Quickie

Just a quick weekly update. I was a bit of a bad girl this past week. I didn't eat a LOT, but what I ate wasn't as healthy as I would have liked. There weren't many good sales last week at the grocery store, and I am on a budget... so I chose to get some items that weren't as healthy b/c they were within my budget.

So, when I got on the scale this morning, I honestly thought I'd probably have a pound or two gain b/c some of the food I ate were higher sodium items. However, I was pleased to find out I was actually down about a half pound. While that's not much, at least it is a loss, and it also takes my total for January to exactly 10 pounds lost. I am MORE than happy with those results! So, here's to a better week this week & another loss on the scale next week!

Current Weight: 317.6
Starting Weight: 327.6
Total Lost in 2009: 10.0 pounds!

Teeny Tiny Treat

I, for one, am an ice cream girl. I'm not gonna deny it, I can eat the HECK out of some ice cream. And cheese, but that's another day...

Anyway, there are some days when I CRAVE ice cream so bad I want to scream. And I dont' want any lite crap, I want the delicious candy & chocolate-filled stuff. Sometimes I want it so bad, I want to CRY because I know I shouldn't have it... but I WANT IT!!!!

And this weekend, I found the most amazing little treat to appease my lunatic urge for ice cream... Ben & Jerry's mini's!!!

I found these at my local Walmart, in the same section with the B&J pints. And for only $.98 it's a steal! They have 3 flavors at my stores: Cherry Garcia (my fave), Cookie Dough, and Double Fudge Brownie. At 200 calories and over 10g of fat a container, they're still not "healthy" by any means, but it's called a TREAT for a reason! And let's face it, if you got a pint, you'd probably eat the whole thing... which would be way worse than this little 1/2 cup serving!

And what could possibly be cuter than this tiny little B&J container? The MINI SPOON that is included in the lid!!!

It's nice because it only scoops up so much, so you have to take little bites... thus making your treat last longer! If you used a regular spoon, you'd probably have this sucker gone in 4 or 5 bites, but with this little spoon, my treat lasts me at least 10 minutes! And I really enjoy it!

And you know what's even better? I've had one of these in my freezer for almost a week & haven't even touched it. I see it when I open the freezer & it's a little comfort, knowing that if I have another maniac "GOTTA HAVE IT NOW" ice cream moment, I've got a little treat on reserve!

Weekly Update

Just checking in w/a weekly update on my progress. This was another pretty good week for me. The weekend wasn't as on-plan as usual--we had fried chicken & movie popcorn... but, as long as I don't do that every weekend, I think it's OK. And I still showed a loss on the scale!

Starting Weight: 327.6

Previous Weight: 321.2

Current Weight: 318.0 (-3.2)

Total Lost in 2009: 9.6

In other news, Eddie and I donated blood this weekend. This was the first time for me, and as usual, my veins did not cooperate! What is normally a 10 minute process took about 45 on me. They tried one arm, but it wouldn't cooperate, so then they had to do the other. But hey, at least in the end I got some sweet pink tape to match my outfit! Eddie went with a more masculine yellow:)

Pot Roast

(<----Good entry right before this!)

The other day while grocery shopping, I saw a little recipe pamphlet in the soup aisle. It had 4 Campbell's recipes on there, including one for an easy pot roast. Now, let me just say that as a kid, I HATED pot roast. Well, I'm finding in adulthood, you have to try things that you think you hate one more time. Some things, you will still hate (raw celery=YUCK for me), but some things you might actually like! And this pot roast actually sounded GOOD! And it was!

The recipe said that the roast could cook on low for 8-9 hours, so I thought it would be perfect to cook while I was at work today. I didn't want to go through the trouble of cutting up all my veggies this morning, so I took care of it last night!

I used 6 red potatoes, quartered, about 2 dozen baby carrots, and 3 small yellow onions, quartered. I was worried that the potatoes might turn brown if they were just exposed to the air all night in the fridge, so I put water over my veggies & stored them in the fridge for the night.

