It's been a week

It's my first week on hCG Activator and I've lost 6 lbs in 3 days. I put together a 6 week challenge of a consistent exercise and an eating plan. I've cleared my calendar so nothing is to get in my way.  I've taken the time to set this up, but what really put me over the edge was my waist measurement. I gained 3 inches around my middle.  I thought I was going to lose my mind. I knew my pants were getting tight and I would try on 12 tops before settling for the one that hid the muffin top the most. I don't even like muffins!

I know you gain weight rather slowly but you always seem to justify it until something happens and BOOM where that 20 lbs come from? Time to reel it in.

My first experience with hCG Activator I lost over 60 lbs in 2010. I know the plan works, and as a creature of habit I will do what works for me again. I have been so unsuccessful in the past  with my weight control that I did not want that frustration again. Plus, the food plan makes perfect sense. It's full of energy and it makes me feel good. It's all fresh wholesome foods how can you go wrong?

My opinion is that processed food companies want you to buy their crap. Yes, it's all crap. if you want to eat right, pretend you are eating like your grandparents or great grandparents. They didn't run out to a fast food joint or open a box or eat a cereal bar. Okay, maybe a little of my consumerism came out there but you get my point.

This year is a bit different, I have a lot of friends and co - workers that really want to make positive change too. So, we all jumped on the band wagon and are positively reinforcing each other.

It's nice to know that you're not alone in wanting to better yourself. Facebook maybe full of crap, but having online friends that share positive words help motivate and send good vibes. Heck, we share recipes, suggestions, questions and stupid memes.

With all my success in the past I was asked to do an ad in a GNC magazine for hCG. I did this  photo back in 2011 and I can honestly say it's not altered. I have the original photo in file. It just looks weird cut and pasted. But this helps remind me of what I need to do.

Along with my food program I have incorporated Hot Yoga a few days per week. I'm not totally busting my ass, but Hot Yoga is no walk in the park, and its great workout Mentally as well. Plus, a few of gals are doing a monthly physical challenge to keep us on task.

I'm on a a restrictive meal plan of lean meats and veggies but yoga allows me to stay active and strong. Its' a win win combination.

Moving forward, its only begun!

I'm Hangry

There are some days that I just don't feel like getting out of bed. It's a Saturday and you could care less if the world had ended sometime the night before.

I know  most of you can agree, but  then you might have a family that couldn't feed themselves without you! Feels like that anyway.

In my case, I have all boys. And yes,  I'm including my husband as one of the boys.

The rest of my family doesn't have a weight problem, BECAUSE I feed them. But, if I don't prep food they act like the 3 stooges fumbling around the kitchen.

On Sunday's me and my husband tackle the local food store and load up for the week. I work hard to prep in the early evening as much as possible so we can just grab.  Otherwise during the week, we are taxed and start making bad choices.

I can't say every Sunday is open to just prep. but we do the best we can and the majority is done.

We eat leftovers in my house period. But they don't have to be boring.  Tons of recipes on the internet that you can spice things up. Just Google it!

I try to prepare as much food items as possible to last most of the week. I'll make rice, couscous, or quinoa as a base item. Maybe cut up veggies for a quick grab and sometimes I make a couple cold salads. My husband likes cucumber salad or coleslaw so that's an easy one. I grill a whatever meat for the week, that can be used tacos, stirfrys or strips on a salad.  Sometimes we eat vegetarian, its just easier than thawing burger or something. Casseroles or crock pot dishes are an option.

I basically make about 3 days worth of meals and the rest are parted out into create your own. My goal is to not throw food away so I'm careful  to not to over shop or prep. But, that's what freezers are for.

Got bananas left over? peal, toss into a baggie and freeze for future smoothies. Same goes for al berries and fruits if they are getting to ripe.

We don't do boxed meals as a rule. Loaded with sodium and words I can't pronounce. Actually, the only boxed meals in my house might be some mac and cheese or Stove Top stuffing left over from Thanksgiving.

