fries).  These were not eaten as an extra high calorie snack, they were part of my dinner and I did not eat all of them...we shared the order!

I also did indulge at the chocolate store!  Even then, I chose three small half inch squares of chocolate to enjoy after dinner.  Nothing more!  And tracked!!  I kept a tight reign on my choices and desires!

So I did have some indulgences.  My goal is to keep my calories between 1200 ad 1300 calories. So how did I do???

You can see that Saturday, Sunday and Monday my intake of calories was much higher than normal!  Sunday was quite high (for me) at 2200 calories.  I saw that number and cringed!   

  Now it is time to add in my movement.  Because we were on the move a LOT.   Especially on Sunday, that really high caloric intake day.  On Sunday we started walking at 9:45 and we did not sit down until we hit our hotel at 6:45 with our takeout dinner.   (We ate lunch on the go!). We also spent time frolicking in the ocean...fighting waves and whatnot!  So let’s look at my net calories to see where I was with adding in some of my movement (I didn’t even count all the hours...I underestimated the hours of movement)

Oh yeah...I pretty much ate higher calories on Sunday but I apparently should have burnt most of them!

It all wasn’t happy though.  I lost control one time!  Yes, I had a snack fiasco!

The Snack Fiasco

We were driving home.   Traffic as we headed toward the bay bridge was horrible (as it always is after a holiday weekend) and we got stopped dead behind an accident.  When we got moving again we knew we needed to stop for gas, bathrooms and lunch as it was already 2pm!  Everyone else was in the same boat apparently.   I waited for 10-15 minutes in line for the bathroom.  It was then time to grab something to eat.  I honestly tried!  I really did!  I marched myself over to the area for made to order sandwiches!  But that line was just as long as the line for the bathroom   No thank you....I wanted to get moving and on the way home again!   I tried to look at the ready made foods!  But it was picked over and nothing was left!   I defaulted to an individual sized bag of cheese ritz crackers.    While we waited in line to pay (another long line) I saw the chips!   I was hungry...I was discombobulated due to my original plans for food not panning out.   I grabbed a bag of chips also!   And that is the snack fiasco.  Because I did not nibble daintily a few pieces from each bag.  I scarfed down both packages and practically licked the inside of the bag clean!

Weigh in after a vacation

The day we left for vacation I was sitting at 242.6 pounds.   The day after we got back I was at 245.8!  I had gained 3.4 pounds in three days!  I had gained even with all that walking and movement!!!   I was so mad and upset but I didn’t let it get to me!!!

I turned it around.  I didn’t let vacation make me forget my ‘it’s only a month’ mantra.  I turned it around immediately and made sure I was doing what was good and right for a healthy life!    And today...Friday I stepped on the scales.  I weighed in at 242.6.     I somehow managed a straight up maintain!

Moving forward with my weight loss

Our mini vacation is behind me.   I have the rest of September to rock out my it’s only a month mantra!   It really works!  It even got me through a vacation.  My mantra kept my vacation food indulgences at a minimum and that mantra brought me right back to my healthy eating when we got home.    I may have only maintained my weight this week, but it is a HUGE victory!   Vacations usually elicit a weight gain!  But not this time!!!  I was victorious! 

Mini get away

We have been struggling with the final decision about what to do for our week long vacation.   A beach trip had been booked for months....but the beach had mandatory masks anywhere outside (except when actually on the beach...but all that boardwalk walking and bike riding we would do would be masked).  So we made a back up plan to go back to new river gorge and hike for the week!   We double booked hotels and sat back to wait to make our decision.   As time passes we have become more and more convinced that the mountains are where we should go.   But we just hesitated to drop the idea of going to the ocean!   We love to see the ocean at least once a year!   And our spring trip had been cancelled in the height of the Covid panic so we hadn’t seen the ocean yet this year.    

On Saturday of Labor Day weekend, we were out shopping and we were talking about our upcoming decision and we both said ‘if we could at least see the ocean I think this decision would be easier.’   We looked at each other and said, ‘Well it is a long weekend!’  We quickly finished our grocery shopping and headed home.  Surprisingly we found a hotel that had a vacancy (not ocean front but it was a hotel situated right on the boardwalk) and by 12-1 Pm on Saturday we were heading to the beach!!!  What beach?  Ocean City, Maryland.

Masks were mandatory...and they had police on the boardwalk patrolling and stopping unmasked people!

 

We didn’t buck the system.   We wanted to see the ocean but we didn’t want to get sick in the process.  So we kept our masks on when we were in crowded areas!  But when we were in wide open places with no one for 10-20 feet away, we lowered our masks!  