This morning, all I had to do was wake up, drain the water off the veggies, pour in 1 packet of Lipton's onion soup mix, a can of cream of (what I thought was mushroom but was really) chicken soup, about 1/2 c. water (the recipe didn't call for this, but it seemed dry), and the meat.

This was my first time buying Chuck roast, so I really didn't know what I was doing. This one was more fatty than I prefer my meat to be, but my mom insisted that it would be the most tender. After it cooked, I could just separate the fatty meat & discard it. Soooo, I turned my crockpot on low, and off to work I went. About 8.5 hours later, I came home to this:

I turned my crockpot down to warm & a couple hours later I was ready to eat. It was so simple, and OH so tasty!!! I would definately cook this one again!

Teammates

When you stand alone, you are only one person against the world. When you have others next to you, even the hardest task seems less scary. I think it's so important to be able to find a support system when you're trying to overcome something. Whether that something is grief, addiction, illness, whatever... having others around you that are in the same boat & understand where you've been & where you're going is of the utmost importance.

Where do you find your support system? For me, my blog & the blogs of others travelling the same path are a huge support. When I had the most success with weight loss was when I was blogging & reading consistently. To be able to celebrate with others, have others pat you on the back for a job well done, or even just knowing that someone else is nodding & going "me too" is comforting. And you know, it's the tough times that are just as important as the good ones. To write about those tough times & then feel all the love & support around you helps you get back up, time after time. I can't tell you how thankful I am for the handful of bloggers that still would comment me, even after absences on here of weeks at a time. To know that those women still thought of me & wondered how I was was the push I needed to get back up.

I was watching The Biggest Loser last night (and liveblogging with Fat Bridesmaid & friends) and the scene that touched me the most was when the heaviest contestant in the history of the show, a 19-year old named Daniel who weighs well over 400 pounds, was completing their weekly challenge. The challenge was tough. It would be daunting for someone half his size. They had to kayak for 1/4 mile in these pedal-boat things (can you imagine how your thighs would be feeling after that?) then get out and climb this HUGE incline probably another 1/4 mile to get to the top. I think most, if not all, contestants had finished the race before Daniel was even to shore in his kayak. But you know what, he kept going. He got out of his boat, and he started up that hill. I'm sure he wanted to quit, and maybe he would have, had it not been for his teammates, who after doing that activity themselves & were probably exhausted, went back down the hill and walked with him up it. They pushed him (literally and figuratively) to keep going and to finish that challenge. And he did!

What I think can be learned from this is two-fold. First, it's that having that support system can make all the difference. And second, it's that WE need to BE that support system for others. Even when we're exhausted & we feel like we've done our part & can't go a minute more, we need to step up and help our teammates out. We're all in this together. It doesn't matter who gets to the top of the hill first, all that matters is that each and every one of us finishes.

Chicken Noodle Soup

Last week I bought some sale veggies at the store & I had some leftovers that I didn't want to go to waste. I had carrots, onions, and celery. And I also had some chicken in the freezer.... so put these things together, add some chicken stock, seasonings, and noodles... and you've got a great soup for a cold winter day.

Chicken Noodle Soup

2 large chicken breasts, boiled then diced

1/2 box cooked bowtie pasta (or pasta of your choice)

8 cups chicken stock/broth (this is an estimation... add more if you want it soupy, less if you want it chunky!)

3 small yellow onions (the equivalent of 1 large onion)

about 30 baby carrots (or probably 3-4 full sized ones)

4 stalks celery

2 tbsp chicken flavoring (or boullion cubes)

garlic, salt, pepper to taste

Add stock, seasonings, and diced veggies to a large pot & bring to boil. Cook for 1 hour, til veggies are to desired tenderness. Meanwhile, boil your chicken in a separate pan. Dice, then add to soup. Finally, cook pasta & add to soup right before serving (you don't want your pasta to get mushy).

