Quest to Skinny Jeans

9 pounds in 2 weeks - Weehooo!

2009-10-27T10:18:00.002-05:00

It's been over a week since I posted last but it's not because I fell off the wagon - no siree - I am still going strong and managed to lose another 4 pounds since my last post. Last week was so crazy with both my boys being sick - boogers took the place of blogging. Ha! I don't care who you are, that was funny..

I do have to admit that there were a few days I got discouraged because the scale didn't move at all. I know it's because I'm not exercising but my gosh it is so freaking difficult to find time.. I started doing a few stretches and crunches at night - I'm really thinking about getting a yoga DVD. I've never done yoga before but it seems so relaxing. I need that.... When I laid on the floor to do crunches last night, I just laid there and stared at the ceiling and it was awesome. I have to do any type of floor exercise before or after my kids go to bed, otherwise, I have a 3 year old trying to wrestle with me. I guess that could count as exercise...hmmm..

This past weekend I went to my good friend's birthday dinner at her house where I knew there would be cake and chips and dip and all the good stuff. I planned ahead of time and with my sister's help, made 3 South Beach friendly dishes to take to the party for everyone to try but mainly for me to eat so I wouldn't be tempted by everything else! And guess what it worked! I made Crab and Avocado salad, Bacon Cheeseburger Pie, and Peanut Butter Cheesecake bites. The Crab and Avocado salad was a little spicy but that's only because I accidently put 1 tsp of cayenne pepper in it instead of the 1/8 tsp that it called for.... oops! The Bacon Cheeseburger Pie was awesome as always and the Peanut Butter Cheesecake bites were...different. It consists of natural peanut butter which doesn't have the sweet taste - I thought they were good but not sure it was a hit for everyone. More for me! I did indulge but it was with red wine - 1 glass turned into 3 but it's good for the heart right!

I love trying new recipes on South Beach - I'm obsessed with finding the easiest ones. Last night, I tried a new one - Fake Lasagna. Instead of noodles, you use strips of zucchini. It was really good! Tonight I'm going to make Spinach and White Bean salad. Very fast and easy to make - those are the only kind of recipes I look at.

I was very rewarded Saturday when I went to Kohls to try on fall clothes. I'm still not in the skinny jeans but I have gone down 2 pants sizes since June - that makes it all worth it! I'm very close to going down another pants size so I didn't purchase too many pants. I have a huge storage tub of pants in the next size down and can't wait to dig them out of the closet! It's like going shopping in my own closet!

I'm on the countdown to Vegas - 12 days! I've already decided I'm not going to blow it out on food - think I'll stick to steak and seafood and blow it out on wine!!

Take me out back

2009-10-17T18:58:00.004-05:00

I LOVE social eating. I know there are other things you can do with friends besides going to a restaurant to eat and drink but I just LOVE it. Good food, good wine, good conversation....so good/but bad for you menu choices. Last night my good friend and I met for dinner and I really had to think of somewhere that had amazing low carb choices so I wouldn't be tempted... first, I ruled out all Mexican and Chinese restaurants. Then I remembered Outback steaks..mmmmm. So that's where we ate. The only temptation with Outback is the bread but I'm at the point of being able to look past bread..now if they had put a Chocolate Thunder from Down Under in front of me, it would have been all over. Instead I opted for a lean cut of steak - their Outback sirloin with fresh veggies and a salad, no croutons, with olive oil and vinegar. Technically you're not supposed to drink during hardcore South Beach but I had one glass of red wine and used every ounce of willpower I had not to order another glass.. Anyhow, red wine has many health benefits:) Thank you Outback for a great dinner. Thank God no one around me ordered cheese fries. Instead of their dessert, I drove down the street to Starbucks and had a nonfat latte. Another thing I love - coffee at all hours of the day.

I cooked up several things today to get me through the next couple of days and hopefully tomorrow I will have time to post recipes because they were all AMAZING!! First time dishes for me on South Beach - turkey and white bean chili, 4 bean salad, and bacon cheeseburger pie. The bacon cheeseburger pie was so good that I kept looking back at the recipe to make sure it was in fact South Beach friendly - it uses ground turkey, turkey bacon, and lowfat cheese so it's good for all phases. It's going to be a weekly meal for sure.

