Newp - I Didn't Forget Ya'!

Sorry I haven't updated in awhile....not enough time in the frickin' day.

By the time I get home from work, and start supper, and catch up facefreakinbook, it's 8:00!! And I KNOW that's one obstacle in my weight-loss goal.

I just HATE this....my work schedule conflicts with one thing which conflicts with another and on and on....

Been thinking - SERIOUSLY - about looking for another job. I LOVE my job - REALLY I DO - but I get taken advantage of. And the sad part is....I let it happen. But when I've spoken up previously and it falls on deaf ears....I kinda give up.

.................ANYWAY......................

Staying FAITHFUL to my nutritional regimen.....STILL no bread, red meat, potatoes, or any added sugars!! Actually, I don't really miss those things. Sure....it would be NICE to have greasy hamburger juices running through my goatee, but it's not anything I have really CRAVED.....YET!!

Gonna do some "experimenting" with some low-cal, low-fat, low-carb meals....will update!!

HaPee Val~&~Tines Day!

Came home to a dozen roses, some LOW-FAT, LOW-CARB, LOW-CALORIE chocolate pretzels....And a new outfit. And the sweetest card.

Thanks, honey...*insert some kinda heart symbol*

Back to the "nutritional lifestyle adaptation" experiment....

Got some of Kraft's mayo made with Olive Oil....CAN NOT TASTE ANY DIFFERENCE!!! So, I made a chicken salad...PLENTY of celery, onion....and a few spices. Gonna nosh on that stuff a bit. 2 TBSP. of that mayo is ONLY 50 calories!! So, I'm looking at about 25 calories per TBSP of chicken salad!!

Funny thing, though....went to get some crackers....Triscuits, as a matter of fact. Looked at the LOW-FAT version vs. the regular. . . . .

A serving size of the REGULAR Triscuits is 10 crackers.. The Low-Fat? 8.....Well, um... D'UH....if you eat 2 fewer of the regular, I guess that fat/serving IS less!!!

So, I got the regular and only eat 5.

WIN-WIN situation.

Anyway.............Enjoy this special night with your loved one. Even if you are all alone, love yourself!! OK, OK, OK.......that way, too!!

To Blog Whilst Pisst, or Not to Blog....

I really HAVE NOT had a good day today.

Granted, I think a lot of it had to do with supper last night...I steamed shrimp and asparagus and drizzled a MINUTE amount of truffle oil over them. DEEEE-LISSSHHHHH!!!!!

Evidently, shrimp and I are NOT the best of friends. Like I'd blogged earlier, I seem to have "digestive" problems when it comes to shrimp. But, seeing as how they were ON SALE at PooTitty, and I NEEDED a protein for the day, I decided to fix 'em.

All day today, I've felt very lethargic....until this afternoon. The headaches began and my throat felt like it was tightening up! I found it EXTREMELY DIFFICULT to be even "pleasant" to customers.....

I was SOOOO looking forward to 5:00 - my usual time to leave work on Fri. - but at 5:00.....there was no one there to relieve me. 5:15.....no one. 5:30......BLOWN AWAY!! 6:15......the manager shows up. Look, I don't "mind" staying over.....well, yeah, I DO, but I AM A TEAM PLAYER!!...as long as I am notified ahead of time.

Not to mention the shelf-stocking I had to do that wasn't done last night....and remopping the floor....and stocking the bags....and finish putting out the deliveries from that day....

I guess my whole point of this, is that your diet DEFINITELY affects the way you feel! I think, sincerely, that if I HADN'T eaten shrimp last night, my day wouldn't have been so bad. So, eat a bit healthier....a little lighter.....a little less. You'll be surprised!!

I Feel PRETTY!

Went and got a LONG DESERVED hair cut....got home, did some chores, took a shower, then noticed I could pull my jeans down without unbuttoning them.

A MILESTONE!!!

Ode to the Fish Taco

PooTitty had a GREAT deal on tilapia filets in their seafood case - $4.99/lb with your ValueCard. So, I got 2 BIG ones - equaled out to 1 pound! Sooooo....I'm thinking about fish tacos again. I really, really, REALLY like 'em!