This is so delicious and so easy! I plan to freeze leftovers in individual portions so I've got soup on the go for a quick lunch! See for yourself how tasty this looks:

One week under my belt

Just a quick note to say that I had a pretty successful first week. Last Monday I weighed 327.6 and this morning I weighed 321.2. The first week is always a big one for me, and this week did not disappoint. I still had a few indulgences, and I didn't feel cheated or hungry at all this week. I even have Eddie on board & he's doing so well!

I had another really good grocery week & got a ton of healthy stuff for only $22 at Meijer. I got the following:
2 smart ones
loaf of bread
bag of carrots
bag of red potatoes
bag of salad
5 bananas
1 pound grapes
2 bags frozen veggies
2 small boxes pizza rolls (ok, not everything was healthy, but they were free!)
chuck roast to make pot roast
Chex mix
Quaker rice snack cakes
8 light yogurts
4 mini betty crocker delights (gotta have treats once in awhile!)
pasta
pasta sauce

I shopped Meijer's 10/$10 & earn 1 item free sale, then I also had $5 in coupons. I was really pleased with the things I was able to get. I got some good snack items, a couple treats, stuff for a week's dinners, and good fruits & veggies. The biggest thing I do is sit down on Sunday, look at my local grocery ads, then plan my meals based on what's on sale. The past couple weeks I've gotten lucky & only had to go to one store b/c the deals were so good. On occasion I'll go to two.

Eating healthy on a budget IS possible, you just have to make it work. Flexibility is key!

Up next: Chicken Noodle Soup!

"I forgot to plan dinner, might as well order a pizza..."

I know I'm not the only person who's forgotten to plan dinner & automatically said "Oh well, we'll have pizza tonight". You either forget to run by the grocery store, you forget to thaw the mean, or you simply feel like you're too tired to cook a big meal.

Well I've got news for you... those excuses are lame! Tonight was a night when I forgot to thaw anything to cook. I didn't even think about it until I was getting a rumbling in my tummy... I wandered through the kitchen & couldn't find anything in the fridge that would be quick and easy to warm up. I looked in the freezer & I saw this:

Yes, I had quite a supply of Smart Ones, but I prefer to save those for a quick lunch. When Eddie comes over after work, I like to have a hot meal for him... you know, show him I'm gonna be a good little wife;) If I have something prepared, he's also less likely to suggest getting fast food or ordering in. So.... on top of those smart ones were some frozen chicken breasts (you know, the ones I'd forgotten to lay out this morning!). I like to snag them up when they're on sale. Usually buying in bulk is best... $1.49/pound for boneless/skinless chicken breasts? I'll take 5 pounds, please! I just wrap them up in some foil in 2-breast packs, and I'm good to go! Anyway....

Well shoot, I don't want to wait to the rock hard chicken to thaw, what am I gonna have? Then I remembered that I had received some Ziplock Zip n Steam bags free from some online promotion (seriously, look into giveaways & free samples... you get some great stuff & they usually also include a high-dollar coupon for future purchases of those items!). So I looked on the bags, and sure enough, I can cook frozen chicken breasts in them, in only 7 minutes!

On the front of the Zip n Steam bags is a handy little cooking guide for meats & veggies! These things are such a time-saver! You just put your meat or veggies in the bag, including any seasoning/spices, zip it up, and cook! I really love Cavendar's Greek Seasoning. So, I sprinkled that all over my chicken breasts!

Zip it up & cook!

(Just a sidenote, the guide on the front said that 2 frozen chicken breasts would cook in 7 minutes... if I had been cooking 2 4oz servings, they would have been done in that amount of time... Mine actually took a little longer b/c they were more like 8 oz breasts. I cut them in half & cooked them separately for a few more minutes.

While the chicken is cooking, I made this:

I had picked it up awhile back when it was on sale, and it only takes 5 or 6 minutes to make.

While that was cooking, I also prepared a Zip n Steam bag with some veggies:

Again, you add your seasonings before steaming. I like the greek seasoning on my broccoli/onions too, along with my favorite seasoning of all:

Once the chicken was done, I tossed my veggie bag in the microwave for 3 minutes.