I feel like I'm doing pretty well on my meal plan..it's the exercise that I'm struggling with. Can bending over to pick up toys and mopping count as exercise? That's the kind of workout video I want to see. How to get the best workout while doing basic household chores. Think I'll Google it now...

Can I get a drumroll?

2009-10-16T09:15:00.002-05:00

Okay it's Friday and approaching the end of week 1, "Hardcore South Beach til Vegas." This week's willpower paid off because I lost 5 pounds since Monday! I hate it when people say, "oh it's just water weight." I don't care if it's kool-aid weight, it's 5 pounds gone! The exact 5 pounds I gained this past month - see ya! I think I need to plan a trip to Vegas every month because I have crazy willpower right now. This weekend I'm excited about trying some new recipes I found: Turkey and White Bean Chili, 4 bean salad, and Bacon Cheeseburger Pie. All are quick and cheap to make! I'm thinking of starting a recipe section on the blog... in the meantime, if you're interested, just let me know.

I'm also thankful this week to southbeach.com for sending me daily encouragement emails. I signed up for free a while back when I started the plan and I get daily emails with recipes, exercise tips, etc. It's nice to open my email every day and wham! there's a South Beach reminder. It's $5 a week to join the site, which I haven't done, but the daily emails are free.

You guys know my mantra but I saw another one the other day that is pretty good:
"Nothing tastes as good as being thin feels." I think the word "thin" has a negative connetation sometimes so i'm going to rephrase it:
"Nothing tastes as good as fitting into your skinny jeans."

Oh no she didn't!!

2009-10-13T21:47:00.003-05:00

Oh yes I did. I ate a pork chop on my way to work this morning for breakfast. Mmmm - mmm! I was literally running out the door - it was the fastest thing I had! Who says you can't have a pork chop for breakfast? With lowfat string cheese and V8, it was pretty good! Can't you just picture me driving down the interstate with my business casual attire and pork chop! I was laughing at myself. I bet the people that passed me wished they had a pork chop. I hate to ruin your visual but it was a boneless pork chop - center cut thin. Now one of my favorite foods for every meal.

I had an insane day at work and didn't have time to eat lunch - not something I would recommend. When the cafeteria closed at 1pm, I was stuck. I am so proud of myself for not giving in and going to Popeye's. We have a pantry full of snacks at work so I picked out the best options: string cheese and peanuts. I was freaking starving by the time I got home!!

Dinner tonight was my favorite quick fish in the oven. I buy the frozen bags of Tilapia - they are so cheap and the fish are individually wrapped which I like. Take out how ever many you want and stick them in the fridge overnight. Once they are thawed, throw them in a pan, coat both sides lightly with olive oil and rub with your favorite fish seasonings (I like Old Bay). Cook them on 400 for 20 minutes and voila you have awesome Roasted Tilapia. I also make a great South Beach tarter sauce that I got from kayln's kitchen blog (link to the right). I like to add extra dill relish to mine. LOVE IT!

And I had chocolate for dessert! And I just sounded like a NutriSystem commercial! Gahhh.. The best quick dessert is the No Sugar Added Fudgesicles. They are only 40 calories a pop too. Without those, I wouldn't last on South Beach. Vegas in 26 days - woohoo!!

Vegas in 4 weeks!

2009-10-12T09:04:00.002-05:00

There's nothing like a special occasion to kick my motivation up a notch. I just booked a trip to Vegas in November with a few friends and let me tell you, Vegas nightlife calls for high heels and more skin! Not to mention my good friend is a size 2 sooo let me rephrase: There's nothing like a size 2 friend in Vegas to kick my motivation up a notch! This means hardcore South Beach for 4 weeks! Definition of hardcore: no cheating;)

My other motivation - the likelihood of running into one of my top 3 and being whisked away on their private jet is greater in Vegas and I have to look show stopping. Definition of top 3: people that you can "hook up" with, marry, whatever you desire and it doesn't count as cheating on your significant other. (See, there is so much knowledge in my blog.) Currently, my top 3 are Justin Timberlake, James Marsden, and Mark Wahlberg. Don't make fun. You know you loved the Funky Bunch. I'm getting off subject but whatever, still important..