Mom and I had been texting earlier and I told her I'd blog about 'em. Just in case you missed what I do, Mom, here it is (and for any of you that really give a crap)....

3-4 oz. tilapia will make 2.

I get a bag of slaw mix and throw a handful of it in a bowl. Yes, a handful. Then, I use the Kraft Slaw Dressing. But instead of the 2 TBSP. it says to use per serving, I add ONE Tablespoon to the slaw. Then, I squeeze in the juice of 1/3 of a lime. Salt and pepper, let marry in the fridge.

For the fish, I bake 'em. If you get frozen, let 'em thaw first. I spray a baking pan, place the tilapia in the pan, and season with the juice of the rest of the lime, and sprinkle a generous amount of cumin on them. Now by GENEROUS, I don't mean like a "rub"...but a good amount.

Tortilla shells - PooTitty has some GREAT low-carb tortilla shells - like 70 cal. LESS than the regular ones. I spray a frying pan and heat each tortilla shell as needed, as I don't have a tortilla warmer and I wouldn't use one that often anyway.

Fill each tortilla with the fish (shredded), a generous forkful of slaw, and a thin slice of red onion. I've also added homemade salsa to it, and it's FABULOUS!!!

I've figured out that each taco comes out to be less than 250 calories. And 2 WILL fill you up!
And when you count calories like I do, a 500 cal. MEAL is a TREAT!!!

Back To The Reason I'm Here!!

The IMMENSE guilt I felt over last night's Pizza Debacle prompted me to have just a plain tossed salad with 2 TBSP (yes, I measured) of Old Dutch Sweet & Sour Dressing. I really like that stuff...makes the veggies "squeaky". And it's ONLY 50 cal. per 2 TBSP.

Food City has a SWEET deal on 41-50 ct. shrimp AND tilapia filets in their seafood case. And since they were still FROZEN in the case, I put them back in the freezer for later use.....I'm thinkin shrimp stir-fry on Thursday and pan-seared tilapia on Friday.

I haven't weighed in a few days, mainly because something "tells" me when I should......But I'm confident that I've lost another pound since last weigh-in. 12 pounds since 1/3? I'd be happy!! Do I miss what I'm cutting out? The red meat? Bread? Potatoes?? HELL, YEAH!! But I've realized I CAN LIVE WITHOUT THEM!!

I'm curious as to how much weight would actually be lost in this country, if....for ONE MONTH, we ALL cut out things I have!

I Ate Pizza....Just Shoot Me.

I'm soooo sorry.....I felt like CRAP all day!!! Didn't sleep well - up since 3:30 - and have had NO energy, and convinced myself that it was because I needed something FATTENING

So....I did it. Left work and ordered a large hand-tossed pizza with pepperoni, green pepper, mushroom, and extra cheese from Papa John's.

Got home, relaxed for a min....went for a slice and WHAT WAS ON THERE???? A FRICKIN' BLACK OLIVE!!!

Normally, I'd be ANNOYED, but tonight....I'm PISSED!! I mean, I WENT OFF MY DIET for some pizza and it wasn't even correct.

Took pix. May send 'em to PJ's.....but after this MAJOR letdown, doubt I'll ever eat from there again......serves me right for cheatin'!

Super FATASS Bowl.....

NOT THIS YEAR!!!

For the big night, I'm fixing asian noodles and bbq chicken lettuce wraps. Yeah, I know..the noodles are FULL of carbs.....but keeping within my 1K-1.5K calories a day, I can pull it off. AND - have an apple with peanut butter for dessert!!

I've GOTTA do more "research" about healthy, low-fat, low-carb, low-calorie meals. Getting bored with the same ol' stuff.

30-Day Update!!

Yes, I actually STARTED dieting on Jan 3rd..a procrastinator at heart, I know.

So I thought I'd give a brief rundown of my progress.

30 Days
Lost 11 pounds
Tightened my belt up one notch

And ALL I have done, is quit bread, potatoes, red meat, and added sugars.

