Point Taken

I’d like to start by wishing my mother an early Happy Birthday! Her birthday is tomorrow and we are celebrating on Sunday.  Congrats on another year, Mom! Love you!

So, sometime on Tuesday or Wednesday it occurred to me that the things I’ve been trying lately haven’t led to any results.  At some point last week, I decided that the only thing that has ever truly worked for me consistently is Weight Watchers.  When I started my weight loss journey, I started with Weight Watchers.  Over the past year or so, I got burned out on counting points and I’ve tried other things but nothing keeps the weight off.  On Thursday, I signed up again.  My first weigh in was Thursday.  I knew it would be high because I had already eaten breakfast and lunch and I had quite a weekend before that.  I decided my weigh in day would be Saturday so I did Weight Watchers perfectly Thursday and Friday and when I weighed Saturday morning, I was already down four pounds.  I know some of that had to do with a morning weigh in, the clothes I was wearing and a couple other factors but it felt good to see the scale going in the right direction.  I let myself enjoy gameday on Saturday.  I got all the junk food I like out of the way.  So, I may not see much of a loss this Saturday but it feels right to be counting points again.  I need to beat this plateau.  Weight Watchers had my first goal at 10.2 pounds and I have 5.6 pounds left to go before I get there.  I’m hoping to lose around 20 pounds by the end of the year so I’m being as strict as possible from now on.  As you know, it’s a constant battle. 

I wanted to share a popsicle that I found.  There’s a new place in town called Steel City Pops.  They sell gourmet popsicles and they are delicious.  I’m particularly fond of the peanut butter one.  Unfortunately, these frozen treats are around 250 calories so they aren’t something that I can run and get all the time.  This popsicle, while not as good as the creamy peanut butter, is pretty tasty and is only 60 calories.  Of course, if you aren’t into coconut or pineapple, you may want to consider another flavor.

I have definitely shown the above snack before but since it’s football season, I thought I’d show you my lower calorie/fat version of barbecue nachos.  If you’re from the south, you should be aware of barbecue nachos, a snack that has taken over at sporting events.  There are different versions but essentially, you take tortilla chips and top them with pulled pork, barbecue sauce and nacho cheese.  They are delicious but absolutely awful for you.  It is possible, however, to make a much healthier (and almost as tasty) version of these at home.  I made them with baked tortilla chips, pre-packaged barbecue and white queso you can find in a jar.  It’s important to keep within in one serving size but this is one of very few snacks that actually makes for a decent substitution.

In addition to my mom’s birthday, my brother’s girlfriend, Lisa also celebrated last week.  She turned 21 and I wanted to share the adorable cake my mom made for her with all of you.  It was all rainbow-y and yummy!

I went to my first Bama game of the season on Saturday.  We played Ole Miss and won.  Roll Tide! Football season is my absolute favorite time of the year.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTlS_hJKTmU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eoah10p6Jdc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsN8sRAIh8s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVUAXf28E3Q

I saw Grace Potter and the Nocturnals for the fifth time Wednesday night and she was amazing as usual.  I included some links to some Youtube videos I made while I was there.

My parent’s dog Greyson ate an entire stick of butter yesterday so she was feeling a little under the weather and was pretty annoyed that I was in her face.  I would highly recommend never eating an entire stick of butter.

See y’all next time!

Bye!

“Let me be your ruler (ruler)