In less than 15 minutes time, I went from having no plan for dinner to having a home-cooked, healthy meal:

I like to eat off the smaller salad plates, because then you get a nice full plate. I'm also more likely to eat appropriate portions on a small plate than a bit one.

Another excuse I'll be addressing is when people say they "can't afford" to eat healthy... well I have news for you... I made FOUR portions out of this meal, and this was the cost breakdown:

2 chicken breasts (halved): $2.10

1 bag broccoli: $1

2 small yellow onions: $.20 (bought a bag of about 10 for $1)

Stove Top: $1

Total: $4.30

That comes to about $1 per serving for a 15 minute meal. And way healthier than the McDonald's dollar menu.

Excuses

Excuses.... we ALL have them.

I don't have time to go the gym.
Eating healthy is too expensive.
I don't have time to cook.
I forgot my lunch, so I have to eat out.
I screwed up at lunch, so the whole day is shot.

I am a problem-solver. It's just in my nature. So, I'm going to tackle these excuses one at a time in the next week or so and list solutions to them. Give me some of your excuses or problems that you had/have trouble overcoming in order to live a healthier lifestyle and what you did to tackle it (or if you haven't tackled it, that's ok!). If you don't address those problems & find answers, then nothing's ever going to change. Who knows, someone might just have an idea some of us have never heard of before!

Here's to 2009

I had hoped to privatise all previous entries, but can't seem to find how I can do that on blogger w/o actually deleting them, which I don't want to do. Buuuuut, instead of dwelling on the fact that I want to erase the proof that I successfully lost 50 pounds in 6 months in a healthy way, and then successfully gained it all back in the next year... I'll just move forward.

So, I'm back at it. I'm ready to take this blog to the level that it was when I started. That means regular posting, regular reading of others' blogs, and regular commenting. When I started this blog, I was planning a wedding. That was my motivation at the time for losing weight. I told myself it was just one of many reasons for losing weight, but let's be honest, it's a huge motivating factor when over a hundred people are going to have all eyes on you in your wedding dress. You want to look gooooood! That wedding didn't happen, but even after breaking it off, I continued to lose weight for a couple months. However, when I entered into my current relationship, both Eddie and I packed on the pounds. Happiness makes you fat apparently!

Well, we're both making an effort to reverse the effects of our first (almost) year together. The first step for us is eliminating full-sugar pop and to limit eating out to once per month. Not only is it more cost-effective to cook, but it's also much better for us! I'm a firm believer that you have to make little changes at a time, and I know what changes to make for myself, personally, that will make a difference right off the bat.

So, here's to a fresh start. 2009 is mine. I thought before that eating what I wanted and just having fun & being lazy about it was what I was choosing. But that wasn't me. I had relinquished control to other forces: eating for social reasons, eating because of boredom, eating to deal with bad emotions... I wasn't in control. 2009 will be the year I take control. I'm not a failure because I lost weight and gained it all back. I'm a success because I'm trying again.

I love myself enough to try again.

Engaged

Hi folks... just an update to say that this past weekend, my boyfriend proposed! It was perfect and romantic and I wouldn't change a thing...

We're planning an August or September wedding, and I'm reminded that when i started this blog, I was losing weight for the last wedding I was planning... so, here we go again I guess. I hope to get back down to the weight I was when I met Eddie, which embarrassingly enough is about 50 pounds.... so everything that I had lost in the 6 months before I met him. But, truth is, if I did it before, i can do it again...

What a pain in the ass.

Finally?

