Bacon and Cheese, Please?

Breakfast

Fresh Strawberries, that actually tasted really sweet!
Light English Muffin with Egg Beaters, 1 T. Bacon Pieces,
Reduced Fat Cheddar Slice and a small smear of fresh avocado!









Then I was ecstatic to find a Keurig Gingerbread flavor cup and a small amount of Sugar Free Pumpkin Coffee Syrup! Add a little steamed skim milk, and ahhhhhh, back in the days of Fall of 2012. It seems so long ago......





My overly dramatic breakfast was...
9 PPV



Lunch

Left over roasted veggies and tortellini.




3 PPV




Grilled Bacon and Cheese!
2 slices 1 PPV bread
1 T. Light Country Crock Spread
2 slices Reduced Fat Cheddar
1 T. Bacon Pieces

1 Happy Lady!




6 PPV




Dinner

I thought about more Bacon and cheese, but I was craving tilapia tacos instead.

Tilapia taco
7 PPV

Salad with mixed greens, olives, tomatoes, kidney beans, and bell peppers all dressed with salsa and a little sour cream
3 PPV







Dessert? Okay.
1/2 C Low Fat Vanilla Frozen Yogurt topped with
Apples in a Bag!

3 PPV








The food I ate today and it's PPV

Breakfast = 9
Lunch = 9
Dinner = 10
Dessert = 3

Total = 31

Activity Points Earned Today = 4
Remaining points from my 49 Points Allowance = 0
How many glasses of water I drank today = 9






"love the life you live, live the life you love"

2013, Lucky or Unlucky?

I've never really been a superstitious person. I never DIDN'T schedule something on Friday the 13th. I never carried a rabbits foot. I ALWAYS stepped on a crack, and I never pick up a penny. I just never gave it much thought. I'm one of those people that truly believes that things happen for a reason. Good or bad. I believe that good things happen when they are supposed to happen in our lives and bad things happen when they are supposed to happen. I try really hard to acknowledge when the good things happen as a blessing, and I try to recognize the lesson I need to learn when bad things happen, or how that the bad thing could have been much worse, then I go back to feeling blessed that the bad thing wasn't worse. It just works for me. Most of the time.

I start my blog with this subject today because so far, 2013 has been a little iffy. Certainly great things have happened, like Tess getting her internship, and Mike and I going on a beautiful vacation to the beach with great friends, but a few unfortunate things have happened too, like being robbed at gunpoint, puking on the plane, the furnace going out, the deck falling apart......and so on. Here is where I find the good in the bad. Mike got robbed, but not shot. The guy stole his wedding ring, but our jeweler has one just like it that we can get. The furnace broke and the deck is falling apart, but we can afford to fix those things. I find myself waking up each day wondering what might break today, or what might go wrong, and just preparing myself to handle things with patience and to be calm.

The phone call that I have fearfully anticipated since the day Tess turned 15 and drove by herself for the first time up the street to her part time job at the ice cream store, came Sunday afternoon. Tess had called to tell me she had returned to Dallas from her trip to Nashville for the weekend, and was driving home to her cousins house where she is staying while in Dallas. She had a great time with her new Intern Friends from Southwest, and she was looking forward to watching the Super Bowl with Jason and Sara, her cousin and his wife. She was so happy about her recent travels and the incredible internship she has found herself in. (it's one of those things I think happened for a reason.)

We hung up, and MAYBE five minutes later my cell phone rang, showing her name on the screen. I said "hello?" with a question at the end, like...."what did you forget to tell me?" and there was a deep voice on the other end. I knew IMMEDIATELY what had happened. She had been in a wreck, and I had no idea who was holding her phone, but assumed they called the last person she spoke to. He said something like this......(I could hear her crying in the background). "Ma'am, I just want you to know she is okay, but there has been a bad accident".

Tess was hit while on the Interstate. There were several witnesses that stopped to help her. Her car was hit on the driver's side. The windows busted out leaving her lap and hair full of glass. One of the witnesses was a nurse, and she stopped and held her hand while waiting for the ambulance. They removed Tess from the passengers's side and placed her on a board and put a neck brace on her. All precautions. She was taken to the ER where they took X-rays and did CT scans to check things out. All came back fine and they sent her home with some pain meds and a note not to return to work until Wednesday. The car is a total loss.

She is going to be sore for a while. But here is the good. She is fine. That phone call, as scary as it was at first, could have been so much worse. The blessing is, she is fine. A little shook up and a little sore, but fine. Many prayers of thanks were said last night.