You can call me queen bee

And baby I’ll rule, I’ll rule, I’ll rule, I’ll rule

Let me live that fantasy.” Royals-Lorde 

Breakin' At The Cracks

Hello everyone.  Sorry there was no post last week.  I am completely swamped with work and school.  This post will be mostly a recap of the things that have happened in the past couple weeks.  I won’t weigh officially until October 1^st but I had to weigh for an insurance screening at work and I was up several pounds.  I’m exercising like crazy.  I’ve got an A+ 100% average as far as exercise goes and I have had that average for a long time now.  As I’ve stated before, my problem is food.  Since Monday, the 9^th, I’ve been at about a D average as far as calorie intake.  That’s terrible.  I have to do better than that.  I’m so tired and frustrated all of the time and I’m turning to food on the weekends.  I am doing well today and I’ll face many challenges this week/weekend.  The biggest challenge will be my first football game on Saturday.  What’s frustrating is the rate at which I can gain weight.  It’s just ridiculous.  I honestly feel a bit overwhelmed with stress and the added frustration of gaining weight is a bit much for me to handle right now.  I’m trying to maintain a balance.  I feel like I will struggle for this for a while so that’s what I’m dealing with.  It’s tough, y’all.  I won’t lie.  I’m not giving up though.

I don’t have a recipe this week but I wanted to share some photographs that I’ve been taking while on my morning runs in the cemetery near my apartment.  I don’t get a whole lot of time to myself.  That’s fine because that’s the life I choose.  I like to stay busy.  However, it’s important to have some alone time to gather your thoughts and take a deep breath.   I have been immensely enjoying my runs in the mornings because the weather is cool, the sunrise is stunning and I can clear my  head.  It’s not easy to force myself to get up but once I do, it’s meditative and almost spiritual and I desperately need this.  I encourage all of you to take time for yourselves without anyone there or anything that can cause a distraction.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_sfqG8CgePA

I’ve been going and going for a few weeks with little indication that I will slow down any time soon.  The above picture/link is to the Mumford & Sons concert I went to in Birmingham.  They were awesome.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFi1QJbl4dk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDHypStn9FQ

I was also able to see Fun in Tuscaloosa last week.  They were also great.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erz4m5pebpk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-uIS5zFzJs

Lastly, my brother, Cassandra and I went to Atlanta for Music Midtown.  We got to see Journey, the Red Hot Chlii Peppers, Imagine Dragons and others.  It rained for hours on Saturday so it was a muddy mess.  It was quite an experience.  There were some miserable moments but for the most part, it was fun and I’m glad I got to spend the weekend with my brother.

I also hung out at my friend’s brewery.  It’s a place called Druid City Brewing Company and if you’re ever in Tuscaloosa and you like beer, please consider stopping by.

Lastly, my parent’s dog, Greyson likes to pretend she’s a lap dog. Clearly, she is not.

That’s all folks.

Pray that I can get my act together!

Roll Tide!

Bye!

“And I never thought that I’d be in these places on this day

And now I don’t know how much more that I can take

I’m breaking at the cracks

And everything goes black

It’s another heart attack

And I can’t handle that…” Breakin’ At The Cracks – Colbie Caillat

I'm Overwhelmed...

Hi y’all. It’s been awhile.  I hope everyone had a wonderful Labor Day.  I’ve had an incredibly busy few weeks.  I have three jobs now that school is back in so I haven’t stopped working for more than a few hours at a time.  I’ve also occupied my time with fun things.  I’ve been to Chattanooga, the beach and I’ve hung out with friends and family.  I am overwhelmed.  I’m overwhelmed in different ways.  I’m tired because of all of the work and traveling but I’m also overwhelmed with all of the positive things I have in my life.  I’ve been so incredibly frustrated by my inability to lose weight lately.  I’m tired mentally and physically which inevitably means I eat more but it’s so frustrating when I’m well-behaved most of the time and exercise at least 6 days a week.  I asked my doctor today.  I have hypothyroidism.  I’ve had it for years, actually. I know that people blame their thyroid for being overweight all the time.  I’m not one of those people.  I managed to lose over 100 pounds with an inactive thyroid.  However, the doctor told me today that my thyroid does “absolutely nothing.”  He is kind of baffled by the fact that my medicine is at a very high level and nothing has ever changed in my blood work.  He said that is contributing to the difficulty I’m having.  He also said that it would only get harder as time goes on.  He basically tried to say I’m getting old and it’s not going to get better.  I’m going to suck it up (even though I know I just whined here) and press forward.  I’m going to concentrate less on the number on the scale.  I’ve decided to weigh once a month and see how that goes.  I get extremely hung up on numbers.  I’m also going to stick more closely to the plan that I have, especially on the weekends.  Lastly, I need to go to bed earlier.  I’m not getting nearly enough sleep.   I operate most efficiently when my life is completely structured.  Every minute of my day needs to be planned and have a purpose.  That’s just how I function and this year I’ve struggled to maintain that.  It’s a daily battle, y’all.  Don’t give up.  I’m not going to. 