After about 4 full months of back to back to back illnesses/ailments, I have officially been 1 week free of any sort of troubles. I believe that last I wrote I was getting over my palsy. Well, that finally left completely after about 2 weeks, and the following weekend, I got some kind of wicked stomach flu & proceeded to have an episode of hardcore vomiting. During which time I burst insane amounts of blood vessels in my eyes... not only my eye balls, but the lids of my eyes too... It looked like I got the crap beat out of me. See for yourself:

This was actually about 24 hours after the nasty eyes originally started, and believe it or not, it got worse in the next couple of days. You could see NO whites of my eyes whatsoever. But, finally 2 weeks after that, it is completely gone. So now I'm just waiting for the next shoe to drop... I've come to expect problem after problem lately!

In other news, my boyfriend has planned a trip to Chicago (we're 2.5 hours south of there) on December 6th, and honestly, all signs point to a possible proposal... I'm trying not to get my hopes up, but sometimes you just have a feeling about things.... We're celebrating 9 months together this week, actually, and they have seriously been the BEST 9 months of my life probably... and ironic that I can say that, even with 4 of those months being hell, health-wise!

I'm not on any sort of wagon regarding weight loss... in fact, I haven't seen the wagon in so long, I don't even remember what it looks like. Eddie and I both have gained a lot of weight since we started our relationship... but for completely different reasons, I think. He eats in large quantities, whether it's good for him or bad, and I just eat bad stuff in regular quantities. Regardless though, both ways puts pounds on. I think he wants an easy answer for losing the weight though, and I told him that's just not gonna happen. He talks about him wanting to do Nutrisystem, but I just don't see that as a realistic option. I mean, first of all, it's expensive. And secondly, what's to stop you from overeating their food vs. your food, you know? And it's not like you can eat that for the rest of your life... But... just because someone knows HOW to eat right and eat balanced meals, doesn't mean that they do... and that's where I'm at. But, I'm also at an apathetic stage where I feel like "well, I'm OK right here for now..."

So, that's that I guess.

How's Life?

Well, my palsy is finally almost 100% improved! I am probably the only one that would notice I'm not completely back to normal, and I'll take it!

The past couple weeks have been crappy as far as food goes. Steroids, in combination w/a period from hell has resulted in a gain of about 5 pounds or so. And let me tell you, I feel bloated as HELL after 2 rounds of steroids! My face is so puffy it's not even funny!

So when I started this blog, I didn't stop to think about the fact that if you simply google my first name, Teale, with as rare as it is, my blog is one of the first things that pop up... and that means that family & friends can have access to this with pretty minimal searching. It's not that I have things to hide from friends & family, but it does make me apply a bit of a filter to know that people who know me IRL could read about things that potentially I don't want RL people to know about. It also means that things I write in here could be gossiped to other family members and/or my parents. This doesn't apply to those that I KNOW read my blog (Melissa, Amy), but to those who are laying low under the radar. So, to the few readers that are still around & have commented that they wonder what I'm up to lately and want some more personal posts... this is why they've been few & far between.

CVS Deals 10/20

I had been out of the CVS loop for a couple weeks when I was really ill, and last week I went and built up my ECBs to $7. I started last week w/only $1.50, so it was helpful to get some deals that got me some ECBs. So, this week I started w/$7 ECBs, and I ended up getting all this for only $4.38 OOP and earned (almost) another $7 in ECBs.

The lighting is a little odd, but you get the idea.... here's how I did it:

Brachs Autumn Mix $1.29 & earn $1.29 ECBs
Colgate Max Fresh (large tube) $2.99 & earn $2.00 ECB (also use a $1.00 coupon to make this item free)
Colgate Max Fresh (small tube) on clearance for $.75 & use $1.00 coupon for $.25 overage
2 Glade twin pack scented oil refills on sale for $3.99 each & use BOGO coupon, getting both for $3.99
Colgate toothbrush for $2.99 & earn $2.00 ECB & use $1.00 coupon
Powerade $1.69 & earn $1.69 ECB
2 Excedrin 24 ct (back/body & migraine) for $1.99 each & use 2 $2.00 coupons

I saved about $30.00 today by using coupons, ECBs, and shopping sales... good week!

Good morning!

I'm going to try to start being more diligent with my blog, but that also means being more diligent with reading & commenting others too! I will do my best!













