Really loving this.

I don't know if it's this scale that Dylan's mom has, or if I've actually lost that much, but according to the new love of my life (the scale), I've already lost 4 lbs since Saturday. When I see a scale, I can't help but step on it. I hide our scale at home for that reason. I'm excited either way, because this trip has already been a learning experience.
We did a healthy Thanksgiving. There were a few things that weren't the best for us, but comparatively speaking, it was very healthy. We start out with the appetizer - endive spears with goat cheese, topped with a quarter grape tomato, baguettes with tapenade, and a very yummy tomato Harissa Soup. Then 20 minutes and a glass of wine later- the main course - Roast Turkey, Sausage Sourdough Stuffing, Bread Pudding with Mushrooms, Cranberries in Pinot Noir, Mixed Mushroom Gravy (BabyBella, Shitaki, and Wild), Roasted Garlic Whipped Potatoes, Citrus Green Beans with Pine Nuts, Brussel Sprouts with Mustard Sauce (another recipe that allows me to eat a much despised vegetable), and Sweet Potato Brulee. Just a tiny taste of everything was enough to satisfy after the soup. Then we took a walk around the neighborhood, had a good time, talking cutting up. Before the food, I was introduced to Wii Fit. I'm smitten with the game system and it does work up more of a sweat then when I'm at home doing pilates, but my mind is a bit more occupied with trying to beat my best score (Me? Competitive? No..) I beat the reigning champion in Super Hula Hoop by one point, so I have a Hula Hoop Off scheduled for this afternoon. A few hours later (yes, there is still food to be served) we had Salad and Cheese. My cheese world has just opened up. We had Old Chatham Nancy's Camembert, Neal's Yard Dairy Isle Mull Cheddar, and Naked Goat. All was super and the wine - Medoc, Baron Henri, 2006 - just complemented the cheeses so well. Last, but definitely not least, was desert. Maple Pecan Pie and Pumpkin Roulade with Ginger Cream Cheese(but made lighter with Neufchâtel cheese, instead of cream cheese) Filling. Yesterday was just so wonderful and Dylan's family has been just so super where I feel like I fit right in. I felt satisfied, but not stuffed to discomfort. I've had more wine in the past two days than I've had in my lifetime, which is SUCH a good thing. Lots of Wii Fit with Dylan's younger sisters, walking the dogs, good conversations with his mom.
If this is what a healthy lifestyle is like, Oh yes please. And to think that 4 more days until we are back in Baton Rouge! I have so much to learn. I have I'm going to be stealing quite a few recipes and trying to fit more of these yummy yummy things into my life.
I hope that you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and that you don't gain during this holiday season. 1 more thing that we don't really have in Baton Rouge that we're finding here in Atlanta - colors in the trees!

Underlying Causes

After Saturday's weigh in, I was a small bit discouraged. I found out yesterday though that I was taking in water. Thanks Momma Nature! Always good to have a scapegoat. Unfortunately Dailyburn has no entry for moving a 22 year old girl's crap.
Saturday was long. I moved the majority of my stuff in from my parents' house that I hadn't already brought over, including a queen sized bed that was 'fun' to get up the stairs. Thankfully I had my honey and my dad to do that part. There is no way Dylan and I could have done that easily. While they were doing that, I lifted many boxes of random assorted dohickeys out of the truck, and basically a small pickup truck bed full of clothing. I don't know how one comes to accumulate so much STUFF. Definitely need to go through the lot of it, deciding what is keeping, throwing or for Garage Sale.
We leave for Atlanta tomorrow. I'm very excited and still have very much to do, include roll the rest of our coin jar, for a small little extra buffer. I don't think we'd get low in funds, but just in case something happens, we have at least the last 6 months worth of coin saving. Pennies are like calories, even though they are a small value alone, save enough of them and you have a lot to gain.

Seeing Green..

Today was the weigh-in. I'm happy to report that I have lost 1 lbs. I'll take it. First loss in nearly a month. I get Dylan to step on the scale just to humor me and he sees a 272. Now, I love this man with all my heart but all of a sudden I'm super jealous. This week I've been walking extra in the mornings (most of them anyway), and only get 1 lbs, but with what we do together, he pulls a 7.
*sigh* I know it'll come off, and it's silly of me to be jealous. I'm happy because he's happy with it. More fiber, less eggnog and I'll be on that track too. And my meal from last night WAS pretty darn heavy. ;) Excuses excuses.

So to sum it up from the start.

D: 272 (-18 or 14.4%)He's amazing.
Me: 238 (-9 or 8.04%)

Next goal: to get below that dreaded 235 mark that I've seen so many darn times. It used to be my highest back in my sophomore year of college. *giggle* Yea. Had I only known. Also,
If you're confused by this, in an early blog, I figured out how many Krispy Kreme Chocolate covered Kreme-filled donuts made up the weight I need to lose.