I participated in another Color Run on Saturday with Cassandra and some coworkers.  It was fun time as usual.  I didn’t really measure the time because it was a fun run and when I run I have to focus in order to maintain a pace for a long time.  It’s hard to do that when you are running with other people.  That’s totally fine, though.  It was worth it to have fun with other people.  I am actually training for a 10K now.  I downloaded an app and I’m on week 9 of a 14 week program that ends in (hopefully) having the ability to run a 10K without stopping which is about 6.2 miles.  I run 3 days a week.  I never thought I’d be able to do it.  I know that some people aren’t able to run due to physical impairments but if you are healthy and have strong legs, I’d give running a try.  If I can do it, you can.  I would highly recommend the Couch to 5K app.  It starts slowly and then progresses.  I went from never running and now I can run for 40-45 minutes without stopping.  I run at turtle speed but I listen to music, clear my mind and get a good workout in the process.  Don’t get me wrong.  It’s still exercise and I could listen to music lying in my bed but in terms of exercise, it’s currently my favorite thing.

As I said, I’ve been coming and going constantly the past few weeks and the pictures above hit the highlights.  I saw Backstreet Boys, went to the beach with Nish and had yummy food and I also included a picture of an example of the beautiful sunrises I’ve been seeing when I get up to run in the mornings.  AND...I'm going to see Mumford & Sons tonight. Life is hard but life is good.

Alabama has a rematch with Texas A&M on Saturday so…

ROLL TIDE Y’ALL!

Until next time…

“I can’t sleep tonight

Wide awake and so confused

Everything’s in line

But I am bruised

I need a voice to echo

I need a light to take me home

I kinda need a hero

Is it you?

I never see the forest for the trees

I could really use your melody

Baby I’m a little blind

I think it’s time for you to find me

Can you be nightingale?

Sing to me

I know you’re there

You could be my sanity

Bring me peace

Sing me to sleep

Say you’ll be my nightingale

Somebody speak to me

Cause I’m feeling like hell

Need you to answer me

I’m overwhelmed

I need a voice to echo

 I need a light to take me home

I need a star to follow

I don’t know…” Nightingale-Demi Lovato 

I Bet It's Just Like Heaven...

Hello all.  School started last week so I’m crazy  busy but I am hoping to settle into a routine this week.  I had an amazing weekend with friends and family and this week is just as busy and should be just as fun.  I’m going to see the Backstreet Boys tomorrow night.  I can’t WAIT to feel like I’m in high school again…I know they may be cheesy but I’m so excited.  I am also headed to the beach this week with my friend Nish and it will definitely be nice to get away.  There won’t be a post next Monday because it’s Labor Day and I won’t be back from the beach yet.  So, happy Labor Day in advance! When I weighed on Friday, I had lost one of the New Orleans pounds I gained so that’s good.  I had a rough weekend but I’m back on today.  I’m hoping to come up with some sort of strategy for the beach so I don’t do too poorly but as always, it’s a challenge.

I wanted to share a new snack with you all today.  These are “Simply Cheetos Puffs” and they are White Cheddar flavored.  You can have 32 of these for 150 calories.  They are so yummy.  They are kind of addictive so make sure to count them out rather than just eating out of the bag.  I know these aren’t natural and probably don’t come highly recommended by nutritionist but you know I’m an advocate of having snacks around that make you feel like you are actually eating something you want.  These puffs make you feel like you’re getting a junk food fix and you aren’t consuming hundreds of calories.

