A Great Product Find: OXO Food Scale + Separate Giveaway Alert

Ok - back to our regularly scheduled program :).

I want to share one of my favorite kitchen tools with you: the food scale!

My food scale has been absolutely ESSENTIAL to my weight loss journey.  I use it every single day.  As much as I love my measuring spoons and cups, a cup of cereal in a measuring cup and a true cup of cereal on the food scale is going to yield different results (not by a lot, but it will be different).  And, folks, the scale is way more accurate!  Not only that, but how exactly do you measure 4 oz of ground meat?  It's kind of hard to do that with a measuring cup, but not with a food scale!   

I bought my first food scale several years ago, while still in college, at a WW meeting center.

This is the version I had.

It was well worth the little bit of money I had then, and it is STILL well worth it today.  Since that first WW-inspired food scale, I've went through two more.  The WW one eventually broke, and then the second one eventually broke as well.

Similar to my second one.
Yes, it was pink!

What happened?

Well, the reason why they broke is precisely why I want to share my new food scale with you all.  The first two broke after I cleaned them (not for the first time, but after many cleanings).  I guess after several times of being cleaned with a soapy paper towel, they both had had enough and decided to quit turning on.  I know for a fact that the moisture contributed to the death of the WW scale, because it had a screen like a calculator does, and you could see the moisture sitting inside the screen. Doh!

Still, you need to clean your food scale.  Why keep buying a new one every few years if you can find one that is so perfectly designed you won't ever have to worry about it going kaput on you again.

I present to you the OXO Food Scale with Pullout Display ($49.99 at Bed Bath and Beyond, which is where I bought it - you can use your 20% coupon though!).  So, so many pluses to this scale:

#1. The Pullout Display:  I don't know about you, but when I use a large plate or bowl to measure food, it can be really hard to see what the food actually weighs when that plate/bowl is practically covering the display.  Not with the OXO Food Scale!  You can just pull out the display for easy reading.

#2. The Removable Platform: MAJOR problem solved!  The stainless steel platform actually pops off of the scale for easy cleaning (it is dishwasher safe as well). 

#3. Blue Lights.  Blue lights make things pretty :).  But seriously, the scale has a light feature that you can turn on in case you're having a hard time reading the display (and it's not hard to read at all, but I have used the light on occasion - say, for instance, if I'm too lazy to turn on the kitchen lights....hey, we all have our things.)

#4. kg/oz Measurements.  Sure, the other scales measured in these values as well, but the OXO one does too!  Sometimes serving sizes are displayed in just grams, and this food scale has you covered if it does!

Do you own a food scale?  If so, what kind?  How do you feel about it?

GIVEAWAY ALERT!!!!

Gretchen @ Honey, I Shrunk the Gretchen has a festive giveaway going on right now!  You could win some free, personalized holiday greeting cards from the designer of her website... go check it out NOW!  If you're new to her blog, let her know how you found out about her and her fun giveaway in her comments section :).

**OXO and/or Bed Bath and Beyond do not have a clue who I am.  I paid for this food scale on my own.  They did not supply me with it for this review.  When I find a great product, I just want to pass it along to you so we can all do a happy dance together!

The Ring

Back in 2009, Joel and I took our first vacation to Niagara Falls, ON. 

The Canadian Falls (aka "Horseshoe Falls")

American Falls

Have you ever been there?  I LOVED it! 

Maid of the Mist

Canada was a lot like Pennsylvania (what I deem "The Motherland").  It had mild summer temperatures (we were there in mid-July) and the people were sooooo incredibly nice.  Even just outside the huge tourist attraction that are the great and glorious Falls, sprawling farmland was abundant, including many-a-vineyard :). 

This was all a welcome change compared to what we're used to here in our nation's capital.

I took full advantage of Frommer's guide to Niagara Falls (just like with Savannah) and we hit up as many places on the Niagara escarpment as possible. 

Lamp posts in Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON

One place we ventured to was St. Catharines, which had a Made in Canada store.  I like to buy locally when on travel - please do not give me anything that says Canada on the front but says "Made in China" on the bottom.  The store had a jewelry section complete with diamond jewelry (ICE 925 was the company/brand) that originated from the northern parts of Canada.  Well, an avid lover of jewelery, I LOVED this concept, and I immediately said to Joel, "If we ever get married some day, I want my ring to come from Canada."

And that's just what he did :).

It's hard to determine from the pictures above, but the ring is actually pink gold.  I love pink, and I love gold and this marks the second pink gold ring Joel has bought me - the first one being a diamond band I received for Christmas a few years ago. 