The next 30 days look like hell.....I might actually have to exert some physical effort to maintain my weight loss!!!

Thanks, again, for everyone's support! Only 29 lbs. left - I CAN DO IT WITH YOUR HELP!!!

Supper tonight?

I drained a can of tuna, chopped up a stalk of celery, chopped some onion, added some sweet relish, and added 2 TBSP. of Old Dutch Sweet and Sour Dressing. (The ONLY place I can find it here in Greeneville, is at PooTitty.) Gonna put dollops in lettuce leaves.

And let's not forget....WATER.

I Think I'm Ready for a Treat!

And I think it's gonna be a burger!!!

I KNOW...I KNOW!! "Keep focused! Remember the goal!" But........

(I just typed a whole soliloquy defending my right to "cheat", reread it, and decided it was bullshit.)

You're right. I get the vibe.

THE DIET GOES ON!!!!

By the way....I DID take my belt in a notch yesterday. Wasn't sure if I was just "less-bloated" or what, so I waited.....PROGRESS!!!!

I CAN'T STAND THE SMELL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This morning, as I got ready to unlock the door, I could smell it.....the RANK odor of the previously broken liquor. Granted, there ARE still boxes that were SOAKED still sitting in the backroom waiting to be picked up....so maybe that's PART of the problem. I looked at the grout that was submerged and it's all discolored.....gonna hafta be bleached. Yes, HAS TO. I cannot work 40+ hrs. a week in this stench. Not to mention the black mold that is on the walls in the stockroom....

So, my head has been throbbing all day.....not "migraine-ish", but enough to matter. Enough to affect my "salesman-ship". Yeah....I couldn't really give a hairy rats ass today.

Sooooo......as I left work, I began to ponder my supper choices....thought I might treat myself a bit. Went to Food City (or as I call it, lovingly, in texts - PooTitty) and ended up buying...

Salad. Yep, plain ol' iceberg salad mix. Not really hungry and after the leftover chicken fajitas I had last night, I could use the fiber!!

Think I will cinch my belt up a notch tomorrow......we'll see in the a.m. WISH ME LUCK!!

Just Call Me "Bluto"...(watch out Popeye!)

I am SOOOO craving a spinach salad!!!

This is what I use: (makes 2 salads - good for taking to work the next day!)

1/2 bag prepared baby spinach, rinsed and SPUN dry!
1 small can (8 oz. maybe?) mandarin orange wedges, drained
1/4 cup "candied pecans" (Wal-Mart has 'em in their baking aisle)
2 TBSP. Kraft light raspberry vinaigrette w/extra virgin olive oil.
Thinly sliced red onion (optional)

Toss all together and ENJOY THE FRESHNESS!

If you're NOT a spinach fan, don't worry. Baby spinach has practically NO flavor - compared to lettuce. It's only acting as a "base" for your salad. PLUS - it's frickin' GOOD for you!!!

Chicken? FAJITAS!!

After doing some research, I've discovered chicken fajitas, if cooked properly, are quite low in fat and calories.

So....GUESS WHAT'S FOR DINNER???? Yep, fajitas. Been "marinating" some sliced boneless, skinless chicken breasts in a pack of Sauer's fajita seasoning. 15 min. prior to searing, I'm squeezin' 1/2 a lime onto them. Removing them from the pan, flash/frying the peppers and onion, adding the chicken back, and serving on whole-grain, low-carb. low-fat tortillas.

Sounds really filling and I'm sure there will be leftovers for me to take to work tomorrow.

Ya' Learn Somthin' New Every DAY!!

Thanks to Jeanne Buckingham for posting this on facebook!


[Source: Today I Found Out]

Donkey Kong Country Returns!

What a BEAUTIFUL Wii game!!

Workin' on beating the boss on Level 3 (I ain't as young as I was and this stuff is a LOT HARDER!).

Here's what I have to do NEXT! 0.0

Morning Cocktail!!

Sour mash whiskey, tequila, and flavored vodkas!

As I stuck my key into the store's entry, I saw the bottles....lying all over the floor!!