I started the day off right today with my breadless egg sandwich (2 fried eggs with a slice of low fat cheese in the middle) and a 6oz can of low-sodium V8. It's probably my favorite breakfast on South Beach and it's fast to make. I also had a cup of coffee with fat free creamer. Okay 2 cups. I'm at home today so I'm thinking about what else I have in the fridge for the rest of the day. For lunch, I'm thinking deli turkey over sliced tomatoes. I have some baby spinach too so I'll probably sautee that with some minced garlic and voila, there's lunch. My favorite snack of all time is a huge tablespoon of natural crunchy peanut butter. Already looking forward to that. Dinner will probably be skillet pork chops and one of those steamable bags of pole green beans. The secret to making all these things great: fresh ground peppercorn and fresh ground sea salt. Hopefully by the end of the week, I can post about a few pounds gone! Somewhere in there I HAVE to figure out how to squeeze in exercise..

I'm hiding from my blog

2009-10-05T14:20:00.003-05:00

I am the worst blogger there is. My original goal of daily posts has fallen to the wayside and you know why? Because I'm hiding from my blog. It's become my weight loss warden and it taunts me when I don't eat well. If I click on my browser to select a website, I just pretend like I don't see my blog site sitting there waiting for me to do a new post. Some people don't blog often because they don't have anything to say. I don't blog often because I'm busy - busy eating:) If my blog was titled "Quest to a Moo Moo dress" then i would probably blog multiple times a day:)

So on my Sept 4 blog I stated "Otherwise, I will have another post a month from now titled "back in the saddle again, again." Not going to happen!" Well, I ate my words and then some and I freaking gained 5lbs and my pants are tight and I just feel blah.. I also cleaned out my closet this weekend and went through my storage tub of Wish Clothes. You know the ones you wish you could wear so you don't throw them out? They are right up there with the skinny jeans but not as far away from attainable as the skinny jeans. Or so I thought... I have to get in the Wish Clothes first before I can think about the skinny jeans and yall, I can't even get some of the Wish Shorts over my Big Butt. Damn it, I hate you carbs.

I've always found it interesting where people gain weight first. How does the body know to put the fat there first before anywhere else? It's one of life's mysteries. I gain weight in my face FIRST - the worst freaking place to gain weight first because you can't hide your face! If you gain weight in your butt, avoid anything white. If you gain weight in your arms, avoid sleeveless. If you gain weight in your boobs, well I can't stand you. So the 5 lb weight gain - yep, right in my face. Nice.

I've had so much going on in my life that I haven't wanted to think about what I'm eating so I just eat whatever is there.... not a good strategy. I have to get rid of carbs - again.. So today I've had no bad carbs. Just good ones in my salad at lunch. I didn't grocery shop this weekend so I'll probably stop and get a rotisserie chicken from Kroger and cook some grean beans. Two things that are great in a pinch. Sigh....I hate going backwards on the quest to skinny jeans.

10am meeting at Cracker Barrel - no problem!

2009-09-15T20:29:00.002-05:00

Oh Dear God. The closest restaurant to my new job besides Popeye's is Cracker Barrel. Home of the ridicously fabulous biscuits and gravy. The one staple I could not live without during the entire 9 months I was pregnant with Blake and the entire reason I had to create a blog..you get the idea. AND it was the location of my 10am meeting first thing Monday morning. The thought that I should just give up right now crossed my mind about 50 times on my way to the biscuits meeting. Until....I opened the menu and saw "Low Carb Offering" - yep you can actually eat low carb at Cracker Barrel. Here's an exerpt from their breakfast menu I copied from their website:

Eggs* n’ Meat
Three Eggs cooked to order and served with your choice ofBacon or Sausage,and sliced tomatoes.(2 net carbs – plus 5 netcarbs for toast)

You can order turkey sausage instead of pork sausage which is an ever better choice - and it's pretty damned good. I started thinking that a better option for low carb dieters would be to split the restaurant into 2 sections. Instead of having smoking and non-smoking, the hostess could ask "carbs or no carbs?" That way, I wouldn't have to watch everyone else eat biscuits!!!

So now you know you have an option if you have a meeting scheduled at Cracker Barrel but I have even better suggestion: RESCHEDULE SOMEWHERE ELSE!! The temptation will make you feel violent..