The Bell's Palsy is still there... no telling when it will fade away. I'm hoping by the end of the month! Eddie and I have a wedding to go to in early November, and I would love to not be palsied for that! Here is a picture of what I look like... this is me smiling. You can see how one side just doesn't work!

It's ok, you can laugh... I look kinda like a pirate. LOL

This weekend (before the palsy set in), Eddie and I went to the pumpkin patch & had some fun at the Halloween store. I don't have the pumpkin patch pics on this computer, but here's one of us having some fun w/the Halloween items at the costume store!

In other news, I did some CVS-ing for the first time in a couple weeks. I had used up almost all of my ECBs when I was sick & needed meds, but was broke as a joke... so I was pretty much starting from scratch, with only $1 ECB. I needed toilet paper, then there was also a good Swiffer deal where starter packs were on sale for about $7 & I had a $5 coupon, then I also had a coupon for buy 1 starter pack, get diff starter pack free. On top of that, they had an ECB deal with it, where if you spend $10 in Swiffer-ness, you get $5 ECB back. Then of course there are always toothpaste deals. On sale for $3, I had 2 coupons I could use (manf & CVS), saving me $2, and I earned $2 ECBs. All in all, I got those 4 items for $6-something & tax, making it $8 something, and I earned $7 ECBs. Not too bad, and it got my stash built up a little! I also joined some kind of CVS feedback group that will randomly send you surveys, in exchange for ECBs if you qualify. I qualified for one that's coming up this weekend & I'll earn $10 ECBs for it. I'll take it!

I weighed this morning, and as expected was up just a bit. But, it is what it is, and I'm not worried at all about it. I am on my 2nd round of steroids in 2 weeks, and I'm due to get my period this weekend. Usually I'm bloated during my period, rather than before though, so this probably has nothing to do with Flo.

Starting Weight: 321.8
Current Weight: 308.4
Total Lost: 13.4

So, a little over a pound gain... no biggie!

Watched The Biggest Loser last night & actually participated in the live blog chat over on Krissie's blog since FB was out of town. Usually I read FB's summaries (even though I watch the show, her narration of it is great!) and catch up on everyone's comments then... I don't know why I don't participate, I sit there watching the show w/my laptop on my lap anyway, doing other stuff. Colleen is by far my favorite this season. I thought she was a knockout when she came to the show, but she just keeps getting hotter! She will definately be one hell of a bombshell come the finale... and her cute Daddy will have to beat the boys off with sticks! Brown (the Poop Troop) isn't irritating me this week as much as they have in the past... maybe b/c Brady kicked some serious tail on the day-long hike... he ran over 20 miles! That is just freaking amazing. If he keeps his mouth shut he's pretty good looking too. Just keep your mouth shut, Brady... and tell your wife to do the same! Oh goodness, and someone else I wanted to put a sock in it last night was Heba. Maybe it's b/c we are somewhat similar in personality (like to take control, enjoy the center of attention, LOL)... but if I had to hear her wine about how her husband went home ONE MORE TIME, I was going to scream. Colleen's dad went home, and she didnt turn into Miss Whiny Pants, bringing it up at every turn. She just turned that sadness into energy to kick some serious booty... and Heba needs to do the same! Anyway, enough BL banter...

Hope everyone is doing well with whatever is going on in their lives right now... update me, let me know whats new with you since I haven't been a good blogging buddy/reader/commenter lately!

If it's not one thing...

...it's another.

I finally fully recovered from my last ailment... Tonsillitis From Hell. Only to wake up this weekend to one side of my face being completely expressionless & weak. Lucky for me, a friend of mine recently had Bell's Palsy after a bad infection, so I knew what was going on... otherwise, the first thing you think of when you have facial weakness is a STROKE! No stroke here...