My FIRST thought, was that a ceiling tile had fallen and knocked over some of my displays - hell, it happened to me BEFORE!! Wine...everywhere.....wine......ON CARPET!!

Anyway, NOW, we have ceramic tile floor - GORGEOUS - and there were NO missing ceiling tiles, so...I was kinda like...."Um....WTF?!?!?!?!?" Called the mgr. and she said that the roof was leaking - that, in itself, is a whole OTHER story - worse than it had been.

Evidently, water had leaked all night long.....traveled down the grout lines until they met the cardboard box displays (Empty - turned upside down - bottles stacked on top - standard spirits sales establishment practices), which seeped in causing the carboard to "give" under the weight of the bottles of liquor stacked on top.

Once ONE fell, it was kinda like a domino-effect....busted liquor bottles seeping into the next display - which FAILS - breaks - runs - etc.

ONE HELLUVA MESS!!! But ONE HELLUVA workout mopping the sales floor NO LESS THAN 5 TIMES!!!

Good day for the diet.....bad for the soul.

Supper? Too tired to eat......

Bland Chicken Fried Rice? NUH-UHHHH!!!

Yep, that's what I made.

Cut skinless breasts into small cubes then sauteed in ONE TBSP of Peanut oil! - Yes, I made SURE to measure it 'cause I didn't want to use too much.

Then, when the chicken was "almost" done, I added a couple of cloves of minced garlic and about 1/2 inch of ginger, finely chopped. Finished that, bowled it, and in the same pot, added 1 more tbsp. peanut oil and stir-fried some rice (3 cups PREPARED rice), peas, carrots, green onions, and soy sauce. When the rice has been stir-fried for a couple of minutes, I added the chicken/ginger/garlic mixture and a couple of good shots of teriyaki sauce.

Light, healthy, and FILLING!!

Guess What?

Once again, while showering, I got the urge to weigh myself. Granted, I ALWAYS weigh myself on Mondays - that was the deal. But I never really restricted myself as to the number of times I weighed myself in between. Sooooo....twice now, I have had a strong urge to jump on the scales and today was no let-down either...

Since 01/03/11....I have LOST 10 pounds!! Lost 'em...yep...I don't know where they're at and I don't really care!

30 more lbs. in 341 days??? PIECE UH CAKE!!!

(I say that now.....will regret it later)

WHATTA DAY!!!

Got up..."woke" up.....caught up fb (pathethic, ain't I?)....showered.....dressed....and for some reason....tightening my belt was EXTREMELY easy!! I looked in the mirror, down, and saw that YES!....I can go up another notch!!!

Of course I didn't wanna "push it" by FORCING myself to squeeze into a shortened belt, so I left it as it has been. By the time I got home tonight...I felt like my jeans were falling off!

Like I posted on facebook, looking at numbers on a scale is one thing....seeing it PHYSICALLY is another. I'm ECSTATIC with my progress!!!

Tonight's supper? Tossed salad with grilled chicken strips and "Old Dutch Sweet-and-Sour Dressing". That stuff is GOOOOOOOD! 50 cal./2 TBSP. It's light, tart, makes a GREAT marinade!! I feel like I need some roughage to compensate for the fish tacos I've had the last 2 nights.

.............................................

A VERY dear friend suggested that I start blogging more about what happens at my job. 'Cause she sees me kinda like "Sam Malone" from "Cheers". And, kinda, in a way, I am!! I hear stuff that y'all wouldn't BELIEVE!!

I'm just wondering.....can my blog be bipolar?

If I Buy An Island...

I'm naming it "Isle d'Tilapia"...I LOVE THAT FISH!!!

Experimenting around with some more filets I had in the freezer. Nice thing about these....they're individually shrunk-wrapped-frozen..have NO additives....only 100 cal. each.

I was still wanting to mess around with my fish taco recipe, ....and since I ENJOYED them so much last night... , I thought now would be a good time. I was happy with the slaw last night, so the only thing I did tonight, was grate some more cucumber into it and I added some extra lime juice.