I had a great time in Chattanooga this weekend.  My friends and I went to the Southern Brewers Festival in Chattanooga on Saturday (where we got to see St. Paul and the Broken Bones again), hung out with my family on Sunday and then got to see one of my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE singers, Sara Bareilles at a place called Track 29 in Chattanooga.  We got home late last night so I’m tired but it was totally worth it.  We had a blast! (The video isn’t the best quality.  If you can’t see, copy and paste the following link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7Ibz0CRSZ0&feature=youtu.be)

I hope you all have a wonderful week/Labor Day!

It’s GAME WEEK, TOO! ROLL TIDE!!!!!!!!!!

Bye.

“She said,

Tonight

Come on, come on

Collide

Break me to pieces, I

I think you’re just like heaven

Why

Come on, come on

Collide

Let’s see what a fire feels like

I bet it’s just like heaven” Cassiopeia-Sara Bareilles

Fearless

Greetings y’all.  I hope everyone had a fabulous weekend.  Mine was pretty good.  I was extremely productive but I also got to play a little.  I was a bit disappointed because when I weighed this weekend, I was up over a pound.  I know I went to New Orleans the prior week but I tried not to go crazy.  My hope was that I didn’t gain but it definitely goes to show that my body is at a zero tolerance level at this point.  It’s frustrating quite honestly.  I am in constant fear of gaining weight.  What I eat and drink, what I weigh, what activity I do for the day is streaming constantly in the forefront of my brain.  I never get a break.  It can be a bit overwhelming at times.  My goal is to live fearlessly and just do the best I can but I am certain a life without stress over my weight is an impossibility.  In terms of calorie intake and the rules I’ve set for myself, I was at 100% during the week last week and at about 70% this weekend so it wasn’t bad.  I am doing fine today. I’m currently training for a 10K so I’m running at least 3 times a week, walking at least twice and then doing either an exercise machine or an Insanity video once a week.  I still managed to gain weight last week so I hope that you can see why it’s all a bit discouraging.  Either way, I haven’t given up and I definitely don’t intend to.  I suppose this is my outlet to vent, however unfortunate it is for you all.  I will proceed as best I can.

I actually made a turkey burger this weekend that I didn’t screw up and it turned out delicious.  I am incredibly impatient.  If my food takes more than 3-5 minutes to make, I am certain to be cranky.  The problem is, there are various types of food that require patience.  I’ve burned a lot of eggs and rice in my day.  Turkey burgers are hard to make because they require patience.  If you overcook a turkey burger, it’s essentially inedible.  There are a couple tricks to cooking a turkey burger.  First, it should be of decent quality.  I recommend getting them uncooked.  Pre-cooked/packaged turkey burgers have no juices after they’ve been heated up.   I got these from Jennie-O.  Each individual patty comes in its own pouch.  They are 200 calories a piece but the patty is pretty large.  They are all white meat.  I keep them frozen and I defrosted this one in the microwave.  Be careful! The microwave is a dangerous place for turkey burgers.  I put it on the defrost setting and checked it every 30 seconds or so and as soon as it wasn’t frozen in the middle, I took it out.  Then I cooked it on a low-medium setting on the skillet.  I left it on one side for several minutes and THEN flipped it.  You don’t want to flip it too much or overcook it.  I got the idea from the Hungry Girl to make a taco flavored burger so I took taco seasoning and rubbed the patty with it.  Once it was done, I topped it with salsa and then some cheese.  I put it on my low calorie bun and it was delicious! I was so proud of myself for having the patience to make a juicy turkey burger.  It may never happen again so I wanted to share with you in order to cherish the moment. 

My life gets even busier this week.  School starts back so I’m going to be teaching in addition to my regular job.  I also got a third job tutoring two days a week so it’s going to be crazy.  Also, football season is about to start and that keeps me traveling and busy as well.  I am going to Chattanooga this weekend to see family and watch some live music at a festival.  I found out that Sara Bareilles was going to be playing in Chattanooga and she’s my favorite so I’m going to that on Sunday.  It should be an AWESOME weekend. I hope you all have a great week and I will catch you next Monday!