The next closest restaurant after Popeye's and Cracker Barrel is DALE'S!

Grandmama would be so proud

2009-09-10T18:43:00.002-05:00

When I was growing up, my Grandmama made these yummy, smelly salmon patties in the skillet. You would know as soon as you got out the car if she had made them because they smelled for miles. But I loved them!! The way Grandmama made them was not exactly healthy but man were they good. A little (or a lot) of Crisco in the skillet and some flour - mmm..mm! She passed away some time ago and I never had those salmon patties again....until now. To all my aunts and cousins that loved those salmon patties, I found a South Beach recipe for them!! And - they are great! I've included the recipe below. Jason has banned me from cooking them in the house so I wait until he's not here:)

Ingredients:
- 2 large pouches of pink salmon (or cans, I like pouches because they are less messy)
- 2 large eggs
- Salt and pepper
- Olive oil

Directions:
- Mix salmon and egg in a bowl. Salt and pepper to taste. Mixture should be lumpy, not runny.
- Heat olive oil in skillet over medium high heat
- Take big tablespoon fulls of mixture and drop in skillet. Pat down slightly with spoon
- Fry until light golden brown on each side

These will keep in the fridge for a few days. I'm telling you, you will not even miss the flour. Grandmama would be so proud:)

When it's worth it

2009-09-08T20:23:00.002-05:00

Price of a star crunch at the gas station: 25 cents

Weight gained eating it: 10 pounds

My husband that I've been fighting with buying it for me because he knows it's my favorite and surprising me with it: PRICELESS

Back in the saddle again

2009-09-05T16:10:00.002-05:00

Well it's September 4 and it's been almost a month since I last updated my blog. It's also been that long since I've been on the quest to skinny jeans. Also in that time I got a new job (yay me!), Cohen started MDO, and I've just been dealing with good ole relationship stuff. Needless to say, I have not been focused on a heathly lifestyle. Luckily through watching my portions and not eating late, I was able to maintain my weight and not gain anything. But then I saw fall clothes in Kohls the other day and remembered my beloved skinny jeans. So if I know how to do anything, it's getting back in the saddle again...

The thing I love about following the South Beach lifestyle is that it's so easy to pick up right where you left off and still see results. So on Tuesday of this week I started over with Phase 1 of South Beach. It's the strictest phase cutting out all carbs but it's so effective that I love to weigh every morning to see the scale move down. If you're trying to lose weight and never see the scale move, try South Beach. I know what everyone says about not needing to weigh yourself but who are we kidding! I love to see that freaking torture machine move - DOWN.

I had a busy week so I knew I needed to get my essential South Beach menu items to get me through the first couple days. Off to Kroger I went. I've included my shopping list of essentials:

Eggs
Turkey bacon
Low fat cheese
V8 low sodium juice
Chicken (thank you John for grilling it for me)
Tuna
Frozen tilapia filets
Bag o salad
Sugar free Italian Balsamic dressing (at Kroger in health food section)
Kroger brand Natural Crunchy peanut butter
No Sugar Added fudgicles
Almonds
Green beans
Tomato
Steamables frozen bag of broccoli and cauliflower
Frozen edamame

Five days later and I'm still in the saddle and survived major temptations at the football game last night and at the movies today (i have a weakness for movie popcorn!) I just kept thinking about my mantra "temporary satisfaction for permanent dissatisfaction." My temptation now is I'd really like to have a beer or two or three tonight but I know that will ruin all my hard work. Your body burns alcohol before it burns fat which is why you're not supposed to drink while trying to lose weight - well beer anyway. Wine is good but I'm waiting another week or so before indulging.

I start my new job this week and face a new challenge. I have to pack my lunch everyday! This is easier said than done.. At my former job, there was a cafeteria with a great salad bar and there were many low carb friendly options at nearby restaurants. I am very excited about my new job but it is located at Brooks Rd. and I-55. The location is great for my commute but as far as healthy eating options, well, there's no cafeteria and the closest thing is a Popeye's. Also when there are training classes, they cater lunch in every day - bbq, mexican - all with desserts! My plan is to keep bagged salad in the fridge at work and pack my protein - chicken, tuna, turkey burger, etc. I hope this works! Otherwise, I will have another post a month from now titled "back in the saddle again, again." Not going to happen! Skinny jeans, here I come.