GET YOUR STAPLES.We always have things like bread, milk, pasta, soup etc.Good standby's in a pinch. I also stock up on fresh tomatoes, salami, cheese, peppers, pickles, olives for a quick antipasto platter. Bada Bing! That is a big favorite in my house. We're an Italian family, what can I say. Capisce?

Moral of the story is, if you want to be successful in anything you have to make to plan. If you are trying to watch what you eat, you have actually know what you're eating. When we are hangry its hard to follow the rules.

The same concept goes for shopping. Eat first so you won't be the proud owner of Aisle 4.

WTF?? Welcome 2016

Ok, I'm back.........
I would be perfectly happy with doing a blog all day long but it doesn't pay the bills... just yet.

I've apparently taken off a year (by the looks of my last blog post) from this form of expression, and now realize that it was a mistake. I love my family to death and would kill anyone that harmed them, But, as women we tend to forget about ourselves and this blog is my way of making sure I'm OK.
I have high hopes for the next decade of my life and I need to get started ASAP. Never to late to start right?


Its a constant battle,  but, I have maintained my weight loss decently considering I've only gained about 10 lbs in the last 4 years. But, more of a surprise is that I've gained 3 inches to my waist line.  WTF? The unexplained muffin top is now explained and I need to do something about. I plan on getting  my ass back in gear and pay better attention to me.

I did do a couple fun things in 2015 though. I took up Hot Yoga (more later, its awesome) and I joined a couple new online groups that I'm allowed to laugh, cry, and share anything I want. It's a nice outlet to be able to talk about whatever in a group of total strangers that probably could care less. But, it feels good to say nice things to people even if its posting a smiley face.

Anyway, I'm gearing up for a 6 week program using my old faithful hCG Activator to help me get back to my MILF status. Got clothes to fit back into minus the muffin top.

I have so much to share but in due time..

Plan for Success

I just came back from a week long conference for work. Very enjoyable, great food, friends and business. They had a expo of samples and expos are a weaknesses for me. I'm one of those people that if its free, I take if and figure out what to do with it later. Its like Christmas watching my kids (and husband) riffle through it. I brought back a lot of food goodies for quick snacks

See what I'm talking about? Lots of little things that are great for lunches and snacking but not so good when I'm on a food plan.
Now, I do have pretty good discipline and have learned to make good decisions but, every now and then you just get a hankering for something and you have to learn to walk away. Over the last couple of years I did gain a little weight back. I used my work conference as a way of getting it all out of my system. I now can put all my energy on the next 6 weeks and focus. My goal is to lose 20 pounds! I planned, plotted  for 3 weeks and today is my first day on my HCG Activator program. My first order of business is to hide all this booty so it doesn't find my booty. Second order is to hit the grocery store for all the food on the plan to avoid deviation.

And the rest goes something like this.
1. Start my journal
2. Record my weight and measurements (pictures of needed)
3. Add in moderate exercise. I'm on a low calorie plan which means I don't want to beat myself up.
4. Begin my accountability: My blog and facebook. The trick is to NOT to keep it a secret. Let your friends and family help you. They only want the best for you.
Follow my on the ups and downs of what it takes to lose weight and all the dirty details. I know it's not going to a piece of cake, (ok, bad pun) but, I do know that if I don't plan I will  fail.

Kitchen Cupboard

My timeline is written in my kitchen for all the world to see, in Chalk. I plan to cross off each day. This is my accountability, What's yours?

Time to take the comforter off.

This winter was hard, or at least it really felt like it. It finally appears to be spring now and I'm ready to cast aside the tights boots and dark sweaters. As I look at all my colorful spring clothes I begin to wonder.... will I fit into them? Panic sets in.  I dove in and pulled stuff out like it was sale rack. I tossed clothes on the bed to re-antiquate myself with my wardrobe. Better outcome than I thought. I did fit into most everything but, I felt like I had a coat on.

Let me better explain. I got the clothes on but I didn't feel quite right. Muffin top here, pound cake there. Yup, I had added a layer all over from the winter and my stuff was uncomfortable.  Now, I have to tell my body WINTER IS gone and its time to put together an action plan. I need to shed the comforter skin suit that I gained over the winter so I can wear my swimsuit.