I love this ring more and more each day, and I'm so happy and honored to be wearing this beauty for the rest of my life!

Guest Post by Joel

September 2011

My name is Joel, future husband to the future Mrs. Hilary Busbee.  Hilary has asked me to write a guest post about my weight loss journey.  I’m at a loss of how to go about this because I’m not very detail oriented.  I could simply say I’ve been eating better and losing weight and that would suffice; but, I know Hilary wouldn’t have it.  I will try and draw this out as much as possible for God, country and Hilary!

Making better food choices and staying mobile has been my cause for success.  I’m very lucky because there are only a handful of foods that I won’t eat.  I can even eat that mislabeled rabbit food of a cereal, Fiber One, and enjoy it!  Instead of putting the trash in my car and driving it the 1/8 of a mile to the dumpster I walk it.  Even though it seems small, that stuff adds up.  Here’s the big secret folks, I rarely, rarely eat fast food anymore.  Shocker, I know!  Who would have guessed that refraining from a steady diet of McDoubles would help someone lose weight? 

November 2011

Even though I know you’re growing more intrigued with each word you read, I have to say that’s it and wrap this up.  I eat better and feel better.  I also want to quickly say how grateful I am for Hilary doing this with me.  She’s the reason this is happening.  Love you.

The Proposal

Thank you all for the "congrats" on Monday's post :).   I'm still getting used to seeing that beauty on my finger, as well as absorbing the fact that I am engaged.  I just never imagined it would happen this soon! 

It's time to kick this weight loss effort in to high gear!  I thought I would have more time to remove the The Big Weight, but alas, it looks like I have about 11 months to get close to my goal.  Of course I would love to reach my goal of 165 lbs, but at this point I just want to get as close to it as possible.  I know it's possible to do this, and I cannot get married looking like this. 

So many people have asked how it happened, as well as the story behind the ring.  So here is the detailed version of the proposal:

As I was cleaning up the ornament boxes after having just decorated our tree, I noticed this one box that I hadn't seen before.  I actually opened it up and I said to Joel, "Where did this come from?"  He said he didn't know, but it was actually a little jewelry box.  I thought nothing of it, thinking it was from a gift I received last year, and I quickly packed it away back into the Christmas box.  This is where I messed up his plan :).  He was going to use that box as a segue to give me the ring, stating that he got me an additional "special" ornament, and once I would open the box, he would then hand me the ring (because, after all, it was empty).  However, given my swift moves at cleaning up, he panicked and decided instead to drop it into the champagne glass.  Joel got us our glasses and proposed a toast... to our new Christmas tradition, and to our love.  We said "Cheers!" and I quickly brought the glass up to my lips, only to have Joel abruptly push it back down.  Then he told me to look in the glass, and then I just burst into tears.  I was so overcome with emotion (and I'm not really that kind of girl either!).  I wouldn't have had it any other way! :) Thank you so much Joel for one of the best surprises EVER!!  I Love You JJ!

Do you have any wedding planning tips for me?  Specifically, right now I am working on the guest list, and it started with 240 people and I have successfully whittled it down to 172.  It is so difficult!  Please, share your wedding planning tips and tricks with me :).  I need as much help as I can get!

It All Started With a New Tradition

Every year for Christmas, our local radio station starts to play Christmas music 24/7 beginning one week before Thanksgiving and ending shortly after Christmas. 

Every year I look forward to this.  The same songs played over and over again for 6+ weeks.  It just really puts me in the holiday spirit, and this year I even marked the first day on my calendar in anticipation!

Joel knows how I'm always talking about starting new traditions with him, and so this year he suggested we put up our Christmas tree on Friday (the 1st day of Christmas music).  I thought this sounded like a great idea.  While I normally wouldn't be too keen on rushing through one holiday that hasn't even come yet (i.e. Thanksgiving), the longer I get to have my tree up, the happier I am.  It just really makes the home "warmer". 

So on Friday afternoon, Joel and I headed out to find our next Christmas ornament.  We get a new one each year that we pick out together. 

We chose this one because I love cardinals, and the owl reminds us of our cat, Merlin.

 

This is also the first year that I've had a cat for Christmas, so I received a preview into what these next few weeks are going to look like.  Here, you see Charles in his "jungle".

He's already broken 1 ornament and tore up the tree skirt.  So typical of him and his shenanigans.

