PitbullMommy's Journal

PitbullMommy

PitbullMommy

New member
I know. An original title, huh?

I'm set to take a vacation in January 2009. I'm going to lose 35#. That's 185# (taken today!) to 150# by January 1st, 2009. My effort will be in losing 1.5# per week until the big day (we leave for vacation on the 2nd). I've been looking at bikinis lately. My fiance is pushing me to go for something I've never done. While he's part of the reason I'm at the weight I am, he's also a fairly good motivator (so are his parents, they both had heart attacks last year). I became a vegetarian about 9 years ago. So, it's really hard to be healthy when you eat out (forget about just having salad, that would be too easy). I do not condone any DIET for any reason. Diets lead to failure. A LIFESTYLE change=success for life. My pitbull, Brogan, is my biggest motivator right now. We do weightpull with him...and in March 2008 (his first event), he weighed 60#. He had belly rolls, lol. I motivated the both of us to walking 2 miles at least twice weekly and dropped Brogan's weight down to 48# at his final seasonal pull in July 2008. Hell, if I can do it for him...surely I can do it for me. I'm no stranger to weightloss, I just need to get back into the groove again. Being a veterinary technician that works nights at an emergency hospital...not easy to regulate WHEN to eat, lol. I'm working on it though!

So, where do I stand today?

I woke up today and had myself a small salad. I love spinach, it's definitely not the "water" salad I think of when I look at regular lettuce. I threw a few grains of cheese on the salad for color and used a low-calorie mustard-vinegar dressing. A blessed part of being vegetarian is losing the desire to eat HEAVY stuff all the time. Don't get me wrong, I love me some good pasta. Afterwards, I snacked on a whole-grain Kashi cookie. It added 130 calories to my morning intake...but when the total was 220 calories overall, I figured I was still doing well.

Right now, I'm having a can of mushroom soup (about 200 calories, I made it with water instead of milk).

So far today, 420 calories. It's 320pm right now. Overall, I'm pretty happy with my intake for today. I still have work tonight. That's when things get bad. The PM shift isn't too bad because we're usually busy enough that I'll keep my hand out of the M&M bag...but overnights are bad for me. It's usually boring and when you're sitting in a chair for 8 hours waiting for the next patient treatment to come...you find your tummy talking. I am guilty of being a boredom eater. I think I need to find a food that I'm willing to munch on that won't tack up my calorie intake.

That being said, I think I'm going to push my boyfriend into going to Sam's with me real quickly before work. I would like to pick up some Edamame (soybeans) and a few other foods.

Wish me luck tonight!!

Sami
 
I picked up edamama, bing cherries and a cheese known as laughing cow (also known as La vache qui rire for those who like french cheeses) [at 70 calories per serving, who wouldn't love a laughing cow?]

I'm still on track :) And enjoying some cherries before work (adds 60 calories to my daily intake). I'm now at 480 calories.


Also to mention, I have a 3 liter water bottle that I use daily to mark my liquid intake. So far, it wasn't helped me to lose any weight...but at least it gives me something to do other than eat. :)
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Post work update:

I am proud of myself. I did great. I consumed only what I brought for myself. A co-worker offered me some of her food, but I declined! I ate another cup of cherries (60 calories), 1 serving of edamame (150 calories) and one of the cheese portions I bought tonight (70 calories). I also had 1 liter of fluids at work. This makes my "at work intake" to 280.

My intake so far: 280+480=760. This leaves me room for the cookie (130) and cheese serving (70) I'm about to eat! Very proud to say I stayed under 1000 calories for today and I had 40 calories to spare :) Those snacks helped alot.

Tomorrow is a 12-6 shift. Jason wants to see a movie after work. Hopefully I can eat before getting to work, skip munching while on the clock and have a healthy dinner tomorrow night. I'm thinking about baking fish tomorrow or doing something on the grill!
 
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Saturday July 19th, 2008

Scale states that I have lost 1 pound so far this week.