The tilapia? I HEAVILY seasoned them with cumin and lime juice. I "wanted" to toss some cilantro into the mix - PERFECT with lime - but I decided against it. I've only got a limited "supply" of ingredients....

By the way...those tortilla shells - the low-fat ones? They're GREAT!!!

As for work? Was a very "strange" day....people acting all weird! Yes, weirder than usual!! Very stressful.....but tomorrow is another day.

Keep POSITIVE!!

Fish Tah-Koes? FABULOUS!!!

Here we go! They were, actually, VERY GOOD!!

This is what I did:

Bake 1 frozen tilapia per tortilla shell in 400 deg. oven for 15 min. Season with cumin and lime juice.

While that's baking, mix 2 cups pre-cut slaw mix with 2 TBSP. slaw dressing ("low-fat" was only 20 calories less than regular) and the juice of 1/8 lime - wedged. I also grated about an inch of fresh cucumber into the slaw.

Slice off one THIN slice of red onion and cut in half (1-1/2 per tortilla). 1 minute before the fish is done, heat each tortilla shell in a lightly sprayed HOT pan for about 15 sec. per side - I like 'em golden.

When the fish is done, let it rest for a minute and "shred" with a fork - leave good-sized pieces. Put slaw on 1/2 of tortilla shell, then, 1/2 of the onion. Finally, place tilapia on tortilla. Fold over, get PLENTY of napkins, and DEVOUR!!!

Fat Free Tor-tee-yas??

‎Well, I found 'em! They probably taste like cardboard, but they are LESS THAN 1/2 THE NUMBER OF CALORIES as regular ones!! *considers seasoning the tortilla pan with herbs before heating*

*rethinks taco "sauce"*

Till Op Pee Ya!

So I think I'm going to try something new - fish tacos! I've been looking up TONS of recipes and they're all basically the same. And since tilapia is a low-fat fish - and I LOVE IT - I'm gonna use it.

MOST of the recipes I've encountered involve battering the fish and FRYING it - a big no-no for me. So, I'm just gonna season the fish with some lime juice, cumin (to give it that Tex-Mex flavor) and a little sea salt and then bake it.

Now, when it comes to the tortilla, I'm HOPING I can find some low-carb tortillas at the store. If not, I may be screwed.

What about toppings? I'm thinking of making a "lite" slaw using cabbage and either fat-free sour cream or mayo (yuck!), some Southwest seasoning, and lime juice. And I've got some homemade salsa that I can use.

Wish me luck and I'll let y'all know how they turn out!

Weight Loss Weigh-In

While in the shower getting ready for work, I decided to weigh myself when I got finished. I know, I know.....I try to weigh myself on Mondays, but something "told" me to do it. So, I did...


Total of 7 pounds lost since I began!!! I'm now feeling better about this whole diet thing. Maybe - just maybe - I can lose 40 lbs. by year's end!!!

I feel even MORE inspired now!!!

Ketchup Day

Didn't post yesterday....not much happened. Just spent the day doing chores. Fixed Asian BBQ'd Chicken Lettuce wraps for supper. DEE-LISH!! If you want the recipe - there's a lot of prep work, but it cooks quick and is WORTH it - let me know. Closest thing to PFChang's I've ever had!!

Good day at work today. Went by quickly. Thanks, Bossman, for making it go by quicker!!

Hoping to have company Sunday night so I'm looking at HEALTHY ways to spice-up a pork tenderloin. I could make a Balsamic Vinaigrette glaze with brown sugar....hmmmm.....

Usually, I Hate Wednesdays...

You know how you feel the DAY BEFORE your day off? How that day seems to DRAAAAAGGGGGG.....that's how I feel about Wednesdays. It's a long day, I have to deal with distributor reps, make $ decisions, PLUS push our 10%-Off-Wines-On-Wednesdays......just dreadful.

But I had a GOOD Wednesday today!! I woke up feeling GOOD...had energy....and that momentum kept me going all day. Well, that and some rum a rep. let me sample . . . . .