Then something extraordinary happened.  As Joel and I were toasting our new-found tradition, this is what I found in the bottom of my champagne glass:

 

MUCH to my surprise, Joel asked me to marry him!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And I definitely said yes :).

Hungry Girl: Jammed with Cheese Stuffed French Toast

I've been trying to cook my way through all of the cookbooks I own.  I have a lot!  So this morning, when deciding on what to make for breakfast, I chose Hungry Girl's Jammed with Cheese Stuffed French Toast.

I have to admit that I was a little weary on how this may taste, since the recipe calls for the Laughing Cow Light Cheese Wedges, rather than traditional cream cheese.  In fact, she even states in the book that she tried this recipe using both ingredients, and Laughing Cow won!

This recipe was delicious!  I love the stuffed french toast that I-Hop offers, and this dish perfectly satisfied that craving many times over.  Plus, I believe that when I'm eating a more health-conscious version of my favorite food, sometimes that alone makes it taste even better knowing that I'm not sabotaging all of my daily Points+ on just one food.   

Some notes on this recipe:
First, if you follow it exactly how Hungry Girl advises, the recipe comes out to 7 Points+.  However, I made modifications based on what I had on hand, so mine calculated higher.  My variation  also does not account for the pancake syrup (mine was 3 Points+).  Also, bear in mind that you will not use all of the egg wash, so when calculating the Points+, I estimated that I only used 1/4 cup of the egg wash (which is still probably way more than what was used, but I definitely did not consume all 1/2 cup - you'll see!).

Without further adieu:

Hungry Girl's Jammed with Cheese Stuffed French Toast - 8 Points+
Ingredients:

•     1/2 cup fat-free liquid egg substitute
•     1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
•     1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
•     2 slices light white bread (I used Martin's Whole Wheat Potato Bread)
•     1 wedge The Laughing Cow Light Original Swiss cheese
•     2 tablespoons sugar-free strawberry preserves (I used Polaner's All Fruit with Fiber Strawberry)
•     2 teaspoons light whipped butter or light buttery spread (I used Best Life Buttery Spread)
•     1/4 cup sugar-free pancake syrup (my Points+ does not account for this)

Preparation

Mix egg substitute with cinnamon and vanilla extract in a bowl. Transfer to a small plate and set aside.

Lay bread slices on a clean dry surface and spread half of the cheese wedge on each slice. Spread preserves over 1 slice of bread, and place the other slice on top with the cheese-side down. Press gently to seal.

Bring a skillet sprayed with nonstick spray to medium-high heat. Add butter and allow it to coat the bottom of the skillet. Meanwhile, evenly coat both sides of your sandwich with egg mixture. Coat the sides of the sandwich as well. (You won't need to use all of the egg mixture.)

Place sandwich in the skillet and cook for 2 to 4 minutes on each side, until golden brown. Serve with syrup for dipping and enjoy!

Makes 1 Serving

Finding Happiness in the Journey

I firmly believe that while I'm on this weight loss journey, finding moments of happiness during this time in my life is essential to my success. 

I also hate to be a Negative Nancy on the blog, though sometimes it's important for you, as the readers, to get both the good and bad to help you relate better to who I am.  Hopefully this translates to you as "authenticity" and not "whining". :)  

Aside from the battles that go along with weight loss, I've had other challenges going on as well (two times of being sick in October!) and some ongoing issues with my car.  These minor life issues definitely play a role in my weight loss success. 

Well, yesterday I received great news on the car end of things.  The dealership is going to refund me the entire cost of the service they performed on my Equinox for the first time it was there for service (and wasn't fixed!).  The Equinox has been to the dealership a total of 4 times now for a broken heater (doesn't sound like too big of a deal, but apparently it's caused a lot of people to scratch their heads).  Obviously we're in to November now and a heater is fast becoming necessary :).  So once I learned that I would be getting my $500 back, I was so elated that I had to celebrate this near-Christmas-time-and-I'm-spending-BIG-money-on-car-problems victory!

So, I bought myself some flowers :) (instead of celebrating with food, which is something I normally would have done). 

I found these beautiful poinsettias sprinkled with purple glitter (I also bought another bunch sprinkled with pink glitter). Purple for my grandma - I'm sure she'd love these!

I think these are mums? I failed to look at the package before I threw it away, but they look awfully similar to mums.  Again, in purple :).

Then these pretty-in-pink mini carnations.  The smell of these remind me of a funeral home to be honest.  BUT, they look beautiful on the coffee table and the bright pink color just screams happiness to me.  

