MFP Challenge: Day 7

Well, the week is over! I may not always take exact screenshots and blog, but I'd like to check in daily on the Facebook page. 

-Naturally, I was kind of starving this morning. My Friday night leftovers were kind of a necessity for lunch. 

-Yeah, we ordered in. BUT...I only ate half the wrap. I kinda gave that habit up along with splitting my 12 in sandwiches, so this was a big deal. Ok, so I finished the fries, but I'm absolutely stuffed now. I can't even dream of sneaking a dessert. 

-We took a walk around 4:30 today. It wasn't much, but I think it re-energized us and helped clear our heads. Though my allergies are in full swing, I still love the blooming cherry blossoms. 

Yes, he obviously loves me with those puffy eyes, bad hair, and no makeup.

Today's shoutouts go to two awesome Heathers in my life!

I met Heather R on an email group back in 2000/2001. We started chatting about the topic at hand in personal emails and soon got to be friends. She lives in UT and I live in PA. Due to both of us unable to travel across the country for various reasons, we still haven't met. However, we've held onto a great friendship for nearly 15 years now. She is a runner, and she gives me such inspiration and excellent advice about easing into it. I feel so good when she tells me not to say I'm a jogger or that I'm just a beginner. She wants me to be proud of what I have done on that treadmill while taking it at the proper pace and speed. Here's a picture she recently tagged me in: 

One day, we will meet. Until then, I'm proud to be her friend, and her encouragement has meant a lot to me. I'm so glad we're able to still chat so openly. 

I met Heather S in high school! We had mutual friends but didn't really know each other. Naturally, Facebook happened, and then we started messaging about weight loss after a few years. We realized how much we had in common and started to become real life friends! We share similar weight goals and are on our own serious journeys. She has been a great sounding board, and she gets where I'm at along with the frustrations. Her dedication and success  for her next phase has been inspirational. It's been awesome to get to know each other, hang out, geek out, and chat about all this stuff. It's so funny how you may know someone since high school but you never really knew them. I'm glad we didn't pass by this opportunity, and I am grateful for everything. You are AWESOME. Virtual high five! 

MFP Challenge: Day 6

I just lost my entire draft. Soooo....it's Saturday night, not too many people will see this, and I'm just gonna have fun!

-Yes, I know I shouldn't have the complimentary chips at breakfast.

-My husband got Five Guys, and I actually turned it down for a lower cal/fat/sodium option. Although, Subway adds up if you're not careful. One of my biggest weight loss challenges was to stop eating 12 in hoagies. Lately, I'd been treating myself to both halves. 've only had 2 sandwiches in my life that I couldn't finish. Just call me Joey Tribbiani.

Though in this case, I could've been Ross as well. 

So yeah, my stomach started stretching to re-accommodate this Liz Lemon behavior.

But I have to remember that heavy carbs aren't my friend. 

It's so nice when TV understands you.

And for the couple that just discovered they love to host...not that we'd know anything about this...

MFP Week Challenge: Day 5

It has been so busy at work that I barely had a chance to eat today. I ended up grabbing my food from the fridge and sitting at my desk since I was waiting for a call. I try not to do that anymore (a break should be a break), but the to-do list was just too big. Glad I had some caffeine this morning!

-I really liked that sandwich thin, and it has a decent amount of fiber. Bread is so great, but it's one of the worst things I can eat. 

-Quick dinner at a nearby diner before a movie. Hey, I took half of it home. 

-Saw The Avengers: Age of Ultron tonight, hence the movie snack. I don't like sitting for 2 1/2 hours after sitting for 8 hours of work, so I volunteered to get up halfway through and stand in line so I could just get the blood rushing. Good movie though, and I loved Elizabeth Olsen. 

Today was such a long day that I'm too tired to keep writing my next shoutout. I'm going to make up for that tomorrow, but for today I'm just going to redirect you to the piece I wrote about my trainer in March. D is such a special and influential figure in my life, and I can't say it enough. (I'm on the app, so I can't make a pretty link): 

 http://sweatersandsmoothies.blogspot.com/2015/03/strength-shaping-and-serendipity.html

 

MFP Week Challenge: Day 4

Today was good.  The morning started off with the typical inner monologue about whether I really wanted to take the time to wash the blender and make a smoothie.  Then I got a Facebook comment from a friend (hi Bon!) asking me about my favorite smoothie recipe and what equipment I use.  While I was commenting back, I realized once again just how simple the process is for a yummy and fulfilling payoff.  Turns out I had all the ingredients, and I made sure to wash the blender immediately afterwards.  It was my old routine, and it was easy peasy.  I lasted until 12:45 before I ran out to grab some food.  Ok, so I wasn't perfect with the planning, ha.