I decided to do a round of HCG Activator this month to get kick start my spring/summer plan. Ive done it before and shed 62 lbs, I can do this again to take off a mediocre 15. My food plan is all prepped out for the week, I have everything prepared, my alarms are ready, water bottles filled. I have a wonderful support group of friends and family to lean on. You know, for the those days that you just can't make it without that cookie.

I have my pals at The Institution that for sure will make sure I'm getting my sweat on. So, you see I have NO excuse as to why I can't be successful with my success plan.

I got this!

Read All About it. DIETS SUCK

It's finally here. It's here?I've been sworn to secrecy until now. As my readers know my whole blog has been about up hill battles that I faced trying to lose weight and keep it off for good. The good, the bad and the ugly. Well, its paid off. My friend Stephen Adele explains it all and much more in this book called Diets Suck. Look closely, my picture is the smallest picture on the bottom but it's there. I'm pretty proud of Chapter Fourteen Week Five. Autographs anyone?? Little more about the book...

ABOUT THE BOOK:

In Diets Suck! (www.DietsSuckBook.com), we share an incredibly powerful, page-turning story, written narratively as a parable, based on seven very real, truly inspiring weight-loss transformation stories (losing from 50 to 113 lbs, and keeping it off for years). Inside each story, a valuable life-changing “Lesson” is delivered. As Audrey (the main character) soon learns, as those before her already have, the Seven Lessons are relatively simple, yet remarkably powerful, and if followed, will transform your body and help you regain your health and life.

It's Finally Here!

How's it going so far? Feel like you're not getting results? Don't feel alone, we've all been there with the bad days, and unmotivated moments.When I was on my journey I always looked for information on fitness, healthy foods and nutritious ways to stay motivated and most of all way to stay positive. Sometimes you just want to throw in the towel, but you can't. Don't give up.

I worked with Stephen Adele on this book to share my transformation story and I'm so proud. My goal is to help others that are going through what I did. This book is packed with great advice and many success stories to keep you charged and motivated.

Meet The Author- Stephen Adele

Keep it up, you CAN make a difference.

Buy the Book

It's warmer on Mars than in Michigan

I don't feel like I'm in Michigan anymore. It's -30 wind chill, my boys are on their 3 snow day, my car won't start, and we are buried under about 14 inches of snow and its too cold to go out and romp around.
So with that, what does one do with your time when you want to be nothing by lazy. Because its so cold all I want to eat is cook comfort food and keep the oven on. But, alas I'm holding pretty good on making sure I don't eat everything in the fridge. I prepped some healthy options in the house for me to eat as I'm spend time in the kitchen. I always make sure to eat first. The real trick when you are bored is to not exceed portions by snacking. If you're lazy, you need less food. I am also on my low calorie with HCG Activator right now so I have to mindful of how many calories I am eating and I need to add with I add exercise.

I have to admit that I have not worked out in the last couple days since we are not allowed to be out on the roads unless its necessary. In order to counteract, I am really limiting what I put into my mouth by drinking water and staying focused. I have a goal and I don't like to fail.

I finally dragged myself to the The Institution and boy, am I glad I did. I took a PiYo Strength class- It's a combination of yoga and strength training. You'll be amazed how much you sweat doing yoga poses and feeling your body stretch, feeling taller and straighter. It was a tricky few days but I still managed to lose 3 lbs in the wake of it all. Keep it up

Holiday trouble?

The holiday's are around the corner and you're expected to dress up, drink cocktails, and eat. How are you suppose to avoid the enviable whirlwind of food and drink over load.

When I started hCG activator over 3 years ago it was in March. I carefully mapped my spring and summer with no real big holidays, no parties and a good season for fresh veggies. I lost over 60lbs in about 6 months and that took me into September. School starts, schedules get crazy, gets cold and holiday parties.

This is the real test. My new body and how would I handle it? Will I stay at my current weight or will I fall into old habits?. I was done with my program and I was on my own. I learned what I needed to learn and now I had to put my knowledge forth and perform.