The phone rang and life called

2009-08-10T10:01:00.002-05:00

I apologize to everyone following the blog - I had to take a little hiatus to take care of life. I promise to return to my blog soon with the latest on my quest to skinny jeans.

Breaking up with carbs like a bad boyfriend

2009-07-31T14:32:00.005-05:00

They don't treat me well. They make me feel bad about myself. They make me cry. And the number one thing they have in common with a bad boyfriend - they look so good you just can't give them up.

That's right, I'm talking about carbs, specifically bad carbs. The secret to my weight loss success so far and going forward is breaking up with them. But just like a bad boyfriend, I know they are not gone forever and I can call on them occasionally for a good booty call. I mean reward, I mean treat, gahhh.. all synonyms apply to both;)

Different methods work for different people but I'm going to tell you what works for my body. My body loves carbs so much that it never wants to let them go. I have realized that cutting bad carbs out of my diet results in significant weight loss. I have also realized that daily exercise makes the weight drop faster! What I'm telling you is something that is hard to accept - I have no secret to weight loss. It's DIET and EXERCISE.

I had to go through the 5 stages of grief to get to this acceptance. What I grieved over is that there is no magic pill or potion or shake that will make me drop the weight while sitting on my ass, eating french fries. The 5 stages of grief are: Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, and Acceptance. Just looking at it now, I can remember being in each of those stages with Denial lasting the longest. Ahhhh, Aceeptance feels good. Get off your ass, Valerie:)

Diet
The lifestyle that works best for me is the South Beach Diet. This has been the easiest diet to stick with. It takes willpower like steel to start it but once you get going, it's a great lifestyle to adopt. I highly recommend buying the book and reading cover to cover. The diet in a nutshell is geared toward removing sugar and refined starches (the bad carbs) from your daily meals and replacing them with whole grains, lean meats, low fat dairy, beans, nuts, veggies, and fruit (good carbs). I don't want this post to be too long so I'm going to dedicate a separate post to specifics of this diet, tips, and recipes (we're talking 5 ingredients or less, I am not a cook).

Exercise
My current exercise program is the cheapest, easiest program that exists: I walk. I walk 2 miles 4-5 mornings a week at 6am around my neighborhood. At some point I want to do strength training but one thing at a time... If you're already saying to yourself that there is no way you can get up this early, please know that I am the complete opposite from a morning person (just ask my family). The trick is to sleep in the clothes that you're going to walk in. I am totally not kidding;)

More to Come...
The reason for this blog is I have fallen off the bandwagon for both diet and exercise and was looking for something to motivate me to get back on track. I haven't walked in 2 weeks and well, you know about the pizza. The booty call was not worth it;) I'm breaking up with it again.

Cheater, cheater, pizza eater

2009-07-30T21:24:00.004-05:00

This is just the reason I need this blog. To tell on myself. I know I haven't told you about my eating plan yet but no matter what it is, it doesn't include half a frozen pizza! Tonight I had the willpower of my pinky nail and gave in to a frozen pizza. These are the things I said to myself to justify it:

It's raining.
Jason wants pizza.
It's raining.
I need to cook it soon, or it will get freezer burn.
It's raining.

Now I'm a firm believer in treating yourself every now and then but not 3 times in one week. I just told on myself again! I ate Sonic on Tuesday.. I feel like Pinocchio and my nose is getting shorter! I also ate 2 oatmeal cookies. Aghhhhh!!!!

Eating the pizza actually made me feel terrible so I have no idea why I did it. Actually I do: temporary satisfaction. So here's a thought - what if I cheat with pedicures? A few months ago, I cut pedicures from my budget because I can't freaking afford them. This is a great idea! This way, I could still reward myself but feel guilty about cheating on my budget and not on my diet! Yes! This will work! The moral of this story:

IT'S OKAY TO BE BROKE AS LONG AS YOU CAN SEE YOUR TOES.

Temporary Satisfaction for Permanent Dissatisfaction

2009-07-30T13:16:00.005-05:00

This has been my mantra to shedding the pounds and getting in those skinny jeans. I have to tell myself that every time I see french fries. My mouth watered when I typed "french fries." FRENCH FRIES! FRENCH FRIES! FRENCH FRIES! Whew...moving on..