Funny, because Joel has been gone a lot over the last week, taking some man-trips.  He just returned yesterday from an overnight fishing trip to Pennsylvania's Susquehanna River.  He brought me these :).

Sunflowers are arguably my favorite flower!  And no, this girl can never have too many flowers in her house!

What are some ways you find happiness (other than the scale) during the struggle that is losing weight?  Do you have a favorite flower?


P.S. - from  yesterday's sugar post - I ended my day with approximately 23.5 teaspoons of sugar consumed - a far cry from the recommended 6 teaspoons!!

Sugar Consumption

Source.

In a recent WW meeting, we talked about the recommended daily amount of sugar (this was also included in the weekly pamphlets).  According to the American Heart Association, the recommended daily amount of sugar intake for women is 6 teaspoons.  However, from 2001 to 2004, the average daily intake for Americans was 22 teaspoons! 

I have an enormous sweet tooth.  I figured that the 22 tsp estimate was very close to my day to day consumption of sugar.  So, after reading the pamphlet (last night while on the elliptical - I'm a little behind on them!), I decided that today I would monitor my sugar intake, just to see how it goes. So far today (at the time of writing this post, it's just after 2 PM), I've already had almost 3.6 teaspoons of sugar.  It's probably slightly higher than that because there was one dish where I couldn't calculate the total sugar, since it was a recipe I made. 

Here's some assistance in calculating teaspoons of sugar from the given units of "grams" on the nutrition label.  

1 tsp of white sugar = 4 grams.  

I've had 40.1 grams of total sugar today.  40.1 g / 4 grams per tsp = 3.6 tsp

I found this to be rather interesting.  Plus, this calculation also helped me realize that I will be forgoing the Cherry Coke "break" I have mid-afternoon from now on.  This is what I've had so far today:

• Eggs (0.1 g)
• Sausage (1 g)
• Toast (4 g)
• Jelly (6 g)
• 1/2 Pizza Potatoes serving (recipe - no clue on the sugar content)
• Chick Fil A Nuggets (1 g)
• Chick Fil A Fries (0 g)
• 1 c. Cherry Coke (28 g)

As a side note, I'm not happy with myself that I've eaten Chick Fil A two days in a row.  I had good intentions of eating my lunch today, but it didn't taste good, and I no longer waste calories on food that tastes just mediocre or all together crappy.

So, while tracking sugar intake specifically is not apart of WW (yes, total carbs are, but sugar is a piece of that), it did really help me gain a new perspective on my eating habits.  In other words, that Cherry Coke is not worth the calories/Points+/sugar! 

If you follow WW, do you track any of elements of your food besides just the Points+?  What do you think of these stats from the AHA?  Is this surprising to you?  Do you think you exceed the daily recommendation for your gender?

Weekend Recap

Happy Monday!

It was another busy weekend, which was kicked off on Friday afternoon by meeting up with Gretchen from Honey, I Shrunk the Gretchen.   SO cool meeting a blogger in real life!  Have you ever done this before?  I had some La Croix waters that I wanted to pawn off onto someone, and I knew she loved these so I offered them up to her.  We met at a cutsie coffee shop in the area and got to know each other a little bit.  Some things about Gretchen's blog that I enjoy are: her sense of humor, her writing style, and her pictures (she's so good!).  If you're a dog lover, her 2 pups make frequent appearances.  Also, let's not forget how much of an inspiration she is -  having lost over 50 lbs! 

Saturday was spent with Joel's family, celebrating his grandfather's 80th birthday at this REALLY cool retirement community called Leisureworld.  So wild!  It's like a piece of Florida in Maryland for older folks. 

Since I now have another commitment on Wednesday evenings, I had to change my WW meeting day to Sunday (well, in order to stay with my awesome leader, Sharon).  So, I headed out Sunday morning to a very intimate meeting at 10 AM.  I really enjoyed it - sometimes I prefer the smaller crowds.  This week's meeting topic was about Thanksgiving and how we're going to plan our plate.  I came away with some great tips:

1. Fill at least half the plate with fruits and/or vegetables.  Then the other half gets divided into two parts - 1 for meat and 1 for whatever indulgence you want to have.
2. Be active before or after the meal.  This year, I'd like to find a local "turkey trot" in the area to attend.  If that's not possible, then I need to hit the gym or do a walk/run around my neighborhood.   
3. If eating in a buffet setting, do a "first pass" of all the dishes, and then go back and pick only what you REALLY want to eat.
4. If you don't like something on your plate, don't eat it!