Traveling. AcK!

As we're preparing for this road trip to Honey's family, I'm starting to make a list of foods that I can prep for the trip so we don't have to get fast food on the way. Apples and Oranges came to mind, but Apples are being replaced with pineapple. Sounds like more work, but it won't brown like apples do. Because I slipped up, I'm more paranoid than ever about getting back on track. That doesn't mean life stops of course.
We had Lebanese food with a couple of good friends. Oh Tzatziki is the most amazing thing when served on fresh pita bread. Chicken shawarma, feta cheese salad, and a rice pilaf for the main course. I took home most of the chicken, because I filled up on pita, my salad, and the rice. =/ It'll be good lunch tomorrow. I really want to try to make Tzatziki at home because I can't find it in the stores locally, but also can't find the Greek yogurt. ARGH! I hate that I can find fried anything under the sun, but I can't find healthy foods for jack. It'll sure be nice to go to the big city to wear I can at least find ingredients somewhere.
Honey's mom is very health conscious so I'm sure that eating right while I'm in Atlanta will be fine. It's just the trip over that's going to be a trial. I am nervous about the long trip. Dylan and I have done 4 hour trips together before, but never one where we have to trade spots halfway through. Doesn't help that we'll have to sleep in shifts as we'll be traveling through the night to make it to Atlanta about 4 am. I'm excited as I've never been to a city this large before (I sound like a true sheltered individual, but it's true). Tomorrow is weigh-in and I've been good with the exception of eggnog. Fingers crossed for the first loss in a month.

Accomplishments Galore!

First off, I want to congratulate Sasha @ Eat the Damn Cupcake for removing 99lbs! That's an amazing job and I look forward to reading the rest of your journey. I'm not that skilled, but I figured you needed something for all the hard work you've done and all the kind words of encouragement you've given me. I appreciate you!

After reading quite a few blogs, I figured I should probably do some hideous and dreaded before pictures. I've lost 8lbs in the past month and a half. I've slipped some, but I'm not losing hope. Here they are.

After taking these, I realized that my mirror is really freaking dirty, but oh well. I used my last weigh-in from last Friday (which hasn't changed in almost a month), And I'll take more each month. I'll share them after a few months, so we can hopefully see the difference.

Tonight was just full of firsts. It was the first time I've cooked tofu or green beans. It was the first time I've ever enjoyed green beans that weren't prepared at an oriental restaurant. The tofu was delicious, though a bit more salty than I would prefer, but that was my own fault for added too much Tony's. Green beans were heated up in olive oil and garlic for 10 minutes, with some basil, herbs de provelence, tony's and Cholulu sauce. Apparently my mom never did this because I have hated green beans all my life. Oh well. New food added to the list of veggies I'll eat.

Exercise - just been walking. Did 3.7 miles in total. My calves have been on fire the past few days after 5 minutes of walking. Stretching before hand doesn't seem to help. Just working through the pain so that I can keep on track.

Eggnog is evil. Too delicious. Now to learn how to dislike it how I used to.