Breakfast: Cherries (60 calories)
Brunch: Spinach salad with cheese, dressing and soy sauce (200 calories)
Lunch: Edamame (150 calories), cherries (60 calories) and a serving of cheese (70)
Dinner: Ate at Olive Garden

Caloric intake for today probably somewhere about 1500. It's hard to calculate dinner outside of the house when there's no breakdown on the foods.
 
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I used to do about 600 calories a day, but it didn't work. Everything you eat will store itself as fat because your body is starving. And plus, I felt dizzy and tired and no energy all the time. I try to eat no more than 1500 calories a day and that seems to work. Don't deprive yourself! Good luck to you :D
 
It's kind of hard to describe my eating habits when you don't really follow my hours. I may work an overnight in which I consumed 400 calories before 8am. I'd consider this my PM dinner even though it would be viewed at a midnight snack by most.

Yesterday was particularly low because it was a resting day before a shift today. If you're not out of bed long enough to burn any energy (say 2-3 hours before work), it's hard to justify eating over 1000 calories by that time.
I don't feel deprived at all. Hard to get that feeling while you're sawing logs ;) Today will be a little different, I'm going to eat at Olive Garden. Do they have anything there UNDER 1000 calories/serving, lol.

Thanks for being attentive. I don't feel due to my hours at work and the amount of food I'm eating that I'm starving myself. Most of my caloric intake is going to be later at night because that's when I'm awake and at work. At the same time, I'm not going to eat if I'm not hungry.
 
JennaRenee123 said:
Everything you eat will store itself as fat because your body is starving.
Click to expand...

You may not feel hungry, but your body is not getting what it needs. Under 1,000 calories just isn't going to work out the way you want it to. Your body is going to store every little bit, instead of burning it, which is what creates weight loss. You may lose a little weight at first, but chances are, you won't keep losing. Your body will figure out that you are giving it so little, and it will hold onto it.

Dailyplate.com is good for finding out restaurant calories. They have several Olive Garden meals listed. Meals with marinara sauce tend to be the least caloric, and each breadstick (w/ the garlic butter) is 140 cals.

Enjoy Olive Garden!
 
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Thanks! I was unaware of this website. The platter that I had was really good. I managed to save about 1/2 of the entree for later. I was quite impressed with the food (which is rather uncommon for me considering the few foods I have to choose from there that are meat-free).

After viewing the website, it appears that after my meal at Olive Garden (with my drink, salad and bread sticks) that my daily consumption came right to 1540. About right for daily intake :)
 
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I'm actually surprised with my visit to Olive Garden last night that I didn't weigh more today than yesterday. Yay portion control!! I'm proud to say that yesterday...no hunger snuck up on me. I had mini-snacks packed away to make sure that I had something good for me in the event that inevitable grumbling came. I truly think this helped me stay on track. I guess I'm a grazer...someone that likes to have tiny meals continually throughout the day. I love eating and I guess that's the best way to keep myself on track...small indulgences throughout the day (makes you feel like you're doing something wrong...when it's really something right).

Today's meals:
Breakfast: Cheese serving (70)
Lunch: Olive Garden (500 calories, I had to have that final bread stick >.<)
Snack: Cookie (130) and cheese (140)
Dinner: 460 calories

1300 for the day. I snacked a little in between on some watermelon (don't tell my co-worker, I stole a few goldfish crackers too, lol). I think I probably hit the 1500 mark, but wasn't counting the few extras that I consumed. Nothing is perfect, right? Well, I'm pretty darn close...;)
 