The ocean was gorgeous!  (It was a lot more crowded than this picture made it appear....this was taken early morning)

We explored some history of Ocean City.  

Our hotel was the Shoreham Hotel...which was built in the early 1900’s and is actually the oldest continually operating hotel in Ocean City.  (There are two or three older hotels but their original buildings all burnt down at one point and had to be rebuilt...the Shoreham is the original building) 

We also spent some time exploring the vintage amusement park rides in the carousel building.  And In particular, the 1912 giant hand carved carousel. 

We had a fabulous time in Ocean City...even with the masks!

Sooo....the question you may be asking.  What are our thoughts about our week long vacation now that we saw the ocean and experienced the mandatory masks on the boardwalk?  

Within a half hour to an hour of walking on the boardwalk with masks....we had our answer.   It was annoying...hot...and just not cool!    We both are satisfied with our glimpse of the ocean and the time that we spent frolicking in the water.  We are both now 100% ok with a trip to the mountains versus the ocean.   In fact, we got home and immediately cancelled the ocean hotel!   Our decision is made!  Bring on New River Gorge come vacation time!!!!

Broccoli Chicken Rice Crockpot Casserole

 I love using my crock pot.  I somehow always seem to forget about it though!  But not this week!  This week we dined on the broccoli chicken rice crockpot casserole.  

This recipe is super easy.  It calls for a 

1pound of chicken (cut into bite size pieces)

5 cups of bite sized pieces of broccoli

 1 can cream of chicken soup

 1 can cream of celery soup

2 cups of rice

 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese 

3-4 cups of chicken broth (I start with 3 and add more if it looks too dry as it is cooking)

Dump it all in the crockpot, put the crockpot on low and let it cook for 6 hours.  And Voila'  a delicious meal!!!!

For a printable recipe you can click here.

Game plan: It's Only

 I have talked in the past about a certain mindset that is helpful in weight loss.  I call it the "It's only" mindset.  It is that belief that I an do ANYTHING that I set my mind to.  I don't have to promise to do it forever.  I am only vowing to do it 'today' or 'this week'   Next week is a different story.  I can decide next weeks 'it's only' goal next week.  But for now I can put my mind to something and do it because....it's only!

Losing weight in the face of donuts

This started for me years ago when I was working at the bank.  We had customers bringing us donuts almost every day.  My manager and I wanted to lose weight but how could we when there were donuts in the office.  All. The. Time!     We talked about it and we both had vacation about 6 weeks away. We decided that we could resist donuts until our vacation.  Because seriously....it was ONLY 6 weeks. Who can't live without donuts for 6-7 weeks.  We both made it too!   NO donuts for 6 weeks and it didn't even hurt us. You see, we had told ourselves "it's only 6 weeks"  I'm not giving it up forever.  Just for 6 weeks.  You and I know what happened after the six weeks.  Well ok, maybe you don't!   After the end of 6 weeks, the habit of having donuts at work CONSTANTLY had died down.  Customers knew we weren't eating donuts so they stopped bringing them in.  We stopped eating them and we didn't have much of a desire after the 6 weeks were over.  It broke the habit!  Sounds like a perfect plan to me right?

I have utilized this 'it is only' plan quite a few times.  Of course I can do something....it's only for a day...or a week...or whatever.  So it should come as no surprise that while I have been struggling with my weight loss efforts that I came up with a new "It's only" plan!

What if I was spot on perfect with my weight loss efforts for one month

I was in the shower one day and I was thinking about my goals for weight loss and where I am in my journey and I started to think about "what if".  What if I kept my calories in line EVERY DAY for a month?  What would happen if I exercised during my lunch break EVERY DAY for a month?  What would happen if I drank all of my required water EVERY DAY for a month?   I bet I could lose quite a bit of weight.  I would feel better too....at least that was my theory in the shower that day!  As I allowed that hot water to wash over me, I remembered the "It is only" concept.   Hmmm....could I do it?  Well yeah, because it's only a month.  But did I WANT to do it?

It's only a month

Yes, I decided that I did want to follow through on the 'it's only a month" plan.  I know I can do it!  I have faith in myself.  And well....maybe I knew that we were not planning on traveling or going away during the month.  So I knew that would make things easier!  I was all in!

I was so all into this 'it's only a month' plan that I shared it with Jason.  I usually try to keep these things a secret so that when I fall off the bandwagon that no-one knows!  This time I told Jason.  He shocked me because he decided to do no sweets for the same month!  Really???   He liked the mantra "it's only a month"!   