This year I'd like to bring a dish to both meals (I have Thanksgiving at two families) that is "safe" for me to eat.  I'm thinking a dessert, since I'd rather eat dessert than eat the actual meal, believe it or not.  Pumpkin pie is my absolute favorite! 

After WW, I attended church for the first time since moving back to Virginia.  The place I chose was just "ok" for me.  I'll keep trying out some others in the area until I find a place that feels right. 

Finally, after church, I spent all afternoon and into the evening cooking for the week. 

How did you spend your weekend?  Any special, Points+ friendly dishes you plan to make for Thanksgiving?

Weigh In & New Charms

Today I had a 2.5 pound loss from last week! Yay!  I am getting closer to meeting my next 5 pound goal too.. I'm so pleased with the recent momentum.  Joel did not weigh in this week (yet) because he is still away in the mountains camping.

Also, the two new charms came in mail yesterday.  I decided on the cross and the teapot.  These charms represent my first two 5 pound goals.  Now I have a charm that represents them all!

The pretty little box from Wilkins & Olander

Pretty boxes make it even more special, wouldn't you say?

I chose the cross to represent the faith in God that is needed during every facet of this journey.  I'm a lover of tea (chai!), and I feel that reaching for a cup of tea often helps me stop eating.  The flavor of a nice, hot cup of tea is sometimes all I need to curb a craving.

I'm so pleased with how the bracelet is turning out.  With the exception of the fish, there are 3 charms there representing 15 lbs of weight loss (even though I'm now at 18.7 pounds removed).

Charles is pleased as well!

He is desperate to knock that bracelet off the table, I can
see it in his eyes!

I have to remember to keep this bracelet hidden, or someone is clearly going to make it their next toy.

Part 1: How I Approach WW in the Public

On Tuesday I asked you to share with me your thoughts on whether or not you share your weight loss journey with others.  Thank you all for your candid feedback!

I have to give a warning: this turned out a bit "rant-y".  Dang it.

Like many of you, this "is not my first rodeo" (thank YOU Kim!).  I have been on and off Weight Watchers numerous times in my 27 years of life.  When I was a sophomore/junior in college, I lost 49.5 pounds.  I had 3 roommates at that time who were EXTREMELY supportive.  They didn't judge me.  They didn't tempt me with treats - they simply supported me and let me do my thing. No criticisms, no "two-sense" - just support in a way that made me feel completely comfortable with them knowing my journey (thank you Aggie, Jen, Brittany & Marlin!).  At times they would even participate in exercise with me, which made the whole thing that much better!  I was very lucky.

Still, those were the only people I shared my journey with in intimate detail.  Most other times I've been on WW, including today, I choose not to tell others.  However, there have been those occasions where people have discovered I am on WW, because it's become obvious that I'm losing weight, and when those instances have occurred, the reaction is not typically favorable.  What am I talking about here?

Let's take the Super Skinny Girl encounter.  "Oh Hilary, I can tell you've lost weight.  What are you doing?"  After sharing my story with SSG, she proceeds to interrogate me as to every minute detail of the Program and how can she "quickly" lose X number of pounds if she does the Program.  Do skinny people not realize how this makes fat people feel?  I mean, SSG is probably no more than 130 lbs and roughly 5'5"/5'6", and you're crying to me about how YOU need to lose weight?! I don't want to waste my time with you! I am 250+ pounds.  I have a legit problem on my hands - I'm not trying to provide comfort/pity to YOU when I have real reasons as to why I need to lose weight.    

Then there are the Haters.  "Oh, WW isn't healthy."  "WW encourages eating processed foods."  "WW didn't work for me and it probably won't for you either."  "Counting Points+ isn't nearly as accurate/effective as counting calories."  "Jenny Craig/Atkins/Vegan/ is so much better/healthier than WW."

Then, my personal favorite, the Wannabe's.  "Hilary, how many Points+ is this chicken breast I'm eating?  How many Points+ is my entire meal?  10 Points+?  Is that bad?  I'm sorry but chicken is extremely healthy and I don't agree with this Points+ value."  And, please, help me understand, you don't pay for WW.  You don't even follow the Program officially.  So why exactly do you need to know the Points+ values of your food, if, in fact, you don't really care? What added value does that provide for you?

I haven't had a lot of favorable reactions from people when sharing my journey with them, obviously.  Still, I cannot help but wonder the benefits of being more vocal about it - especially to those who care about me.

Have you ever encountered these types of people??

HG Upside-Down Chocolate Cream Pie

I am a sweets kind of girl, and almost always have to have something sweet after lunch and dinner. 