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Another day on track. It feels good, I feel a little guilty though. My intake of food didn't really start until 8pm (it's another overnight), although I had a little snackage this AM before I went to bed to keep my stomach quiet throughout the day. My guilt comes in eating 380 calories in one sandwich >.<. I haven't overdone it on calories today, but I'm nervous too about intaking white bread. I'm really thinking about a trip to the store to replenish my food options at home. I have these sandwiches I make with 2 slices of bread (don't really care what kind, really) and either a boca or a garden burger. It usually involves a slice of cheese. I've watched myself in the past gain weight (and maintain weight) on these things despite exercise...and must wonder about calorie count. I've been eating alot of veggies and fruits lately...I know this bread is going to "slow me down", but it's so yummy!! I'm doing really well this week (My goal is 1.5# per week and I'm losing about 0.75# per day). I, of course, expect that this will eventually slow down or plateau...but I feel good that the scale numbers are going v instead of ^. I've also been thinking about taking pictures for a "before and after". I'm scared to look at myself in the mirror...I'm afraid I'll fall off track! Bah!! Come on ego, where ARE you?!

Snack before bed: 70 calories
8pm Sandwich: 380 calories
Snack: 130 calories

I sit at 580 right now. That's about 900 calories for the overnight. Which is very doable. Last night I let myself slide a little because a co-worker had Mike&Ike and Goldfish crackers. I had probably 15 M&I and about 1oz of GF crackers. Definitely sticking with the portion control. Note to self, wear the damn pedometer tonight! You paid for it!

Well, I forgot the damn pedometer, lol. Probably wouldn't have logged much. It was a dead overnight. I did, however, get halfway through one of the books I've been meaning to read :) I consumed another 565 calories last night. I had 2 bites from a german chocolate cake that a friend had at work for her birthday (she took the carrot cake...oh, weakness). Luckily I brought some sweet snacks to much on. I hate sugar addictions, damn the woman inside of me!!! lol. My total for yesterday: 1145. I don't know what to put down for the watermelon or the few bites of cake I had. I'll assume I took in about 1300. Still shy of my 1500 mark. I guess I'm so scared of getting up to 1500 because I feel I'm going to gain weight instead of lose it :( I need a mood booster...I've had so many of those days where I eat a little of this...and a tiny bit of that and sample what looks good...and then the scale moves the wrong way. I'm terrified of this happening again. I'm totally committed to the scale moving downwards. I've lost 4 pounds so far. I'm scared of backsliding...even for a little indulgence like cake. Maybe I'll let myself have a slice if it's still available when I get back to work. It appears I'm eating well enough that my diet would allow a little cake...a little more than 2 bites. At least I've got the portion control part of it down, lol, albeit extreme. Better to be overly cautious than under cautious, right?
 
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Breakfast-300
Daily intake-870
Dinner-about 500

Total intake about 1500. Tonight was a sushi night :)
 
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I was so bummed yesterday! I went to the scale (previously reading 181) and it sat right at 185. This usually means I grab a tub of ice cream and sit down to cry. Instead, I told myself that there was good reason to believe that me drinking 3 liters of fluid earlier in the day might have had something to do with it. Instead of pouting, I had my normal breakfast...took a nap, went to work and came home (avoiding the scale all day), ate sushi with Jason (I go for the most raw sushi I can) and went to bed. When I woke up today...the scale sat at 180 flat (and my scale reads 1# heavy, but I'm not jinxing myself by tacking down 179 just yet on my ticker). I'm proud of myself. I didn't intend to lose 5# in 5 days...I'm just following along with my 1500 calories a day plan. I'm glad its working. I thought after seeing that 185 on the scale yesterday that I had screwed something up. Today, here is what I have done:

Breakfast -140 (granola bar)
Snack-170 (cheese and a honeymaid 100 calorie pack)
Lunch-Veggie corndog with Ketchup-150
Snack-300-Goldfish crackers (do the calories count if you share the food with your dog, lol), 100 calorie oreo pack and a superfruit bar.
Dinner-I finished Jason's sushi, had a granola bar and another super fruit bar-505

Total: About 1300, I had a few nibbles here and there that I didn't track. lol.

I'm finding it much easier to snack throughout the day than to have big meals. This is working so much better for me not feeling hungry. I haven't actually had my tummy grumble since I started this quest. Which is amazing! How much better does it get than to FEEL FULL and LOSE WEIGHT?! When I awoke this AM, I threw some PJs on that had (ironically) been sitting by my bed, lol. I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror...and I can tell my tummy is smaller. I haven't said anything yet to Jason about me losing weight, I'm just waiting for him to say something. That's the best, IMO, when no one knows about what you're doing...and then someone asks :) It's just a matter of time!
 