-My old smoothie standby is (in order): Silk almond milk (today was an almond-coconut blend), Natural Factors French Vanilla whey protein, chia seeds, half a frozen banana, frozen strawberries, spinach, and 1 tbsp of peanut butter.  It felt good today.

-Went to The Fresh Market for food, decided to try their sushi.  I normally hate supermarket sushi (even Wegmans!), but this was delicious.  I decided to eat it outside at a picnic table.  You don't even know what a big deal that is for me. 

  

-Dinner was just a mishmash of leftovers.  Could've thrown a veggie in there.

-Could've left off one of the snacks, but I don't think it will hurt anything.  Not hangry, not craving another snack, drinking water.  

Today's shoutout goes to my dear friends who have shown me the value of good food and cooking.  Ash and Ian love cooking and baking together and are those awesome people who bring home cooked food to a party or whip up a quick and delicious meal for you in their wonderfully comfortable kitchen.  I always feel like anything is possible after spending a weekend with them.  He often chats about just how simple and necessary it is to know how to cook certain foods and be able to prepare yourself a meal.  I actually bought 2 cookbooks this year and became obsessed with the show Extra Virgin on the Cooking Channel thanks to them.  

What I love is how Ash and Ian don't go for super complicated or ridiculously frilly and trendy food.  They stick with quality ingredients and cook for taste, enjoyment, and practicality.  Meanwhile, getting takeout is one of my biggest downfalls.  I really like cooking but am very lazy about the cleanup.  Again, this is a routine I need to establish.  I wish they lived closer so we could have those fun weekends more often, but it makes it all the more special when we do see each other.  And believe me, we still have our Shake Shack and Meatball Shop outings!  However, I'm definitely going to start integrating their awesome kitchen habits into our everyday life.    

MFP Week Challenge: Day 3

Today was probably the most calories I've consumed this week so far, but I feel fine. I'm not hangry, I'm not bloated, I didn't stress eat, and I was still under 2000 calories. I'd say that's just fine! And I stepped on the scale this morning to see I lost another .8 pounds. 

It was a very busy day at work, so I didn't get a opportunity to take a walk in this gorgeous spring weather, but I did sit outside for a few minutes to soak up the pleasantly warm breeze. 

So, here's today's eats!

-Today was more of a convenience day. I went to Wawa for breakfast and lunch food, but I chose the new-ish lowest calorie breakfast sandwich rather than the turkey sausage egg white and cheese bagel.

-Lunch is the lowest calorie option you can get at Wawa aside from a salad. It fills me up just fine.

-I stayed at work an hour late fueled by those almonds. I actually ate nuts as a snack for the first time in years, holy crap.

-Had dinner out because I didn't feel like waiting for food to be cooked and it was a belated anniversary dinner. The problem with eating at a restaurant that doesn't have website calories posted is that you have to guesstimate. I think I was pretty accurate though.

-Had some dessert bc I felt like it. 

So, I wanted to take some time for the rest of this week to give some special shoutouts. I can't think of a better way to start than with my best friend Dawn.

Dawn and I have known each other for over 20 years now and have been inseparable since the beginning of college. We have been through every kind of happy and sad emotional journey possible together, and we consider each other to be sisters. "Besters," as we coined a few years ago. Weight loss has been a very personal journey for each of us, and we always have each other's back no matter how much is gained or lost. I call her my cheerleader. *waves pom poms." We are differently shaped with different levels of athleticism, but we celebrate all our victories. Basically, if she lost 60 lbs, she'd be in the hospital, and if I ran 10 miles at the highest incline, I'd be in the hospital. 

Recently, Dawn wasn't feeling great with her diet, so she decided to try MFP after hearing me rave for years. She lost 4 lbs in a week and started to look at portions and choices differently. Now she's continuing to celebrate both scale and NSV victories. She tells me how inspirational I was, but I need her to know just how inspirational she's been for me. I was really in a slump there, and I was afraid to get back on the horse. She was so excited about how easy MFP is and the healthy results you see. I remembered how I said all that at one point. When she puts her mind to something, she DOES it. And I knew that I could get back to doing it again and that her pom poms would be flying on texts and Facebook. She's been ridiculously supportive of me all these years, and it's exciting to be on similar food journeys together. Burrito bowls instead of tortillas, chia, avocado, smoothies...we got this. I'm so proud of her for taking this leap, and I thank her so much for getting me back on that track. (But we can still totally have a fro yo or Starbucks treat too. 😉)