But it leaves me wondering. What else does 2013 have in store? Maybe it's going to be one of those years where a LOT of things are learned and appreciated out of bad situations, OR???????? A whole bunch of good shit it about to go down!!! :)

Here are yesterday's eats......


French Toast
(Made with 1 PPV per/slice bread, Egg Whites, skim milk, cinnamon and vanilla)
Topped with Apples in a Bag

Um.....I don't know why I hadn't thought to put the Apples in a Bag on top of french toast or pancakes before, but this was deeeeelish. No syrup or butter needed.

5 PPV



Coffee with Skim Milk
1 PPV




Tomatoes, Carrots, Bell Peppers, Cheese, Crackers, hummus
6 PPV



Snack
Pear
0 PPV



Dinner
(Not your typical Superbowl Dinner)

Roasted Veggies
Carrots, Zucchini, Mushrooms, Asparagus, Potatoes




Uh.....yum. I do love a good Traders Joe's find.




Pinterest Recipe!

Baked Salmon.....




Here's mine......one little tab of butter worked just fine.




I loved the baked salmon in the foil. Soft and buttery.





15 PPV




I forgot to buy a new Weight Watchers Tracker. Urg.
My total for the day was 27.
I had a great Treadmill workout that earned me 4 activity points.
I took the mutts for a nice little 15 minute walk.


The food I ate today and it's PPV

Breakfast = 6
Lunch = 6
Snack = 0
Dinner = 15

Total = 27

Activity Points Earned Today = 4
Remaining points from my 49 Points Allowance = 0
How many glasses of water I drank today = 9

Wishful thinking........




"love the life you live, live the life you love"

Friday Weight Watchers Meeting

Again, we had an awesome meeting on Friday. The subject matter was.....

What do Successful People Have in Common?

The members of the meeting agreed that many successful people could be defined by some of the following........

Goal Oriented
Organized
Determined
Educated
Persistent
Driven
Motivated

There were more suggestions given, but these come to mind first. All of these things also make successful Weight Watcher members.

We then discussed if we feel that sometimes we doubt our ability to reach our goal, and why. Why do we think we can not succeed?

People suggested different reasons why they doubt that they can reach their weight loss goals.

Always been overweight.
Family History of obesity.
Big Boned.

I know for me I have a hard time visualizing myself at my goal weight because I have never weighed that. When I got to 165, that was as close to 160 I have been in years, and I can't explain it, but as good as it felt, it was also scary. Will I keep it off? What will I look like? Will people constantly be waiting for me to gain it back? Should I just stop where I'm at? What if I continue to work really hard and it just doesn't want to leave my body? So, as embarrassing as all of those thoughts are, they are real for me. Hence "The Weight of my Weight".

So I sit here, frustrated, knowing I am better than this. Knowing I can work hard, and that working hard is all that I can expect from myself. To keep educated about good health, to exercise, to pay attention to what I am putting my body, to practice moderation and portion control, to plan my weeks and my days, to pat myself on the back for a good choice and forgive myself for a bad choice. Those are the things that I know that I can do.


Well, it's Sunday morning. I did weigh in on Friday, but I told the nice lady that weighed me that I prefer not to look at the number until later. You are seeing it for the first time with me.






I didn't look at the number Friday, and I didn't look at the number on Saturday. I had a long talk with myself in bed last night (reflecting...I suppose) and I knew when I got up that I would have to face the number. So I did. Basically I gained three pounds over the holidays, and it never left me, then I gained three more pounds over vacation. Again, after the incidents that happened on vacation, I was just happy to be with my husband and my friends, and fruits and vegetables didn't seem as important as rum and fruit juice. (true story)

So now, as I face surgery and a long recovery, (and a lot of unknowns) I have had many a talks with myself about goals and self discipline. I am frustrated with myself for going into this situation with my weight back up a bit. I have been thinking about my goal of 150, and what I need to go back to doing to get there. I journal like crazy, but I have been lacking in measuring, and I have been estimating points values for food much more often that I should. I know when I sneak a bite of food here and there, I have been terrible about writing it down, and I know those unwritten points in food become obvious pounds on my body. My self discipline has always been pretty sucky. I wish I knew why. I know to make this surgery successful, I HAVE to have self discipline when it comes to physical therapy or I might as well not even have the surgery. So not having self discipline is no longer an option. It is mandatory!

Mike has sensed my short temper this week, and I hate it when I take my frustration with myself out on him. The poor guy can't blink right when I'm in a mood. He completely set my mind at ease last night by telling me he wanted to work from home for a couple of weeks after my surgery because he wanted to be there for me and wanted to be able to do whatever I needed whenever I needed it. (He is sooooo going to regret this.)