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I'm excited. Jason and I went to the store last night (who ever gets excited?). Jason actually bought some stuff that was good for him. I get the feeling that Jason knows I'm up to something (don't get me wrong, he's know for a long time that I intend to "eat well"). He made a comment about knowing exactly how to shop for food when we don't visit the store together..."I can buy pretty much anything and know you'll at it. All I have to do is find the stuff that's good for you, tastes horrible and looks like few others would buy". It almost sounds offensive...but he's nearly right. Except the "tastes horrible" part (damn picky eaters!). If he's shopping for cereal, skip the Cap'n Crunch, go for the Kashi. Skip the GoodValue granola bars, go for the FiberOne. Skip the soda, go for the water. Skip the cheddar, grab the Laughing Cow. It always has been like this. I found myself looking at a box of cereal yesterday and Jason actually pointed out that it had 100 calories/serving. I was stunned to know that Jason was aware that food has calories. I know he never turns a package over to see what food has in it. I must wonder if, perhaps, his eating habits are due to the fact that he's never read a label (or understood nutrition) a day in his life. I took nutrition in college and there was a new world for me after that (in fact, since I'm a vet tech...I started doing more research into pet foods as well...if you think human foods are scary...you don't even want to THINK about what goes into your pets foods! Anyone wanting to know more can PM me. I'll knock your socks off and probably scare the daylights out of you). Also at the store...Jason learned something about me. "You can get more than just 1 avocado if you get a recipe...." I stood there stunned. Apparently I'd never made guacamole for him before. My father's guac was award winning...and Jason's sitting there telling me to grab a recipe. HA! Recipes are for slackers(which means I'll call ahead for the recipe from him, lol). We also picked up artichokes. I was so happy that (this year) we could afford to buy them...Jason gave me a o_O look when I put them into a sack. He had no idea what they were. Good thing he's got a woman in his life that will learn him a thing or two about new foods :) What would life be without lovely new things like coconut chicken, emu meat and sushi?

I munched on some Kashi Honey Sesame crackers this AM for 130 calories. They're not good, not bad. I might throw some peanut butter on them in the future for added protein. I'm just not feeling them alone. Kashi makes a little snack cracker (kinda like a Cheezit) that is really good. They also make these large, flat crackers (aptly dubbed a party cracker) which are kick-ass with tuna. I like the Stoneground grain ones.

AM-130 (Kashi crackers) and cheese (60)
Lunch and snack-785
Snack to hold me over until Jason got home for dinner: 230 (granola bar and a superfruit bar)
PM-Ravioli manicotti-275.

I have plans to go tanning today and I also have a job interview. I'm semi-considering leaving the practice I'm in for a more regular job...but almost kick myself for even considering it. The thought of having my nights, weekends and holidays back...nearly irresistable. Perhaps I'm just doing it to get a raise...perhaps I'm not. I don't know where my heart is anymore. I love emergency medicine...but I also love sleeping in on Saturday and having Christmas to spend with my family.
 
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It's been one week since the beginning of my Journey! It's not weigh in day (tomorrow) just yet. I'm looking to score some good points because it appears I'm going to make my goal. The scale (I'm aware it's going to flux a little) sat at 183 today (2# less than last week). I'm sure it has something to do with the fact that I had a large meal not 4 hours ago...but, what can you do? For me, there's no good time to weigh in. My eating times and sleeping times vary.

I let myself slip a little last night. I had to try Jason's new mint cream double stuf oreos. Not good, not bad. Kinda reminds me of mint chocolate ice cream. I was proud of myself that I chose to have 3 (serving size=2 at 140 calories) instead of 6 or 12. I made sure to guzzle a bottle of fluid before eating the cookies. Can't overeat if you don't have a place to put the food, right?