So, friends & family encouraged me to call the doctor, just to be sure, and so I went. Annnnd it's Bell's Palsy. For those that don't know, it's a condition that happens randomly sometimes due to one of the nerves in your face/head getting inflamed. It happens pretty much overnight, lasts as long as it sees fit (sometimes days, sometimes months), then most of the time, just goes away on it's own as quickly as it arrived. The doctor gave me some anti-viral meds and some more steroids (as if I hadn't been on enough as it was). So I'm pretty sure the steroids this time around will cause a gain, which is to be expected with a double round of them in the same month.

The condition isn't painful, just exceptionally annoying. I can't smile, wrinkle my nose, move my eyebrown, or even blink my eye willingly. The eye thing is the most problematic. Because I can't blink, my eye gets dry... and when your eye gets dry, it starts watering like crazy to lubricate itself. So, I have a runny eye. And I have to TAPE it shut when I sleep.

I swear, when it rains, it pours! The past 4 or so months have just been one thing on top of another for me! At the end of June, I injured my right shoulder. Doctors thought it was a rotator cuff issue, and I went through 4 weeks of occupational therapy. That didn't help, so I got sent to physical therapy for 4 weeks. That didn't do much good either, so I got sent to an orthopedic surgeon. He did an MRI and wants me to have an EMG (nerve test) later this month. However, in the past couple weeks, it's been an improvement & it no longer hurts. Meanwhile, the week before my birthday last month, I got an upper respiratory infection and missed 2 days of work. Went back to work for a week, then developed horrible tonsillitis & got tons of sores in my mouth & missed 5 more days of work. I finally recovered from that, and now this. I THINK IT'S SOMEONE ELSE'S TURN, POWERS THAT BE!

So anyway, there's a little update on me... how are you doing?!

Progress

After a round of steroids and a week of bed rest, I am finally feeling better! Most folks blow up when they're on steroids, but the only 2 times I've been on them, I've been severely ill & have dropped more than 10 pounds in that week.

I'm down on the scale again, but thankfully with a more reasonable number. I'm down 2.6 from last week, which is putting me closer to the 200s again! Wahooo!

Starting Weight: 321.8
Current Weight: 307.2
Total Lost: 14.6 pounds

Wednesday's WI

Guess I forgot to post over here, but from last week's WI, I am down 12 pounds. This is skewed by the fact that I have been sick & haven't been able to eat much though, so if in the next couple weeks a little of that weight comes back on (eating, coupled with the fact that I am on a round of steroids), or is slow to drop, I'll know it all evens out.

Starting weight: 321.8
Current weight: 309.8
-12 pounds

Doing well

I had a pretty successful first week back in the saddle. Tomorrow is my WI day, and as of today, I am down quite a bit. That will be skewed a bit though by the fact that I have been really sick the past few days. I went to the doctor & she said I have severe tonsillitis, and along with that, the infection has spread in my mouth and it is FULL of horrible, painful, wouldn't-wish-them-on-my-enemy canker sores. I literally probably have 30 of them between the 2 dozen or so that are on my tongue, a couple inside my lips, several on my cheeks, and several on the roof of my mouth. The pain is HORRIBLE, which makes eating, drinking, or talking damn near impossible. I have missed 2 days of work b/c of my sickness, and I am probably going to miss a 3rd tomorrow. A good portion of my job requires talking to patients, and as it is, I can't even communicate effectively for a few seconds w/o terrible pain, so doing it for the better part of my day is just not happening. I've been really trying to push fluids, but it is definately a struggle. I am STARVING, but am totally unable to eat anything. All I've had today is a vanilla milkshake. And while I realize that's not the healthiest thing I could have eaten, sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do! Yesterday I was able to eat some soup, but today that's about impossible. The broth burns from the salt (even watered way down), and even over-cooking the noodles to make them softer is impossible for me to chew. I've tried yogurt & pudding, but they both burned my sores... so, now I'm sipping on some warm tea.

