You don't HAFTA eat cardboard!

I think alot has changed since my Mom's old WW days eating liver and onions and trying every fat-free-which-equals-taste-free food known to man. I know that all the really good, fat-laden things are my favorite but that does NOT mean I have to compromise taste for health! I have made it a continuing goal to try new, healthful things a little bit at time, incorporating the things I enjoyed and could see myself eating more than once. Heck, I might even LIKE it!

Here's a new find I stumbled upon at Wally World a few days ago...I've been trying hard to increase my daily fiber intake and these looked like a doable option... crunchy, flavor (I've only tried the savory herb ones), fiber, decent portion size (90 cal for 17 crackers)...yup, that just might work! And surprise, surprise, they ARE tasty! I think they were around $2.50/box so not TOO bad and this time, I'm sticking to the serving size!

Up next is Fiber One peach yogurt...it tastes GREAT! Just likregular ole peach yogurt and in easy to handle little cups..too bad it's gone so fast! I usually have one for breakfast and some sort of fruit like a nectarine or cherries...ahhhh, I love summer for all the fruit! This is a little pricey for me but I'm trying to balance cost vs. benefit AND the fact that my kids aren't inhaling it in less than 5 seconds...



And here we have the dreaded Slim Fast line of products...frankly, I never see myself surviving on liquids alone and these never did stick around long enough to satisfy my hunger as they so loudly proclaim. What I do like is the taste, I don't have to lug out the blender, they are easy to slip in my cavernous purse if I have to run into town, or if I just want a change of pace for a meal. What I don't like is that my stupid fridge was set too cold and all the cans froze... another tasty treat from Slim Fast are these bars. I'm a sucker for Butterfingers and these babies come pretty darn close to that taste without making me feel like a slovenly pig AND they are in one serving size so I'm not tempted to think that King Size means one serving size! One word of caution though, they are rather crumbly so eat carefully!Wish me luck on my next shopping trip to the grocery store...perhaps I will find more tasty, healthy goodies to share!

P.H.A.T. Tuesday

Tuesday doesn't get much attention...Thursday doesn't so much either, but Tuesday probably feels left out most of the time. So, I am formally adopting Tuesday as my day of inspiration; who knows what I may write about.

During my search for some sort of catchy image for this post, I discovered that phat also has some sort of cool/gang/baggy pants/rap kind of connotation...not really what I'm going for. I had always thought it meant "pretty hot 'n tempting" which isn't really what I'm going for either; who needs the attention and hassle of ANOTHER man! It would be nice, however, to feel healthier, slimmer, more active, more involved...and that my friends, IS pretty hot!

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Well, lookee here, it's actually Wednesday! Never mind why this didn't get posted on the right day...

So, here are some random thoughts that flicked through my head on P.H.A.T. Tuesday;

• Why does my 3-year old son have the energy to leap of the couch countless times but falls into a heap on the floor when asked to pick up his toys?
• Can cutting out soda lead to GI upset? (basically, I'm spending ALOT of time with the toilet and pill popping anti-diarrheals...not a great way to live)
• I did some research on walking and I mentioned before that I like charts...I did find one for newbies to a walking program that I will use
• I also found a really neat gadget by Google that will calculate the distance your chosen route would be so it'll work whether you're walking, running, jogging, biking, etc...
• Someday, I will own myself one of these beauties and me and Sidney will go cruising 'cuz Sid doesn't like them...

Week in review

So, I finally braved the wild and purposefully unknown today...I gave my hubby the sewing tape, prayed that one would be enough, and closed my eyes tight as he measured me from stem to stern. Thank goodness he is a loving man cuz anyone else would've dropped and run at the digits I pulled out of that tape measure! For now, I prefer to keep them top, TOP secret, only known to three people as of this writing. It's just too much for one momma to handle!

So, during my quest to find a funny pic to include in my blog post, I ran across some AMAZINGLY cool blog sites...I am not alone in this weight-loss healthy-gain journey! You are not alone! We are not alone! And I can't figure out how to link them either!! Perhaps next week when school is FINALLY done. I also saw some really neat little gadgets I would like for my own blog like a virtual model to visualize the "goal weight" as well a ticker of sorts to track the pounds lost.

So, for the review part:

• I caved in and bought ONE, yes ONE bottle of Diet Dr. Pepper, my arch nemesis. It was kinda nice to just relish it, savoring every drop of the sweet nectar of the gods...
• I haven't eaten this much fruit and veggies on a daily basis in years and already I am feeling better in the gut region...
• Trying to up by daily fiber intake means that I might think about taking my wretched metformin again to try and keep my pancreas from acting out and pumping enough insulin out every minute to sink a battleship; overworking a pancreas can lead to complete meltdown and Type II diabetes. The problem has been that the metformin is BRUTAL on the innards and costly in the toilet paper department...
• When I feel snacky, which is pretty much from when my eyes open in the morning to when they close at night, I've been reaching for the goods; watermelon, carrots, pineapple, cherries, water...
• I have vowed to quit being so friggin' lazy about eating more fruits and veggies so when I buy them at the store, I prepare them when I get home, place in plastic ware, pop in the fridge, and they are ready-to-eat when the mood strikes...
• I took a really BIG step in putting my measurements on paper...'nuff said!

Well, the kids are demolishing the place, dinner is but a few hours away, but so is bedtime!

The first few days...

...have really been nothing remarkable! I haven't dropped ten pounds, I haven't run 5 miles, I haven't sweated to any workout videos. What I HAVE done is:

> have walked all over the hospital I'm doing clinicals at without needing medical attention myself

> found a great new juice drink made by Crystal Light that has 3g of fiber per serving AND it tastes good! A little pricey but a great way to get some extra fiber in my daily diet

> Done a REALLY good job of eating more fruits and veggies everyday, saved money on taking my lunches to clinicals, AND eating healthier without suffering



> have not drank any Diet Dr. Pepper; have also managed to walk past the powerful magnetic force put out by the soda pop aisle at the grocery store without bodily harm


Because of some really wonky work/school schedules, I have not been able to measure or weigh myself as of yet, but it is on my "to do" list before the week is up. It's also complicated by the fact that I hafta use one of those stand-up scales because I'm currently too ponderous to use a regular 'ole scale from Wally World. Yeah, it's that bad.

So for the rest of the week, my goal is to continue choosing foods that are good for me and that I do like such as fruits and veggies, quite abundant this time of year! I'm also having fun consciously drinking more water, whether flavored or just from the Brita pitcher. I'm also still working on some sort of check-off list for walking on the treadmill...lists work for this momma!

Let it begin! Let it BEGIN!!

Well, whaddya know, the first official post to my bloggy-blog...and its ALL your fault Nichole!! But I don't think you mind taking the blame for this one.

Essentially, I want this to be a diary of sorts, documenting my journey through the Badlands of weight loss...I'm sure I'll cry, whine, throw tantrums, question, procrastinate, and maybe even fall off the wagon a time or two. But the end goal? The cherry on top? The piece de la resistance? Being a much healthier, happier, and thinner momma, alive and well to pester her great grandkids.

As I sit here at my keyboard, contemplating life and all its funny things, I think about my past. Its all mine; the good, the bad, and even the ugly. Too long now, that past has kept a really firm chokehold on how I view myself today. I think it's about time to rid myself of all the fat, both physically and mentally, on the road to becoming...ONE PHAT MOMMA!!