Just kidding. He just made me fall in love with him all over again and feel like crap for being so short with him lately.

Well, that was quite a reflection. I feel better already. The sun is shining brightly, we are going out to a movie today, then home to watch the Super Bowl, things feel organized and in place for the week, and it's going to be a great day!

Here are the eats (as best as I can) for Friday and Saturday.

Breakfast
Luna Bar]
5 PPV




Lunch
Leftover Red Beans and Rice
8 PPV




Dinner? Okay, Happy Hour
Wine, Beer
Dips, Pizza, Nuts, More Dips.....

I don't know how many points I consumed, but I will assume my 49 extra points I get each week, were used on Friday and Saturday Night.

This picture is the last of the boxed wine, being squeezed out of the bag!!! These girls are just crazy like that.




And really.....WHO WANTS TO WASTE GOOD WINE?????




Saturday
Breakfast
Scrambled Egg Beaters with WW Cheese
Toast and Jelly

7 PPV






Lunch
Veggies and Hummus




Dinner

I have no pictures.

Mike and I headed out to Sunset Grill to use our coupon for the artichoke dip. Buy one Entree, get the dip for free!

We rarely do the appetizer thing, but we did. The dip was awesome, and even better when washing it down with a couple of ice cold beers!

It was probably one of the best date nights we have had in a really long time. We each had a few beers and filled up on chips and dip. We never did order that Entree.

So obviously, I have already gone over on my points for the week after two days. My long talk with myself was last night after we came home and Mike was fast asleep. I have got to stop celebrating with food and get back to my plan. The surgery feels like a fresh start to my health. I really let my shoulder get me down and this is an opportunity for a fresh start as far as my goals go and with my new relationship with Self Discipline.

I have no idea how much I will blog after surgery, but I am assuming I will take at least a few days off.

I will blog the rest of the week for sure though.

This blog was kind of all over the place, but it always feels good for me to get my thoughts I've had stuck in my head all week long out there.

Thanks to my supporters for not giving up on me and accepting me, no matter what the scale says. :)




"love the life you live, live the life you love"

In my spare time on Thursday.......

......I read a little info on what to expect after Rotator Cuff Repair Surgery.

Let me start with why I had so much spare time. The dogs went to the groomer and I felt as though my children were at Mothers Day Out! And I LOVED it!

But.....then the carpet cleaners came. I think I might be experiencing some nesting for post-op.

The furnace guy also came, so I posted this on Facebook. I was in need of a little entertainment.

"So, the furnace guy is here....again. If I go missing, his name is Mark. I saw on a TV special that you should let someone know when you're home alone with a service guy. I thought I'd just tell everyone."

The comments that followed kept me entertained a while longer.

Then I tweeted it. I was really bored.





Then, everything was fixed and/or clean, so I picked up my babies.....all pretty and clean!

Mishka!




Tucker!




In my spare time though, during carpet cleaner guy and furnace guy......I did some reading.......and the Doc didn't lie. He said one week after surgery, I may regret having it, and two weeks after surgery, I may regret it even more. Weeks three and four I will start to adapt. From what I have read this morning, its all true. Aside from the pain during recovery, I hadn't put a lot of thought into all of the things I will have to do with my left hand, and my left hand only. I can barely WASH my right hand with my left hand while washing my hands, but I suppose that's about to change. I'm not complaining, I am eager to feel better and move on with the simple things that have become painful......like sleeping, showering, dressing, folding laundry, hanging laundry and just putting plates in the cupboard. I just hadn't put a lot of thought into NOT using my right arm at all for several weeks. How will I get my pants down to pee? How will I put on my BRA? These are currently my two biggest concerns, wetting my pants and tripping over my nipples. I guess I will just be spending lots of time in my robe. That could become depressing and I could get bored really quick, so I plan to spend lots of time writing stupid blogs (just using my left hand of course) that will most likely have absolutely nothing at all to do with Weight Watchers, or cooking or how many activity points I earned while walking on the treadmill, but more about the funny movies I watched and the amazing things I have learned to do with my left hand, like drink coffee or brush my teeth. Try it with your opposite hand. It ain't easy.

I am going to the library before surgery to check out some motivational books about life in general. I can't spend ALL day watching movies and drinking coffee. I could become really annoying on Facebook? Maybe I'll try Jenga with just my left hand?

Egads.....here are a few interesting tidbits I found today on what to expect post-op.