NO food cravings today! Took a spinach/mandarin orange/pecan salad with fat-free Raspberry Vinegarette dressing to work for lunch. VERY refreshing!! I could've used a paper-thin slice of red onion to go on top, but what I had was GOOD!!!

Plain ol' iceberg lettuce salad with grilled chicken, tonight. I'm "test-driving" Kraft's Fat-Free Italian Dressing - 15 cal./2 TBSP.

Thanks for the encouragement, and KEEP READING!

Oh, and in memory of Blaine Lawson.....BUCKLE UP!

Let The Cravings Begin!

First, I wanted a head-sized donut.

This afternoon.....PIZZA!! I just wanted to lie on my back and let someone place a fresh pizza on my chest so that I could breathe in its' enticing aroma......

FOCUS, Sam, FOCUS!!!

Tonight, I'm going to experiment with some tilapia and think I'll steam some fresh asparagus.

I actually had a customer ask me if I had lost weight! Talk about MOTIVATION!!

And knowing that you all are going through this WITH me, has inspired me immensely!

Week II Weigh-In

So I plopped myself on the scales..and guess what?

I've LOST 3 MORE POUNDS!!!!

I feel INVIGORATED!! 5 lbs. in 2 weeks? Not BAD!!!

No real "cravings" just yet.....but been weighing the differences between a hamburger and pizza. Tonight, however, salad. Plain salad. With "Lite" Italian (10 cal/2 TBSP) dressing. And Aquafina. By now, my digestive system is CLEAN AS A WHISTLE!! Wanna toot? LMAO!!!

Work was really SLOW today...must be the holiday. Not a bad day, though. Researching low-fat low-cal. dinners. Salads get OLD.....

Oh Yeah....I'm on a Diet!

Started dieting on Jan. 2....hoping to lose 40 lbs. by years end...

Weigh-in after week 1 - loss of 2 lbs.

This week? I've been finding myself wanting to "cheat"....with sugar! IT'S SO HARD!!!!!

A couple of people have told me that drinking water with lemon is supposed to boost your metabolism, so I've been trying that....not too bad, actually. Don't know if it's really working or not.

I've decided that shrimp is not my digestive friend. I tried to make a low-fat supper Thurs. night - Shrimp and Snow Peas. I used VERY little oil to stir fry with, watching fat grams and calories. I felt "backed-up", if you will, the next day. Sorry to be graphic, but that's how it was. Ate a fibrous salad for supper on Friday, and was cleansed Sat. morning. Felt "lighter"....

The wonders of pooping....

Food Processor Woes.....

Since I'm dieting and have TONS of vinegars to work with, I decided to try making my own salad dressings.  So...I drug out all my food processor equipment, and for the LIFE of me....I can't figure out how to work the damn thing.

I've got this discontinued model ~>Click!<~, looked at the manual and I have all the parts, but I just can't get the  "blend/puree" blade to work!  It sits atop the drive shaft, but it's too big! There IS an adapter that you put on for the top blade, but when I use the lower blade, it just sets there.  I am very frustrated, and I tried using my Magic Bullet, but it just wasn't the same.....too fast....

Guess I COULD whisk it by hand.....but what's the use in having all these nifty gadgets if they don't work?

Maybe I'm a hoarder.....

I'm REALLY Thankful for facebook!

OK, so my bossman says facebook is the work of the devil! OK, I can see that. He just doesn't "get" it.  And that's ok....

But, I am very grateful that this phenomenon has happened that has allowed me to reconnect with old friends, stay in touch with current ones, and find new ones.  Addiction? Probably.  But at least I don't do crack.

OK...So, um...Here I Blog.

I'm not really sure what I'm supposed to be really DOING here.....expressing thoughts? Trying out ideas? Jerking emotions? WHAT?????

I guess this whole motivation occurred after watching Julie & Julia for the umpteenth time. I see how Julie was inspired. But for me, it's more of a cathartic thing. Let it out....my frustrations, my dreams, my thoughts.

Now, along with all the facebook crap I do on a daily basis, I'm now gonna do this. Guess I could quit FarmVille...it's boring me, anyway. And I suck at it.