I had Thanksgiving dinner to prepare, cookies to bake, office parties, school parties, news years eve parties and champagne to drink .No wonder gyms memberships ramp up and healthy eating books fly off the shelves. We all go nutz, we binge and we suffer the consequences later.

The trick............Start early. Map out your holiday parties as best you can and know that you are going to indulge. You only live once, make the most of it but be smart about it. Don't eat like tomorrow will never come, because you will sober up and feel like jumping off a building.

Feel free to sample goodies and enjoy a glass of wine from time to time. It's called Balance.

I planned my holiday stretch to the point of ridiculous. I plotted,I planned, and I prepared. I wrote down my starting weight as I always do. I kept my journal next to my bed for daily entries about everything and anything.

Here are some strategies that might help you.

• Eat before you go to a food party. (that way you can be polite and still eat and not be piggy)
• Drink water along with your wine or cocktail. (Yes, at the same time)
• Chew gum. Probably not double bubble but something to keep your mouth busy.
• Look at least 3 days out. Plan your meals before and after the party. Good choices so you feel good emotionally and you feel good going into the party.
• Wear a sexy outfit when you strut your stuff.. If you already feel sexy, your self confidence will win and you won't want to feel pudgy in your outfit.
• Develop a routine of eating. Your body will thank you and it will control cravings.
• Don't starve your self. We all know that doesn't end well. 
• I would say exercise, but we all know that this time of year is tough, so do the best you can with that. Just survive the holiday.
• Don't be the new gal/guy in a matching jogging suit and headband fighting for the treadmill. 

GOOD LUCK!

Don't be afraid of the fat

Getting through the grilling season in the summer can be tough if you're are not prepared. How many back yard parties have you attended with all the tasty hot dogs, brats, chips and potato salad? No kidding Right!
I have found that on my new way of eating is don't be afraid of the fat. I do still try to stick to grilled chicken, fish and veggies but have no fear, eating that hot dog and brat is not the end of the world. I do however forgo the bun and chips (sometimes).

I do have a weakness for a good Hot dog but, skip the white doughy bun that looks delish around that grilled doggie.
We're all taught to eat cereal, fat free this and low-fat that, and diet soda and told to stay away from  avocados, nuts and butter. WRONG. I eat all those things now and avoid anything that is made with white flour. Pasta, breads, cereal snack bars. etc Eat out of your garden, your body will love you.

Sporting a New Body

By September 2011 I was at 186 lbs. into a size 10 and stepped up my exercise program My aches and pains went away and I was more motivated to keep going.   I loved to go shopping because now I could find things that fit without grabbing several sizes of the same thing. It was horrible shopping when I was heavy, Things didn't fit right or I had to try on multiple sizes and that would take forever. The problem I had now was I kept trying on things that were to big. That has never happened to me.
I found a new love for thrift shopping  In the past I would go into thrift shops but the bigger girl clothes were not stylish or was there a good selection. I was dropping weight so fast that I didn't want to spend a lot of money so I hit cheap stores. As a matter of fact the top in this picture I picked up from Goodwill.
My measurements from July to September were:

Waist 40.5 to 35
Hips 43 to 41
Thighs 23 to 21.5
Bust 36 to 34
It was summer and I was sporting a new body. One that I have never had before and I wasn't sure what to do. I fit into clothes off the rack and I wanted to show off all my hard work. Now to look for a 2 piece swim suit. Could I should I, HA, who cares- I'm going to do it.
I added some weights to my exercise routines but I gotta be honest. I wasn't working out that hard. I had beat myself up for so many years that I was done with the pain. I now understand that I can win this battle in the kitchen.

Over 60 total inches lost

The month of August was epic for me. I swear I would try on something too small and then a week later it would fit.  I have so many pictures of my weight loss that I had to put it all in albums. And, now I am so glad that I did it. I can look back and it makes me proud every time of  I have done for myself.
This is me at 195 lbs. I was at a new low weight and I wanted to keep going. I originally set small goals but when I blew past 200 it was game on. Not only was I losing weight I was losing inches fast. It was round this time when I had my fat dream and scared myself awake.