Oh now it's game on!  (Hmmm could I make this a challenge...because I will work harder so that I don't lose against someone!  LOL)

Now some things have changed and we may be going away for an overnight trip.  That will be problematic but that is ok. You see, at the end of the month I want to see what happens if I put my mind to something.  I'm aiming for perfection but I'm ok with one or two mess ups. (remember, my monthly goals does allow me to have one day where I am not spot on...so if that is what it ends up being, then I'll still consider it a win!)  I can do it!

Hello September!  It's going to be a fun ride!!!! 

Monthly Goal Recap

 I have already said that I kinda blew it in the month of August.  Yeah, I really blew it!   But you know what?  I am still here in this weight loss journey.  I am still wanting this weight loss to happen.  I am still in this game, so I did NOT fail!  Failure is giving up and I have NOT given up!

So how did I do?

1.  Track every bite of my food-  I totally fell off the wagon with this one.  I failed to track for a good two weeks.  I just didn't....no real reason.  Ohhh there are reasons...but they are all excuses!

2.  Save money  There is not money in the savings account, but we have paid for TWO weeks of lodging for our one week of vacation.  The duplicate (back up option) is being cancelled and I will be regaining those dollars.  I paid for the second hotel this past month.......and did not deduct ANYTHING from savings....so when I get my refund.  So while I technically did not put money into the savings, the money will get there eventually!

3.  Weigh less at the end of the month - Uhhh yeah, this did not happen.  (See tracking issues above....because we all 'know' that we we don't track it then it doesn't count as calories....right???)

4.  Be active at least 4 times a week  I actually managed this thanks to the after work walks with Jason!

5.  Stay within caloric/food budget at least 6 days a week  Nope.....this didn't even come close to happening!

6.  Have an average of over 5K steps per day for the month.  I actually nailed this one!!!!!

So you can see that my month was a combination of victory and failure!   But that's ok.  We learn from failure and we grow from adversity.  So I must have done a heap of growing!!!!

So my goals for next month?   Exactly the same!!!

1.  Track every bite of my food

2.  Save money

3.  Weigh less at the end of the month

4.  Be active at least 4 times a week

5.  Stay within caloric/food budget at least 6 days a week

6.  Have an average of over 5K steps per day for the month.

Hiking at Seneca Creek State Park

We had the nicest weather of the summer on Sunday!  The humid was low and the temps were steady in the lower 80°’s!  How awesome is that???   We knew we couldn’t let that slip away form us!   We were up and moving early figuring out what we were doing.   And we decided to hike at a state park about 20 miles from us.  We had never been to this park so it was all new to us!

Hiking Plan

We had read online that a pretty hike would be to hike a 2 mile trail to a lake.  Once to the lake, we could traverse the trail around the lake and once that look was completed we would be able to hike back the two miles on the trail to the car.  Easy Peasy!  

We were all in!   We drove to the trailhead with excitement because we were going to hike somewhere new.  New trails are the absolute best!  It’s all a mystery.  It’s all fresh and new!  It’s all exploration!

How fun!!!!

We got to the trailhead and parked.  But there were No clear signs indicating where the trail began. Luckily we ran into a nice lady who was able to answer my questions!   And we were off!!!

Hiking adventures

At the beginning, the trail was not well marked at all and it was confusing as to which way we needed to go.  A slight part of this was due to the way the blazes were marked.  Admittedly part of that was due to our newness and the not so clear maps.  And thirdly, the disc golf course that we were hiking through made it a bit confusing (I almost always find trails confusing when they meander through a disc golf course).   But even with the confusion we were happy!   We were exploring and if we took a wrong trail...oh well....we would just see something different than planned!!

Have no fear though, we found the right trails and we did our planned hike!

It was a great hike!   We had a blast!   Jason even found some mushrooms to bring home to eat!!

My new boots worked well, but my heel (plantars fasciitis) is really kicking now that it is one day later! 

We will definitely go back and hike that trail again!  We plan on doing it this fall to experience the changing colors of the leaves!!!

Surveying the damage from my weight loss failure

Losing weight is so very difficult!   How can it be so darn hard?   In theory it sounds so easy, use more calories than you eat!   But this weight loss journey is nowhere near that simple!   In the last few weeks I have struggled.  I have struggled big time and now it’s time to survey the damage.