“Then that’s the way it is

We live with what we miss

We learn to build another wall

Till it falls

So go on go and break my heart

I’ll be okay

There’s nothing you can do to me

That’s ever going to burn me

So go on, go on and leave my love

Out on the street

I’m fearless

Better believe I’m fearless, fearless…” Fearless-Colbie Caillat

Back To Me

Hello everyone! I am completely exhausted today but I’m OK with that.  I had an awesome weekend so it was totally worth it.  When I weighed on Friday morning, I was down a couple more pounds.  That’s two weeks in a row that I showed a loss.  I was so relieved.  I know that I can do this and it was nice to show progress.  I went to New Orleans this weekend so I knew that I wouldn’t be eating great.  In the past, if I went out of town, I just had a free for all. I would get three different snacks at every gas station and I would eat horribly for every meal.  This time, I allotted myself a little freedom but I didn’t go crazy.  I set up explicit guidelines for myself that allowed me to eat cheat meals/snacks but only if I earned them.  I exercised all weekend, brought my own snacks and didn’t cheat every meal.  Of course I had some good food that is bad for you but I don’t think I’ve ever been so well behaved on an out of town trip.  I was so proud of myself.  I may not lose weight this week but so far in August, I’ve proved to myself that I can still do a fantastic job.  I haven’t been myself these past few months and it’s time to get back to the me that I know I can be.  I’m running at 100% today and have no excuses to cheat this weekend so I should make some nice progress.  Remember, it’s always going to be a struggle so never give up, even if you get discouraged.

I wanted to share a quick and yummy alternative to the greasy, fried chicken Buffalo sandwiches that you get in restaurants.  I actually have to give Cassandra credit for this because she makes these all of the time.  Tyson sells breaded chicken patties.  They are 200 calories which isn’t great but it’s certainly better than the alternative.  You can microwave them in a minute or so.  Take these, get you some low calorie bread or a low calorie bun and then add hot sauce and a light ranch style dressing or sauce to the chicken and you have a makeshift Buffalo Chicken Sandwich.  Making this at home could easily save you 300-400 calories and it’s delicious.

As I said, I had a busy weekend.  I didn’t take too many pictures in New Orleans but I did put one that I took on the balcony that had a photobomb from someone that went with us.  I think Cassandra had a great birthday and we all had a blast.  We came home from New Orleans on Saturday, I had time for a quick jog and then my friend Nish treated me to an AMAZING night.  We went to the Old Skool Summer Fest at the Amp in Tuscaloosa and we got to see Salt-N-Pepa (I didn’t take that picture. It came from al.com).  We danced the night away.  It was so much fun.  I went for a long swim yesterday, drove to Bessemer for lunch with Jordan and then had a delicious dinner at my parent’s house.  I know I’m always crazy busy.  In fact, it’s going to get worse when school starts and I have two classes.  I also just picked up a tutoring job on Tuesday and Thursday evenings that will add even more to my schedule but I honestly wouldn’t have it any other way.  I love to stay busy and I never want to miss out on an opportunity to experience something.  I will always be willing to see a friend or family member, go out of town or do something I’ve never done.  Life is way too short!

I hope you all have a great week!

Good luck with any goals that you have and never stop starting over.

Roll Tide, y’all.

Bye!

“I added rain to your ocean

What did it do, it meant nothing to you

You made grief my chief emotion

Why’d you have to do what you thought you had to do

I don’t know if I’ll be back again

Turns out they were right again

Get back to what you know

Get back to what you do

Gotta get back to me, ooooo

If it’s true home is where the heart is

I guess now I’m homeless

Get back to what you know

Get back to what you do

Gotta get back to me without you…” Back To Me Without You-The Band Perry

Push It!