 Now my measurements are getting impressive
July 2010              July 28th 2011
Weight 262           Weight 195 lbs
Hips 54                Hips 43
Thigh 39.5           Thigh 23
Bust 49                Bust 36
Waist 51              Waist 40.5
That is 61.5 inches of body that is GONE.
Totally amazing how I was feeling inside and out. I was really getting into reading about health and fitness. All about how food works in the body, the advantages of eating clean. I LOVED shopping for fresh natural foods and cooking in my kitchen. I had put in a garden and we grilled everything on the grill.Loving my 40's.

Giddy

Usual trips to doctors. It was time to visit my family doctor. No one had seen me for over a year and I was 62lbs lighter from my last visit. I couldn't wait to see the look on his face to see how much I have changed  from the old me poor whoa is me crying hating the way I looked into a pretty proud hot mom. The nurse walked in and did all my numbers. check check, everything is better than normal Blood pressure 95 or 65 Yeah, Ill take it. Doctor walked in reading my chart and said what ever I was doing keep it up. I had studied up on the hcg plan and I had no problems with it. But this was the icing on the cake for me. I had my proof that I stayed healthy and lost all the weight I wanted and then some.

hCG Activator Day One and Two

Its March 27th, 2011, My weight is 245 lbs. I had my hCG Activator from GNC  in hand and my grocery list ready for the food. I was suppose to load for 2 days? Really? I had to look at my make up for oils? I had to survive off of 500 calories a day? What was I getting myself into? M husband admitted later that he was afraid that if I couldn't eat I would kill someone. I guess I'm crabby when I'm hungry. I read read and read the instructions repeatedly, I was so worried that I would mess up for some reason. It was a very limited menu and pretty simple so my chances of screwing up was low.  I followed the instructions and I loaded for 2 days and I ate whatever I wanted. I really had a hard time eating so much as I had no appetite from the pills and I have always restricted myself from the foods that I loved and I just got used to not eating much.
By the end of the 2 days my weight climbed to 248 lbs. OMG!I was freaking out and I prayed that this program  worked.  It said in the directions that this could happen, the weight will come off. I shopped, cooked and prepped my food for the week ahead. I planned it all on my my calendar day by day, I set an alarm on my phone at 7:00 am and 3:00 pm to remind me to take my pills, I bought Vitamin D and a good Multi vitamin to make up for the lack of Dairy, I planned everything for 30 days. Every birthday party, holiday or school function. I was NOT going to have an excuse to mess this up.  And most importantly I used my www.www.fatsecret.com to record all my weight daily and my journal to write down how I was feeling, if I had any side effects or problems it would all be in my journal.

I kept this journal my by bed and the scale in the closet with a pen close by.
I absolutely positively hate this picture but it was the only one I had for a before picture. I really avoided the camera feeling so uncomfortable in my skin.  Its hard to see this again but I really wanted to show that's it possible to be successful with the right program and the right support.
What I really hate about this picture is that my son took this picture  He was 7 at the time and had to stand on a chair to take it. I felt so awful looking at it and as I looked into his eyes I wondered what he thought of me for having him take the picture. Just as my eyes filled up with tears he stepped off the chair and told me that I was a beautiful mommy. I was speechless, I gave him the biggest hug ever and said thank you dear, I love you too.
What a tough day!!!

HCG Activator- Do your homework

Its late March 2010 Not long after I was shot down with the bariatric thing  I was home watching the Dr Oz show. It was a show about something called HCG. Tom and I watched it together. My husband is so awesome for supporting me with all the stupid things that I've tried in the past. I guess its his way of watching over me so I don't do anything completely carzy. Anyway, Dr Oz  had on 6 people that had lost a significant amount of weight on this stuff   along with a restricted diet plan.. They had both pros and cons of the product but overall the reviews were good. After the show I spent some time on line to find out more about this product. It turns out that it was a shot and you had to have a doctor for it. I would have to get with my doctor and see what his thoughts were. But I never did because I had heard that insurance wouldn't cover it and the the price was something like $900. Really? no way.