So far this AM, I've had 2 granola bars for a total of 260 calories. I might try to shave a few calories off the top of my expected intake today and see what the scale does. If it shifts downward, I might decrease my intake to 1400 and see how the next week goes. Currently, it's not just about losing weight but also learning about my body. If I have time today, I'm going to take some body shots and possibly post them here for others to see. The criticism scares me...but, most of my daily inserts haven't gotten too much reply. Maybe I'll get lucky enough to be talking to myself, lol. The good news is that if I make weigh in tomorrow...then I've earned my first bikini. I'm already ebaying with the expectation that I'll be making this goal...so lets hope the scale doesn't lie ;)

For lunch, I had a vegetarian burger covered with low-cal cheese. Turns out I don't need the bread and have been working to kick it. It's not that I love bread so much I can't live without it...it's the simple inconvenience that bread makes sandwich eating much...easier. 195 calories. And a cookie for 70 calories.

Around 2pm, I had a corndog (150) and some goldfish crackers (140).

Dinner-765 (baked catfish).
 
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Today is weigh in day: Scale reads 181!! I did it!!!

4# weightloss in a week. It'll probably flux a little, I know...but I'm proud of myself for the steps I've taken to get where I am. It's small progress, but progress nonetheless!

Now that I've taken the chance to brag on myself, I have to brag on my dog Brogan. I know the media chalks American Pitbull Terriers up to be the menace dog that is horrible with people and pets in general. I'm quite aware of this and totally devoted to making sure that my dog never gets viewed like that. Aside from some general shyness, Brogan is an awesome dog. On my way to work last night, I got a call from my boss that Brogan was needed in a neighboring town for an emergency blood donation to save a dog's life. As Brogan was donating the blood, this dog was prepped for receiving the miracle that Brogan was putting into a bag for her. No matter how much you love or hate the American Pitbull Terrier...it's got to bring a tear to your eye to know that one dog saved another dog's life. And I cannot tell you how proud I am to be the owner of a life saving dog (the # of lives he has saved is higher than the # of months he's been alive...talk about earning your keep).

I made some kick ass baked catfish last night. I should have used a baggie of ranch dressing mix to kick it up another notch...but it was decent. I'll probably bring the left overs with me this AM for lunch. I work 12-6 today. We'll be taking Brogan afterwards to buy him a new food bowl (rewards for the lifesaver!). Brogan will also be going with me to Tulsa this Thursday to see a dermatologist about his continuing itchiness. Damn the luck, poor pitbulls and their skin. It's good for him that his mommy doesn't mind driving 120 miles to get the opinion of a board certified dermatologist to ease his leg licking! (Nothing is too good for my pibble!).

Also, so lets talk calories already! I'm loving FiberOne bars. I mean, I eat them at least twice a day! FiberOne is going to break the bank, lol. I consumed 140 calories for breakfast. Today should be an easy day to stay under the 1500 that I've been taking in. I like to have 1 day a week I go a little overboard, 1 day a week I got a little under...Jason was wanting to go out this evening and spend some time together. So, if I snack a tad before work, eat my fish at work and work doesn't get too boring...chance are good I'll stay under my mark and can afford to eat a little popcorn and drink a little soda if we go out for a movie (I swear, the longer I own pets...the more I just want to skip dinner and a movie and go out and do something with them. Maybe the dog park tonight...oooooh, or a restaurant you can take your pets to. There's one nearby!).

Snacked on goldfish crackers-180.

For lunch I wound up having most of the rest of the fish that I made (it just loses its zing after the first time, I'm alotting myself 150 for my intake), and 400 for calorie packs that I consumed including a few granola bars.

After work, Jason and I took Brogan to the dog park. Surprisingly enough, we found a new sushi restaurant on the way back (and it's 20 miles from our house >.<). We drove home like bats out of hell (I'll be honest, Jason did the driving...), showered really fast and drove all the way back. I ordered the "fantastic four" (4 types of raw fish with cream cheese in an inside-out roll) and a "wild coconut roll" (OMG! With shrimp, toasted coconut and a garlic mayo sauce...totally WOW and YUM!). Not sure how much I consumed there, but I think 600 is a fair guess.