Weight loss struggle

Over the last few weeks I have been struggling.   My weight loss journey has not been easy.  I have moments of pure success for sure.  But those moments are evened out with weight loss catastrophe! And then August happened.    It started with Jason’s birthday cake that I baked.   Of course I had a piece.  And I had a second piece the next night. And then we went away for the weekend and I splurged with a Cinnabon, a donut and finally cookies.   We ate fast food and while I would have been happy with the sandwich, of course this food addict couldn’t resist the fries also.  We came home from the weekend and it would have all been ok if I had simply tightened the reins.  But no, I had opened the door wide and I couldn’t get it shut...the food frenzy continued.

Voice in my head

Losing control of my eating like that allowed the voices in my head, that negative reasoning that I am so adept at doing, to regain control.  I call it my fat mini me.   That is the ‘voice’ of reason (insanity) that talks me out of making the healthy choice.   On more than one occasion I stood on the precipice of weight loss disaster and asked myself if I wanted to really eat that?  Was it worth it?  Did I want to eat and be fat or not eat and be thin?    And that darn mini me voice/reasoning was so loud that I chose the path to disaster!

Control over my food addiction 

This past week I started to regain some semblance of control over my food addiction.  It has been a difficult battle, but one I am determined to win.  I started to track my food.  It wasn’t easy!  The first day was horrible.  I resisted eating anything that I had pre-tracked.  But each day got better.  It wasn’t a banner week, but it was a week of moving in the right direction.  I’m once again making better choices and putting my health first when I make those choices.

The numbers on the scales

I weigh myself every day.  So I saw the scales steadily climb this past week.  It got terrifyingly bad.  I tried to stay calm.  There was no way that I ate that many calories to warrant a 6 pound gain.  I tried to focus on drinking enough water along with my healthy eating.  

And today, my weigh in day....I weigh...245.4.   That is  a three pound gain from last week.   I’m not happy.  But I can only blame myself!

It would be so easy to give up. And that is why so few people succeed in a weight loss journey.  Losing weight is going to have ups and downs....highs and lows.  However, success is not given to only those that never struggle.  Quite the opposite, riding out the bad times is the key to successful weight loss.

What is wrong with me?

What is wrong with me???  I literally can't seem to stop eating!  I tell myself that I'm going to get it under control.  No more.......Yet when it comes time to eat I just eat with abandon! There is a war waging in my head and the fat side is winning!

Yesterday I literally stood in the kitchen putting some chips in a bowl and I literally told myself "Maryfran, you shouldn't eat these...you want to be thin"   and I then immediately said "I don't care" and I ate the chips in the bowl. I sometimes say "tomorrow"  or "my next meal I'll be good".  But yesterday I just didn't care......but I cared about the numbers on the scale and how bloated I feel!

Hey, at least I am putting them in the bowl versus eating the straight out of the bag because we all know that if I did that....the bag would be gone in one sitting! 

I am miserable and feel bloated and icky.  I want to be thin and feel good about myself.  Yet I want to eat what I want and when I want.   I know I can't have it both ways!  Yet I sit on the fence and often fall onto the fat side of the fence!  

This is so difficult and I so wish there was an easy answer!!!!!

I seriously must be insane!

Broccoli Salad

A cool refreshing salad for the summer months

Broccoli Salad

In a large bowl combine:

6 cups fresh broccoli florets

1 can (8oz) sliced water chesnuts, drained

½ cup dried cranberries

¼ cup chopped red onion

 

In a small bowl whisk together

¾ cup mayo

¾ cup yogurt

1 ½ tsp cider vinegar

1 ½ tsp sugar

1 ½ tsp Dijon mustard

¼ tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

Pour dressing/liquid over broccoli and toss to coat.

 

Just before serving sprinkle with ¼ cup slivered almonds (optional)

 

Serving Size ½ cup

Per serving (without the almonds)

Cal 51.8

Fat 0.5

Sat Fat 0.2

Poly Fat 0.1

Mono fat 0.1

Chol 0.9

Dietary Fiber 1.8

Sugars 5.6

Protein 2.6

 

Alternate versions:
Use raisins instead of cranberries

Different dressing

 1 cup miracle whip

1 tbs vinegar

1/3 cup sugar

Click here for a printable copy of this Broccoli Salad Recipe.

Hiking on the Appalachian Trail: And it was uneventful!

 Hiking is great exercise and I am totally blessed to have the Appalachian Trail meander through our area.   We have plenty of additional parks and trails to keep us hiking and moving!   This past weekend was no different.  