A couple weeks later my husband went to GNC to get some vitamins, because we're Gold Card members and we have to go the first 10 days of the month to go to get the good deals.  Anyway, he saw a big poster advertising hCG Activator. He came home and told me about me about it and we hit the internet. We Googled hCG Activator and did our homework. It had good Reviews, not to expensive and I figured I wouldn't be out much if it didn't work. See my optimism bubbling? We got the product and sat down with the directions. I had to read them a few times because of all the things to follow with the food types and lotions. I was afraid that I would do something wrong and I really wanted this to work.

I planned out the foods and what I could eat and not eat. I looked at all my makeups and lotions as required, I looked at my calendar for holidays that I have to contend with. I surfed Facebook and found the hCG Activator site and immediately started following it, like surveillance work. I wanted to see who was on the page, was it real, were people successful. Only about 400 people were on the page at the time but I stuck it out to see what this was all about. I carefully read the side effects page and we decided that if I experienced any side effects at all  I would stop immediately. Health is my main concern, nothing is worth giving yourself a heart attack or worse.. He said he was going to watch me like a hawk and anything changed he would notice. I shopped for my specific food, got my scale out and I was ready. It felt like this was my last ditch effort to take control of my weight. This HAD to work.
LET's DO THIS.

Biggest Loser

Seeing myself with Gerard Butler and having my  fan picture go global I had to take the weight off. I used that experience as a motivator. I was back to journaling all my food, and activity. I walked every day dreaming about meeting Gerard Butler again.  One evening in 2010 I was flipping channels trying to ward of the evening cravings and I caught an episode of the Biggest Loser. I used to watch this show all the time and loved it. How hard the exercised, how they had meal plans to follow but the last few years was more about the drama. Who hates who, all the crying and how mean Jillian is. It was less about the food and exercise plan. I sat through the show anyway and at the end, they had a blurb about tryouts for Season 11 in Canton Michigan. Do you qualify? I thought for a second, what if? I have always dreamed what if I had the opportunity? I was getting excited and I called my brother, who is a real large guy as well. I asked him if he would like to join me. They were looking for families this season. All my family struggles with weight issues why not try this.
The first words out of my brothers mouth were HELL NO! He's a truck driver and works hard at his job and was not about to doing something crazy like this. I pleaded with him to try out with me, I called my mother in hopes that she could talk him into it. NO luck, I was on my own

I downloaded the application  for the Biggest Loser Season 11 and started to plot out my plan. The applications was over 11 pages. They wanted a lot of detail and it was quite time consuming to fill out. I was at home and I had no one to take my picture. I had my 7 year old son stand on a chair and take my picture. After multple pictures I found one that was worthy.

This picture is very hard for me to post, as it is not very flattering and it reminds me of how sad I was. You can tell by the look on my face that I wasn't very happy but they wanted the facts and I was going to give them the facts. Canton, was only about an hour away, I could make the trek and be home by dinner. I set my alarm for 4 am. The website said auditions were at 8 am. I packed a light lunch, a blanket, umbrella, coffee and a chair. The forecast was for rain that day, but at least it wasn't cold.
I was nervous and excited all at the same time. I packed the car and headed out by 5 am. No traffic, just me the radio and darkness. I had on cropped pants, flip flops and a long flowing earthy colored shirt. I wanted to look nice but needed to be comfortable too.
I got to the location and not many cars yet, that was good news. It was being hosted in a furniture store interestingly enough. I wonder how lazy boys were sold that day.
Mostly women lined up on the sidewalk running down the side of the building. I left my coffee cup behind as I wouldn't be able to take a bathroom break or I would lose my place in line. I grabbed my picnic chair, blanket, umbrella my sandwich and headed to the back of the line. Only about 30 people so far. I made my way to the end saying hello and smiling as I passed by people. It was very quiet, no one said hello back. I thought to myself this is going to be a long day if I can't talk to anyone.

Daylight broke and the misty rain stopped, hopefully the sunshine would lighten up the mood. People watching is always interesting. I saw people bring in bags and bags of fast food and coffee to their friends waiting in line. Some had big coolers of food and big thermoses of drink others had food delivered..I saw a lot of junk food and big gulps as I sat quietly and ate my apple.