Hi y’all.  I’m sorry I didn’t post last week. I’m sure you sat angrily next to your computer all day on Monday wondering why I didn’t put something up or you didn’t notice at all…either way, I apologize.  To be quite honest, I was angry and pouty.  When I weighed on the 27^th of July, I was up another couple pounds and officially breached into the danger zone.  I was disappointed in myself and quite angry in general because it doesn’t seem fair that maintaining/losing weight is this hard.  I exercise all the time and for the most part, I don’t eat too much.  I realized quickly  though that I just need to get over it.  My mother reminded me that I know HOW to do it and she’s right…I do…it’s just a matter of sucking it up and doing it.  In terms of diet,  I was at 100% all week last week and at about 70% this weekend (I had one or two sketchy moments yesterday) so it was a great improvement.  When I weighed again on Friday, I was down a couple pounds and back under the really ugly, scary number.  I was happy about that but I know that I have to press forward.  I will say that in terms of weight and health, the most terrifying battle that someone who has lost a lot of weight faces is gaining weight back.  You are never “safe.”  Gaining weight is always in the back of your mind.  I have been doing this for years and I’ve never given up but over the past year, I’ve gotten far too comfortable and the weight creeps back slowly.  I have a bit of momentum from losing weight last week so I definitely plan to keep going.  I am going to New Orleans on Friday and I have to get out of the mindset that I can eat what I want when I leave the county.  I will set specific guidelines for myself that allow me a treat or two but not freedom to do what I want.  I have no choice at this point; I’ve worked too hard.

This week, I am sharing a new product that I found at Wal-Mart.  I know the images is a bit small but these are something called “Chicken Melts” and they are made by the Sandwich Bros.  They make smaller, pocket sandwiches that are quite tasty and not that high in calories.  They are small but they aren’t laughably small and they have that frozen snack effect that you miss out on when you are dieting.  They are 160 calories.  I paired one with a serving of fat free Pringles on Saturday for lunch and it was pretty filling.  It has a breaded chicken taste and also has cheese. I’m hoping to find additional variations at Wal-Mart soon.  I know frozen food has tons of artificial ingredients and for the most part, natural products are better but sometimes, it’s nice to return to your college years and quickly heat up something in the microwave.

My roomie, “wife” and bestie is celebrating a birthday on Friday and I wanted to give her a shout out.  I have a lot of awesome people in my life and I’m very fortunate.  Cassandra is one of those people.  She accepts me for who I am (and who I am is pretty difficult to put up with sometimes) and is always there for me.  She has been especially helpful in the past few months.  It’s rare that two people can live together as long as we have and remain friends.  She’s AMAZING and I am so lucky to have her in my life!!! I hope you have an awesome birthday and I can’t wait to get into trouble in NOLA on Friday!

Since I last posted, I saw St. Paul and the Broken Bones again.  I also got to see the Goo Goo Dolls and Matchbox 20.  I watched my friend’s dog, Coco last week.  I love this dog.  She has so much personality.  We went swimming and she just swam right up to her float and chilled for about 20 minutes as if it were perfectly natural for a dog to lounge/float in a pool.  The above pictures were all from those events. 

I’m excited about the upcoming weeks.  I’m going to New Orleans.  I’m seeing Salt-n-Pepa on Saturday. I’m going to Chattanooga in a few weeks and then the beach on Labor Day.  I’m a lucky, lucky girl.

Maybe the most exciting thing to look forward to is football season which is just around the corner.  ROLL TIDE!

I hope everyone has a fantastic week!

Bye!

“But some things in this world

Man, they don’t make sense

Some things you don’t leave until they leave you

And then the things that you miss, you say

Baby, baby, baby when all your love is gone

Who will save me from all I’m up against out in this world

And maybe, maybe, maybe

You’ll find something that’s enough to keep you

But if the bright lights don’t receive you

You should turn yourself around and come on home

Let that city take you in (come on home)

Let that city spit you out (come on home)

Let that city take you down, yeah

For God’s sake turn around…” Bright Lights-Matchbox 20