After our last experience on the Appalachian trail where we hiked a further and longer than we had planned, resulting in a case of heat exhaustion, I am happy to announce that our most recent hike on the Appalachian Trail was uneventful!

We decided to hike North from Keys Gap, which is North of Harpers Ferry.  I really want to hike Maryland Heights again (and for the first time ever with Jason) but the Harpers Ferry area is SO darn busy and it is difficult to find parking.  Sooo, we settled on the AT again.

This trail was awesome.  We parked and for the most part, the 3-4 miles that we walked on this trail was flat with very minimal grades!   YAY!  My favorite!    There were some rocks....ok, a LOT of rocks!  It was a very rocky path!  But it was a great hike!  We saw some pretty incredible aspects of nature!  

We saw some deer...and even this youngster....

And we saw this neat looking caterpillar.......

And not exactly nature, but this dolls head was laying in the woods!  (Jason put it on the log)

Of course we saw pretty flowers of all sorts of colors.

And mushrooms.....

Lots of mushrooms.......we left the psychedelic ones where we saw them!

Nature truly is amazing!  It was a good hike!  We covered about 7 miles.  

So how did my new hiking boots that I talked about recently work out on the trail?  I went with ultra light boots. They feel amazing on my feet!  But the trail was too rocky.  My ankles are too week and my feet are too messed up.  I need a heavier boot for rough terrain.   So back to the drawing board for the rough rocky trails!   I will still be using these new Asolo ultra light boots for easy trails.....ones without tons of rocks, so it is not a waste!!!!

Hiking with your best friend is the best thing in the world......I can't wait to go again!

Shame from my Obesity

 It is no secret that I am overweight, obese really.  I can't hide it.  All it takes is one glance and it is clear that I have a weight issue.   Luckily for me, I have managed to ride this storm of obesity without too many emotional issues and hang ups.  But I have one big one.   I get embarrassed to be buying things for a healthy life.  Yeah, isn't that crazy!

Years upon years ago when I bought my first bike as an adult, I was kind of embarrassed to go buy a bike and spend a lot of money.  I was probably almost 300 pounds at that point.  All I could think about was what were the salesmen thinking about this fat girl buying a bike.  I was sure they were thinking it!  But I screwed up my courage and I did it anyway!  I went and bought my bike. (This was in 2001 and I bought a Trek Navigator).   Yes, it took courage and no...I have NEVER regretted my decision.  

You would think that I would have learned my lesson to gather my courage right?  But no.....I still struggle with it.   A few years back I went to replace a pair of hiking boots. I replaced them with the exact same make and model of boot.   This should have been an easy purchase.   But it wasn't.  I went to the shoe section and asked for the shoe that I was interested in.  The sales person brought me the shoe I requested and then proceeded to do the shoe sales man game.  They had me try on a shoe a size smaller.  Why, I still don't know!  And then they insisted that they knew what they were doing and the smaller size was what I needed.   I was a fat girl in a healthy fit persons store and I felt out of place and shy.  All of those feelings of being 'a fish out of water' flowed over me.  I didn't stand up for myself and I bought those 'size smaller' shoes.   

I didn't notice too much of an issue with the new shoes at first.   Mainly because life happened and we didn't hike much.   When we did hike it was just little short hikes.  It wasn't until we started to hike regularly this year that I realized that there was a huge problem.  (And yes, it is to my shame that it took me years to really reach this decision).    I knew that my shoes were not comfortable and that the longer I hiked they more my feet bothered me.   But it wasn't until we hiked for over 5 hours that I knew something had to change IMMEDIATLY!   After the 5 hour hike, my feet were so sore.  In particular, my toes.  They hurt so badly each time we went downhill (because they bumped the front of my boot) and for days upon days afterward they hurt anytime something touched the toenails.......the sheets covering my feet in bed hurt!   I had to do something.  

I did buy a new pair of boots on Friday.  I like them.  They are comfortable.   THey will be great for certain types of hiking. (But I will still need a heavier pair of boots for more rough terrain).  

I could have saved myself so much trouble had I just stood up for myself and gotten over the shame and embarrassment when I bought those last boots.  I would have certainly purchased the correct size boot. (I would assume).  I wouldn't have let a salesperson talk me into something that I kind of suspected was wrong.   I allowed myself to be shadowed and it backfired.   That is my lesson....no shame!  I am out there doing it.  It doesn't matter what a sales person thinks.  It doesn't matter that they THINK they know more than I in every situation.  They do not.  Their advise is awesome....but it's NOT the end all be all answer!  Trust yourself!