I actually started the Quest 3 months ago at the beginning of May after seeing the picture in the post from yesterday. I've only really been serious about it for a month but I have managed to lose 20 pounds in 3 months. I'll tell you how in the next post (I have to keep you coming back for more!) You may be wondering why I'm doing the blog if I'm having success. The answer is: it is really hard to keep going! It's one thing to start a diet and lose some weight; however, it is another more difficult challenge to stick to it, keep the weight off, and continue toward your goal. I am still a long way off from the skinny jeans so there will be plenty to blog about. Here is picture of me taken today so I will have a true blog starting point.

As soon as the camera went up to take the picture, I felt my lips start to pucker. It's become a reflex!! That part of the challenge may be harder than I thought...

What's with all the kissy faces?

2009-07-29T21:30:00.002-05:00

I actually got through the day without deleting that picture...

As I thought about how I avoid the camera like it's a nuclear weapon, I thought about how my great-grandkids will only know me with my lips puckered. The picture I posted earlier today was one of very few that I could find without my lips puckered... For those of you out there who have no idea what I'm referring to, I'm about to blow the biggest photo op secret there is:

IF YOU PUCKER YOUR LIPS, YOUR FACE WILL LOOK SLIMMER BECAUSE YOU'LL HAVE CHEEKBONES!

I am in no way talking trash about this secret because it is the best technique known to woman. I am, however, challenging myself to no longer pucker my lips when my picture is taken. Wait, did I just say that? I'm typing this with my breath held but here is my new challenge: To fit into my skinny jeans and take a picture without my lips puckered.

Tomorrow I will start typing about how I'm actually going to do this. I swear. If you work with me, I will not be doing this during work hours. I swear. Really. ;)

It starts with a picture...

2009-07-29T10:51:00.000-05:00

Just like we all have that pair of skinny jeans, we also have THE PICTURE that says it all - "honey, you need to lose a little weight." Yes, the photo has a voice and it is loud and clear. I cannot believe I'm doing this, but I'm going to post the picture. This was taken at the beginning of April 2009 at a Easter family get together at my heaviest weight I have ever been. I can't believe I'm posting the picture. And...here it comes...those jeans were maternity jeans. For those of you that don't know, Blake was born November 18, 2008. Mandy, there's a reason you didn't see jeans in that stack of maternity clothes I gave you - I was still wearing them! I can't believe I'm posting the picture.

I was not at my "skinny jeans size" pre-Blake and then I only lost 15 pounds post-Blake! I gained 40 - you do the math. I think I was waiting on the rest of it to disappear... Why the hell wasn't it coming off?? I'll tell you why - Deflation. I could have an entire post on the topic of deflation but basically this is what happens to your body after you have multiple kids or age or whatever - your body well, it deflates like a hot air balloon and you're left with all this "junk" hanging around everywhere. Then you literally have to work your ass off for it to go away. More to come about working that ass off. Here's the picture before I change my mind..

What are skinny jeans?

2009-07-27T14:59:00.000-05:00

According to Wikipedia, "Slim-fit pants or skinny jeans have a snug fit through the legs and end in a small leg opening."

Just to make it clear from the start, this is NOT my definition of skinny jeans.

According to the entire female population and one clever Sex in the City episode, "skinny jeans" are the pair of jeans you wore during your "smaller" days. The one pair that made you look and feel like a million dollars. Maybe they were low rise, comfort fit, boot cut, or flare. Maybe they were dark denim, colored denim, or even white! Whatever they were, if you're like me, they are somewhere in the top of your closet or in a storage container waiting for the day you can wear them again. They may be 1 yr old or even 20 years old but we will never throw them out because in our heart of hearts, WE WILL WEAR THEM AGAIN!! And if I can find mine, I'll post a picture;)

On this blog, you will not see a reference to numbers except for number of pounds lost (or gained..) I am a firm believer that one size 12 is not equal to another size 12 and so on.... I don't want to post a number and have someone else think that because they are the same weight or size, that they should go on a diet. There are many versions of healthy and beautiful!

In upcoming posts, I will discuss my latest attempt at getting in those skinny jeans. The Who, The What, and the How.