So, for dessert last night, I decided to try Hungry Girl's Upside-Down Chocolate Cream Pie.

Courtesy of Dietsinreview.com

There are 3 simple ingredients to this amazingly chocolaty and delicious recipe, and it might be one of the
easiest desserts I've ever made (next to scooping ice cream from a carton of course!).

Courtesy of Hungry-Girl.com

Hungry Girl's Upside-Down Chocolate Cream Pie (5 Points+)
Ingredients:

• 1 Fat Free Chocolate Pudding Snack
• 2 Tbsp Lite Cool Whip Topping
• 4 Low-fat honey graham crackers, crushed

Directions:
In a small bowl, add the whipped topping first. Next, add the chocolate pudding.  Top with the graham crackers.  Enjoy!

A few things to note on the recipe - you could reduce the Points+ value to 4 if you used Cool Whip Fat Free instead of the lite (sugar-free) version.  The fat free version has 0 Points+ for 2 tbsp.  Next time I will go for that instead.  Second, please note that the 4 graham crackers are equal to 1 sheet of the graham crackers (so 1 rectangular cracker on that sheet, is, in fact, 1 cracker here.  It's not that the entire sheet of the graham equals 1 cracker, nor is it that half of it equals 1 cracker.  Make sense?).  Also, while I do love graham crackers, 4 crackers makes a good amount of topping for this dish.  You could reduce that in half, or try just 3 crackers, and it will reduce the Points+ value as well (in this case, from 2 to 1).  So you could theoretically get this dish down to 3 Points+!  

Seriously, this is one of those things that you ask yourself, "Why didn't I think of that?"  It's so simple and easy to make.  But most importantly, it really hit the chocolate spot!  It tasted just like a chocolate cream pie - dare I say, even better than the chocolate cream pies I've had.  The pudding snacks I used offered such a rich chocolate flavor.   

What's more, you can essentially sub any flavor of pudding to make the cream pie, bearing in mind that the Points+ value may change of course.  I'm not sure what the volume is in each pudding snack, but all you'd have to do is figure that out, and make a batch of the boxed pudding mix in your flavor choice and use that instead.  It might even be cheaper?  I'm not sure on the Points+ value of that, but I'm certainly going to try it.  I actually have some Jell-O Pumpkin Spice pudding mix that I'm going to try with this recipe.  That would surely taste like pumpkin pie, right?  I'll find out and let ya know :). 

Do you have a favorite go-to dessert that is quick and easy, but also satisfying and delicious?  This is fast becoming mine!

What Do You Do?

Today's post will be short and sweet.

I want to know from you:

Do you tell people that you're on Weight Watchers?  

(or, insert whatever eating plan you follow) 

If "Yes":

If you do share your eating plan publicly, why do you choose to do it?  How do people react when you tell them?  Do you feel judged when you tell others that you're trying to eat more healthfully?

If "No":
If you don't share it, why do you choose not to share it with others?

I would LOVE your feedback on this question!

Pandora Bracelet

I picked up my new Pandora bracelet on Saturday in lieu of achieving another weight loss goal.  This bracelet has been a long time coming, and I'm so excited to have finally purchased it.  My original plan was to get a charm for every 5 lbs goal I meet, starting with the most recent one.  However, there are two other 5 lbs goals I met and I would love a charm to represent those first two achievements as well - as a clear reminder as to how far I've come.  I'll be on the lookout for two more charms in the coming weeks for sure.

What do you think of these?

Bead Cross W And Cz

Bead Tea Pot

Inner Strength

I will probably go with the first 2, but I'll have to see them in person to make the decision!

After selecting the specific Pandora bracelet style (a sterling silver one with the Pandora clasp), I moved on to the decision of what to get for my very first charm.  This charm was going to be very meaningful for me on so many levels.  Not only would this represent my having lost over 15 lbs so far, but it was going to serve as a reminder to me as to why I'm doing this journey.

the "Pandora" clasp

You see, on Wednesday, November 9, my family and I will be honoring the life of my grandmother, Clara Mabel, as we mark the one year anniversary since her death.  Earlier this year, I shared how seeing her in the hospital last November, suffering from cancer and a host of other illnesses, made it abundantly clear to me that I needed to make a life change now while I was fully capable.  The same week my grandmother passed away, I joined the local gym.

Now, almost a year later, I am happy to say that I haven't given up on this journey, despite the slow rate of weight loss I've experienced.    