That takes my daily total to 1320. Not too bad considering that we ate outside of the house. I'm working very hard on controlling my portions and calories while chosing to eat outside of the house. The sushi restaurant also had some amazing tea called Blackberry Jasmine. I'm ready to go back already :)
 
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I finally got my 1st weigh-in reward...a brown bikini with rhinestone skull and cross bones on one of the cups.



Breakfast-edamame (150)
Snack-235
Lunch-Tuna with Kashi crackers (400)
Snack-Artichoke with mayo (NOM!), and some artichoke/spinach dip-400
Dinner-edamame (150) and 3 oreo cookies (150)

1450 calories for the day!
 
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Last night was an overnight...I had:

Breakfast: 100 for cereal, 100 for granola bar
Snack: 150 for crackers with dip (gotta love Kashi).
Dinner: 400

Overnight: granola bar (120), soup (225), edamame (150) and some oreo bites (100).

Total for the day: 1345.
 
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*sigh* Today is a hard day for me. Actually, it's the first day of a hard realization. My APBT, Brogan, has had allergies for a very long time. It's hard to watch your pet go through his day just tearing his face up by scratching. Poor guy. I made an appt for him with a dermatologist 120 miles from home to see if we can get anything done for him. Unfortunately (let me remind you, I'm a veterinary technician here in OKC), this will probably mean that I will:

A) Have to leave Brogan in the care of others
B) Let him be sedated and monitored by others
C) Trust someone other than myself

When I learned what procedures would possibly be done for Brogan...I started crying. Not because it was something I couldn't afford or something I didn't want to do or didn't want to put Brogan through...I cried because I was going to have to leave my dog with someone other than myself. I have been the person that did EVERYTHING on Brogan. I clipped his first toenail, I did his first skin scrape, I did his first rectal exam, his first dental, his first vaccine, his first bath, I did his first ear cleaning...his first HWP and FTP administration...I was the first one to draw blood off of him for blood donations. I was Brogan's first at everything...and the thought of having someone else watching over my dog just breaks my heart and scares the shit out of me.

Now it's a 3 week wait for that appt day to arrive. I'm going to be a total mess. Jason's not even able to go because it's during the week...and I know I'm going to be a wreck...so my mother took off work.

How sad is that, you're such a basket case over your animal...that you need a support system?

It's a PM shift tonight and an interview tomorrow. I figure if I keep my mind busy...I'll forget about the stuff that's bothering me. I've been reading in the interim. Anyone wanting to read a good book...you should read Janet Evanovich's Twelve Sharp. I love this series.

Breakfast-Sandwich (1 slice of whole grain bread, 35 calories from laughing cow french onion cheese and a slice of boca burger)-235 calories
Snack-120 cal high fiber cookie
Lunch-200 (crackers and artichoke dip), 235 (same as breakfast)
Snack-220 (granola bar)
Dinner-620

Total: 1620. I went a little overboard. It was a celebration evening for a friend at the emergency clinic. Turns out that she got the job she was wanting and it pays really well. I'm proud of her :)
 
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I'm going to try to go a little easy on the calories today. Last night was a little heavy.

A co-worker of mine asked if I was losing weight. I was so stunned that I actually told her no. lol.

Breakfast-150 (whole grain cookie), 250 (sandwich, boca burger and cheese on whole grain bread)
Lunch-300 (2 veggie corn dogs)
Snack-100 (fruit rollup)
Sushi for dinner-600?

Hard to say the calorie intake for sushi. I'm going with 600 which will put me at my daily intake needed. Will know tomorrow if I was right on or too low as far as intake goes. :) Yum! Sushi!!
 
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You're really good at keeping up with your calories...I try and never seem to last for more than a day or two lol. Good Luck.
 
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