1. GETTING WASHED: For the first 3 weeks you may need assistance to wash your un-operated arm, as you will not be able to use your operated arm for this. To dry yourself, it may be easier to put a toweling bathrobe on, which will help to dry your un-operated arm.

2. GETTING DRESSED: You will find it easier to wear front opening clothes. Always dress your operated arm first.

3. KITCHEN ACTIVITIES: This includes making meals, snacks and drinks for yourself. For the first 6 weeks you must use your un-operated arm for kitchen activities. After this time you may return to using both arms. AVOID LIFTING ANYTHING HEAVY FOR 3 MONTHS. At 6 weeks after surgery you may lift light items.

4. HOUSEWORK: Light housework may resume after 6 weeks. More strenuous housework should be avoided until 3 months after your operation.

5. It is important that the repaired tendons not be challenged until they have had a chance to heal. We recommend that you make no attempt to engage the repaired arm away from the side of the body, i.e. absolutely no reaching or lifting activities for a full 3 months. Light finger activities such as keyboarding, shuffling cards, buttoning your shirt will be permitted and may be initiated within a few days after surgery.

Well, I spent way too much time reading about what I will NOT be able to do and I did not spend any time taking pictures of the food I ate yesterday. I haven't skipped a food taking picture day in a really long time. I don't actually know how many points I ate yesterday either.

We had some family here last night, and between playing with the Grandkids (we built the coolest castle with sheets in the upstairs hallway!) and catching up on conversation, I was mindlessly snacking on the Delight Pizza!!



Breakfast
Toast with Peanut Butter

Lunch
Shredded BBQ Pork and Broccoli Salad

Dinner
Spinach Salad and Papa Murphy's Delight Pizza (too many pieces)

Friday morning is my first weigh in since vacation. I know I gained and I know I didn't get it all off this week, but I know some of it came off.

I am feeling a little nervous about eating out of boredom after surgery. I have removed ALL trigger foods from my house, so that's step one in avoiding that problem.

I will need to keep my mind busy so boredom eating doesn't become an issue, and I will keep lots of fruits and crunchy veggies available in case I do end up eating more than I should between meals.

I plan to focus hard on the The Power Foods this week and get 5 days of walking in. I want to go into surgery feeling positive, healthy and strong.





"love the life you live, live the life you love"

Cooking....Cleaning.....Cooking.

I unexpectedly had the day off, so I took advantage of it and got busy. With my surgery just a little over a week away, and me feeling the need to get as many things prepared as possible, I went to work in the kitchen. And you know I have a gazillion list lined up on the kitchen counter top of things "to do".





I now have prepared and placed in the freezer, cooked ground turkey and onions, you know.......for chili or spaghetti or sloppy joes, or whatever sounds good one day with cooked ground turkey! Shredded BBQ pork, shredded Crockpot Salsa Chicken, a dozen cooked turkey Burgers, and some browned Italian Sweet Chicken Sausage. I feel like the freezer is now prepared. It's not like Mike can't pick us up dinner on the way home from work too, I just wanted to be able to prepare a few things and know the points value on them. :)

While cooking things up, I turned on the "self clean" oven option. "Clean Oven" was on my pre-surgery "To Do List". The house filled up terribly with smoke, and it was snowing outside! In order to prevent smoke alarms and unhappy dogs, I opened up windows and doors and flipped on the ceiling fan. Thank GOODNESS we got the furnace motor fixed! I really gave it a good workout today!

Breakfast
Toast with Better N Peanut Butter and banana slices
Egg whites
Coffee with skim milk

5 PPV





Lunch
Pork sandwich on 80 calorie bun
Tomatoes, carrots

8 PPV









WW Fudge Bar
3 PPV





Dinner

Zatarans Red Beans And Rice
Turkey Kielbasa
And a whole bunch of Roasted Brussels Sprouts




7 PPV





Activity Points Earned Today = 4
Remaining points from my 49 Points Allowance = 6
How many glasses of water I drank today = 9









"love the life you live, live the life you love"

Tuesday.....even more boring than Monday!

Breakfast

Toast
Egg whites
Cheese
Bacon Pieces
Coffee with milk

6 PPV



Lunch
Turkey Taco Salad

10 PPV



Toast with Biscotti Spread
3 PPV

Banana
0 PPV

Dinner with a old Friend...it was great to catch up, and it was the best part of my day!

:)

Wine
12 PPV

1/2 Turkey Burger
6 PPV

1/2 order sweet potato fries
5 PPV






Activity Points Earned Today = 0
Remaining points from my 49 Points Allowance = 6
How many glasses of water I drank today = 6









"love the life you live, live the life you love"