It was my grandmother who inspired me to do this once and for all, and I know she would be especially proud of me today for removing these 16 lbs.  It's not an easy journey.  She knew that just as well as the rest of us Weight Watchers.

And so my first charm had to be representative of her.  Something that I could glance at and immediately know, "Yes, that is the first charm I bought on this weight loss journey.  That is the one that honors Grandma."

I chose a sterling silver flower with a purple amethyst stone in the center.  Purple was her favorite color.  The charm is perfect!

And while we were in the store, Joel liked the idea of the bracelet so much that he also bought me a charm.  I know not many of you know Joel personally, but if you do, you can imagine which one he picked :).

I'm so pleased with my Pandora bracelet, and would strongly recommend it as a great tool to showcase your weight loss, if to no one else but yourself!  It is a constant visual reminder as to how far I've come (and will be even more so once I add those two additional charms).  Not only that, but I don't want to reverse the progress I've made, and so when I'm craving a snack size Reese Peanut Butter pumpkin, all I have to do is glance down at the bracelet and it forces me to ask myself, "Is it really worth it?". It is quite a large investment up front (the bracelet itself was $65, the flower charm $75, and the 2 clips were $35 each), but after that initial upfront cost, charms vary in price enough that they can be (somewhat) affordable (as low as $30 that I've seen). 

How do you put your weight loss efforts into perspective?

4th Weigh in Results + Sickness Update

Today brings Joel and I to our 4th weigh in together - with stellar results yet again!

But first, the update on my sickness.  After work on Wednesday, I went to the local urgent care center and the nurse practitioner there deduced that I had food poisoning.   And because I had not been eating or drinking (pretty much, at all), I had become dehydrated.  The dehydration is what caused the heart palpitations.  She explained why at the time, and it made sense, but don't ask me to reiterate :).   My job was to go on the BRAT diet for 24 hours to get my GI-tract back to normal (i.e. so that all things I do consume don't immediately exit my body out the other end!).  If you've ever had dehydrated children, or know someone yourself who has been dehydrated, then you've probably heard of BRAT:

Bananas

Rice

Applesauce

Toast

These are foods that will "stop you up", causing your body to start to retain some nutrients and not simply pass everything right through your system as quick as it went in.  I was also advised NOT to drink any water, but to drink Gatorade (I've been drinking the Powerade Zero - no calories), tea, diet soda, and/or chicken broth.  Water actually helps aid..... I'm just gonna go ahead and say it here, because we're all adults right?.... diarrhea.  So does milk.  And those are 2 things that I consume a lot of on a regular basis.  Even on Wednesday, I had tried to start normalizing myself and I started the day off with milk and 3 bottles of water - bad idea I realized about 30 minutes later!

So for 24 hours, I ate rice/chicken broth, applesauce, toast and saltines (saltines was a sub-category of the toast).  AND, the heart palpitations have subsided substantially (by biggest concern).  By the time those 24 hours were up, I was the hungriest I had been all week.  All I wanted was a nice slice of lasagna (hence the trip to the Olive Garden)!

Still, recognizing that I was sick this week and I didn't eat at all like I normally would, I had a 4.2 pound loss from last week.  BUT, I cannot help but be excited.  A loss is a loss and I'll take it!  I have not seen 247.6 on the scale in probably more than a year.  That means I've also met another one of my 5 pound goals and today/tomorrow I will be going out to buy my Pandora bracelet and first charm - I'm so excited!! 

While I do hope to maintain this current weight loss in the upcoming weeks, I will not be too shocked if come next week I have gained a little, especially if I can get myself back to eating normally this week, which is slowly but surely starting to happen.  I'm not trying to stick to the BRAT forever :).  But I will cross that bridge when I get there next week.  

I have viewed this incident as a means for God reminding me that I shouldn't continuously put crap into my body - even if I do have the Points+ values for it!  Now, I'm not saying God was like - "punish this girl - poison her!!"  No, He doesn't do that.  But, everything happens for a reason.  This "clean out" of my system this week has made me only want to put good things back in to my fragile stomach, and not taint it with junk.   

But, alas, the results:

source.

Joel (6'): 225.6
Hilary (5'8"): 247.6

If you're on a weight loss journey, how did you do this week?  Would you "count" this weight loss this week if you were me? 

A "Normal" Trip to the Olive Garden

I'm up and at 'em bright and early this morning!

After almost 4 days had passed since I got sick, where the main entree for me had been saltines, by 5 PM Thursday I felt famished and like I could really go for a nice slice of lasagna.  I wanted carbs and I wanted something heavy that would sit well in my stomach and make me feel satisfied and not so sickly as I've been feeling.  So we went to the Olive Garden. 