Communication

So I slept most the day away. I got up at my alarm, did necessary morning stuff, and then decided to go back to bed. It was much needed. Woke up to my darling home for lunch. Good start to the day.
Much to my surprise, when I brought up going for a walk when D got home, I was greeted with lots of groans and moans, but he did go with me. During this walk, I figured out what all the grunts were about. Because we were off the dieting wagon for a week or so, he's finding it hard to get back into the routine of good meals and exercise.
I realize that's been my issue most my life that I've tried to diet (since I was 9 ). I diet for a while, then fall off of it worse than before and starting up again is just so hard. The only issue I have is that I'm not very good at having a little of something, especially if said thing is sweet. Currently there are a pack of reduced fat Oreos, and a bag of fun-sized Musketeers in the high cabinet where I cannot reach them even with a chair. I'm treating myself like a child in doing this, but at the same time, if it works, then why not? I never learned self control as a child because I was never given rules or enforcement about what I could and could not eat. Once I got to the age to 'diet' it's just been yo-yoing adventure. Now I'm not just trying to eat less, I'm trying to eat better foods. Trying to get away from the over-sized portions that are now normal to our society's standards. Trying to cut down on the fat and starchy Cajun foods I adore so much. I really don't know how to make a healthy version of Cajun Food. Jambalaya never tasted right without sausage and I've never seen a sausage that wasn't ungodly in the amount of fat it had. I've actually never attempted a gumbo, and I'm leaving boudin up to the experts. =/ I should probably do some searching or find my mom's recipe and try to substitute some of the ingredients for healthier choices.
Tonight, I made dinner since he felt so down about trying to get back into the healthy eating. Thankfully, my MIL keeps trying to push vegetarianism back on him so I have some good cookbooks around the house for healthy ideas. Southwestern Salsa Pasta from The Vegetarian 5-ingredient Gourmet by Nava Atlas is pretty darn tasty for being as simple as it is to make. Basically Boil 8 oz pasta. In a separate saucepan, heat up about 2/3 a jar of salsa (16 ounces of the 24oz jars I get), cut up green onions (recipe says 2-3, I used like 6-7), a can of black beans (drained and rinsed of the black bean sludge), and a cup of corn to a simmer for 5-10 minutes. Once you have the salsa mix to the desired consistency, toss with the drained pasta and serve. I used garden rotini tonight by Honey's request (and by the recipe), but I'm fond of radiatore as the pasta isn't much bigger than the other chunky ingredients. I'm sure it's completely an aesthetic thing.
I walked 2 miles with Honey tonight and somehow managed to cut my time down by a small amount. I must walk a little faster with him, because he is much taller than me and naturally has a larger pace length than I have. 18.33 min/mi was my pace tonight. Wootness.
On the furry children note, Thank you for your comments. My kitties are very sneaky. Sawyer learned how to open cracked doors and I had to scoop him up before he made a bolt for it. He didn't give me much issue when I tried to grab him other than tensing up. I also came home to the eggnog carton being on the floor but the trash wasn't tipped over. I think Sasha may be right as to who the guilty part is. Our dog isn't that graceful. It may be time to invest in a can with a lid on it.
Back to the note of communication, I'm just happy that my honey feels like he can talk to me, even about the issues he has with trying to eat healthy. I'm glad he's being supportive and boosts my confidence even when I feel like a whale. Between food logging, blogging inspiration, and him, I can do this.

Slow Morning.

1.94 mi - 38:25 = 19.5 min/mi Why? Like a dum-dum, I forgot the stretch the muscle group that gives me the most issues - my calves. Definitely not my morning. Came back from the walk to find an overturned garbage can, bellpepper seeds everywhere, and a very guilty looking 10 lb Shih Tzu. The only issue I have with punishing him for this is that I'm not completely sure it was him, even though he looks incredibly guilty. You see. My dog is the largest of my animals, only because our kittens aren't grown yet. I have a trio of 6 month old kittens that are 9,8, and 6 lbs. The 6 lb one has never displayed interest for the trash, as neither has the 8 lb, but the giant? Oh yea. First night we had him he was trying to get into it. It makes since as Giant Sawyer and the Petite Kate (6lber) were both from a feral cat colony down in New Orleans and had been collected from the Trap and Release program when the people running it determined that they were tamable. I'm not sure what age they were collected at, if they once had to go through the trash for food or not, but his sob story makes me think that he could also be responsible for this. But he's just too cute! Exhibit A & B:

Bad week

So I gave into comfort foods badly this past week. Between D and I in the past 3 days, we have eaten 2 pans (or 2 boxes) of brownies and 4 pints of ice cream. I didn't gain any weight somehow, but my sleep schedule is all kinds of messed up. I have to get back on the horse no matter what other stuff is happening outside of diet world.
I went for my first real walk in the past two weeks and I actually jogged (very slow jog, but still a jog) 2 blocks. That's a record since trying to actually do this. After 6 blocks (2 running, 2 walking) my anterior shin started to hurt so I just walked the rest of the way for a total of 2.4 mi. I think I want to try and shave down my run times. This time I did 18 minutes/mi. I just want to improve. Maybe get to that 12 minute mile that I had in 7th grade? Lol. That was still slow, but darn it, I was in PAIN for that 12 minute mile. I also learned that even in 45 degree weather, I can get overheated in shorts and a hoodie. I will get better and this horrible horrible week is almost over.
I think I'm ready for a nap now, but I wanted to let you guys know I wasn't dead, just got off the path.

Just a bad day..

Well. Last week I didn't gain and didn't lose, so I'm not upset about that. Today has been horrible. David's bridal has discontinued my wedding dress that I have my heart set on, the cats have been bickering all day, our tenant has not vacated yet, and he apparently raided our fridge because i only had one piece of cheese left and I needed to make two sandwiches. Maybe it doesn't sound bad, but the combination of it all makes me want to scream and punch things. Of course it doesn't help that my shoulder blades are hurting for no apparent reason.

Stress leads to fat storage (thanks cortisol), so I just needed to vent and calm down.
I walked a mile and a half this morning, and have another walk tonight with Dylan after we go to David's Bridal to see if they have the dress in the store still. Fingers crossed.