The line started moving so we all gathered up our stuff and walked slowly in the front of the building. When we got inside the furniture store you could see all the lines wind around like we were waiting for a roller coaster. People passed each other in opposite directions and small chatter was beginning to start. Most of the comments were light, just conversation about the cool lamp or coffee table but it was at least talking. I was passing a very large women when she turned and looked at me and said in a rather loud tone "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE? YOU'R NOT FAT!" I almost tripped and fell on a lamp shade as that comment hit me. I looked at her completely confused. I wasn't mad but more surprised and upset to hear something like that. I'm in line with a bunch of fat people and I'm getting yelled at for not being fat enough? Oh God, I need to get past this lady before she yells at me some more. Luckily, I didn't see her again as I approached the front. One of the workers for the Biggest Loser spoke up and said they are calling people in groups of 7, when you number is called go the right or left and follow the signs. My number was 5.
Me and my group of 7 waited in a hallway for about 15 minutes and then a door opened. A really  pretty girl with a name tag on smiled and waved us into a room. We all sat around a banquet table and folding chairs waiting for instructions. We were told we each had 5 minutes to share our story. One by one we each spoke as to why we though we should be chosen. We handed in our filled out application and photos and  then were escorted out the back door.
I got out to my car and thought, what just happened. All that uncomfortable waiting for half the day, being verbally yelled and it was over in 5 minutes? Needless to say I was not contacted. Congratulations to those that were.

September of 2010 my weight was 255. It was going the wrong way and it was driving me crazy. I write down all my food, I eat healthy  I exercise, what is my problem.

I went to my doctor in search of some explanation as to why everything I was doing wasn't working. My doctor is a little old man about 5 foot tall with larger than usual ears. My husband called him Yoda, but never to his face. He was such a great guy he would say nice things like you're beautiful,you have such a wonderful personalty, Look at the bright side, you have your health. Always trying to make light of my situation. We talked about options and what I can try. We decided on a diet pill. Thinking OK, maybe I was just eating to much. I'm not much for pulls but I was willing to try anything. I took the diet pills as instructed and I don't think I slept for a week. It was weird how it worked, I wasn't jittery or anything just awake all the time. I continued to record my food, exercise and keep my journal. I did this for them for over 6 months and by March my weight climbed to 262.I turned into a total basket case.

One of my friends that has dealt with yo yo dieting much like myself had decided to do the lap-band. She was and is very successful with it and seemed happy enough so I though that I would look into it. Tom and I went back in forth about how I thought I needed it and how he thought I was totally crazy,  In the end he went for it, anything to make me happy he says. So I called my insurance company to see if  I could get any help because it was expensive and no way would I be able to afford this on my salary.
For insurance to cover a procedure like this I needed to have high blood pressure, diabetes or heart disease. My heath is excellent and didn't qualify for any thing. It was the end of world for me at that moment.  I sat in my car crying uncontrollably, thinking I had lost all hope (as I have done so often after each failure) I called Tom and he had to talk me down as I was so shook up after yet another feeling of failure. I couldn't drive home. It was time to go home and regroup.

In the end I really didn't want to do anything that invasive but I was at the point where I was not looking at my health anymore, I just wanted the weight to come off.. On to another plan.

Anyone for Kale?

Here is one of my favorite drinks to make. Its' easy to make and quite refreshing.

Handful of kale  (not the stalk)
1 apple cut and cored (any kind)
1/3 cup blue berries
1/3 cup black berries
1/2 peeled cucumber
2 stalks of Celery ( try to get some of the stringy stuff off)
1/3 cup of strawberries
3 springs of fresh Mint
Juice from one lemon
2 tablespoons of Stevia powdered
and water. Blend up and enjoy.

Learn to love an apple.

Over the last couple of years I have really learned to love apples They have been instrumental in my weighloss success. They are crisp, crunchy, sweet and filling when you are looking for a quick bite. They are so versatile and and can be added to anything. Learn to love and apple..