Ordinarily, a trip to the Olive Garden for me would involve an appetizer, the pasta fagioli soup with cheese on top, at least 2 breadsticks, and the main entree of either cheese ravioli OR the tour of Italy - both with plenty of added cheese.  Italian food is my favorite "international" cuisine - what can I say?  I cannot go there and have one of their more "healthy meals" - I want the Olive Garden for the pasta, not their version of fish.  

Joel expressed some hesitation in going to the Olive Garden the night before our weigh in, rightfully so, but I reassured him that this trip would be different.  We would eat only until we were satisfied, and take the rest home.  There was no way, even if I wanted to indulge (and I didn't want to!), that I was going to put my stomach in the situation of being uncomfortable/stuffed/stretched out, etc. after all it had been through this week. 

So, Joel prepared us with the Points+ values of the foods we enjoy (21 Points+ for the lasagna), and away we went.  I am proud to say that this is the first trip EVER to the Olive Garden where I felt like I ate like an almost normal human being.  I had 3/4 of my pasta fagioli soup (3 Points+ for the whole thing) WITHOUT the cheese.  I had 1/3 of a single breadstick.  Then I ate about 3 bites of my lasagna and I was done.  I could not have consumed another bite even if I wanted to.  And to be honest, I didn't.  I didn't want to, not only because I didn't want to put any undue stress on my stomach, but also because I was proud of myself for eating in moderation and to satisfaction - not because the food tasted so good that I was going to eat all of it in one sitting only to then feel extremely stuffed and uncomfortable later, not to mention guilty for just eating all those Points+ values.    

I had 3 bites from mine, and Joel only ate half of his!

Have you been able to recently express self control over one of your favorite cuisines?  What was your logic/rationale?

Sick...Again

It seemed like I spent the better part of October not feeling well in some shape or form.  I'm ready to start the month of November off on a better foot!

I had a great weekend visiting my niece and nephew in the Motherland.  We did pumpkin carving and spent plenty of time coloring and playing with Play-Doh.  Joel found a "Barbie Princess" app on the iPad that had Grace enamored for hours.  She is 3 years old and had NO problem learning how to navigate the iPad - amazing!

a recreation of Dinosaur Train (if you have little ones, you probably know
what this means)

the "Barbie" game

Rexon's, Grace's, Tiffany's, Vern's

One of my challenges with heading to my sister's for the weekend was how I was going to stay "on plan".  It was definitely a lot easier this time, mainly in due part to Joel's support.  Neither of us wanted to go off plan.  I counted and tracked diligently all weekend.  Even though we did get pizza on Friday night, I tracked it and felt a lot better about eating it.  Typically I wouldn't track it at all out of frustration of not knowing exactly how many Points+ the pizza was (seems counter-productive, this I now know).  I estimated as best I could, accepted the estimate and moved on.  Saturday night my sister and bro-in-law went out to dinner, so Joel made us a WW friendly meal of mac/cheese with broccoli (a recipe from e-Tools).  It wasn't bad for 7 Points+.

On Sunday, we stayed long enough to get the majority of the pumpkin carving done before we headed out on our long trek back to Virginia.  We were both ready for the drive to be over, but we had to drop my car off at the dealership - the heater was not working, which made for a challenging weekend spent up north where it actually snowed in October!

Monday morning, as I was waking up to prepare for the work day, I started to not feel well.  It started off with....plenty of bathroom visits, shall I say, but ended with throwing up.  Of course, I felt better afterward like you always do, but not 10 minutes later the stomach sickness came back full force and I was sick alllll day long.  I have never been sick like this in my adult life (except from hangovers).  It was awful.  I spent the greater part of Monday in bed with severe stomach pain, which eventually developed into a splitting headache.  All of this was so bad I couldn't get relaxed enough to even fall asleep.  By Tuesday, I was feeling much better, but still a little queasy and today (Wednesday) I feel better yet, but am still struggling with an appetite.  Quick! I need to note somewhere that I actually said I have no appetite!  Believe it or not, I can count on 1 hand the things I've eaten since Monday.   

Either way, I'm back to feeling moderately better, though I plan to visit the Urgent Care center tonight after work because I've been experiencing heart palpitations since the sickness ensued.  I usually only get these when I consume caffeine or lots of chocolate, but it's been kind of crazy since Monday, so I want to go get checked out.  I'll let you know how it all pans out!

Happy Wednesday!