This weekend Eddie & I did really well. Weekends are tough for us & we usually eat out probably at least 3 times. My goal for us this weekend was to only eat out once, and with the exception of a banana shake on Sunday (since I was sick & couldn't eat solid stuff by that point), we stuck to it! Here's to another good week (and fingers crossed that the brown team goes away on the BL, they irritated the shit out of me!)

Healthy on a budget

Well folks, today was day one (again) back on the wagon that has thrown me off time & time again... My goal for this week was no fast food & no non-diet pop. Today went pretty well. Breakfast was yogurt w/granola, snack was a fiber one bar, lunch was a smart ones, dinner was 6 chicken "fries" and a big salad, and after dinner dessert was chocolate ice cream (it was the last of it in the house, thankfully!)

I went grocery shopping today. In the past when I've done WW and tried to eat healthy, I cringed every time I had to go to the store b/c I was always spending at least $75 every 2 weeks on groceries. Today though, today was different! I shopped all the store ads, then decided I was going to mainly go to walmart (a rarity lately, actually) and make a quick stop by meijer afterwards. I planned my meals for the next couple weeks based on what I had at home and what I had coupons for. I decided my budget would be $35.

And here's how I did:
3 packages of Birds Eye steamers veggies $1.25 each ($1/3 coupon)
Progresso chicken broth (found this on the clearance shelf) $1.20 ($1.25/1 coupon=free!)
Minute Rice $1.92 ($.40 coupon)
3 Lean Cuisines @ $1.88 each ($1.50/3 coupon)
Special K bars $2.50 ($1 coupon)
3 cans Veg All canned veggies (also found on the clearance shelf) $.50/can ($1/3 coupon)
Simply Harvest light soup 2 cans @ $1.25/can ($1/2 coupon)
Can Hormel chicken $1.43 ($.35 coupon)
Pillsbury pizza crust $2.16 ($1.10 coupon)
Pillsbury crescent rolls $1.26 ($1 coupon)
Arm & Hammer cat litter $5.96 ($1 coupon)
Purina cat chow $4.18 ($4 coupon)
Amish noodles $1.16
Flour tortillas $1.14
FF turkey lunchmeat $3.00
Skim milk $1.82
Bananas $.92
TOTAL: $29.62

Meijer:
Kraft mac & cheese buy 3 get 3 free @ $.74/box
Bread $1.29
Dole salad mix BOGO @ $1.99/bag
Tyson chicken strips $2.50 ($1 coupon)
TOTAL: $7.08

GRAND TOTAL: $36.70 ($1.70 over budget)

I went in with a grocery list, and I ended up having to make some modifications to it b/c they didn't have some things on my list, and I forgot to put some essentials (like milk) on there. I think that $36 for 2 weeks of groceries, INCLUDING cat food & litter, is pretty damn good! I'm proud! Planning pays off!

Time?

So I'm supposing that it's time to get my ass in gear... again. I'm begrudgingly telling myself that it's grossly inappropriate to watch The Biggest Loser while eating double fudge brownie ice cream two weeks in a row.

CVS Deals 9/15/08

So you know you're a cheapskate when you debate with the cashier over a dollar... Here's what happened: I wanted to get the Aleve D ecbs this week... well, that has to be purchased in the pharmacy b/c it's behind the counter. Apparently the pharmacy techs aren't as well-versed in the CVS-ing as the regular cashiers are... First the tech tried to tell me that the Aleve was $10.99, and I had to tell her "no, it's on sale for $3.99". Then she tells me I can't use my BOGO Glade coupon b/c the product is on sale... which I knew wasn't accurate, so she finally rang it thru. Then she rings everything up, and tells me that my total is $10-something... when I knew it should have been $1.85+tax. So finally that gets sorted out. Then I'm on my way out & notice my $3 Aleve ECBs weren't on my receipt... so I looked, and she gave me the 20 ct Aleve D instead of the 10 ct. They ring up for the same price, but the 20 ct doesn't give you the ecb deal... so I had to make a return... it should have been an even exchange, but due to them having to do a return & then ring up the aleve again, I ended up getting jipped by $1. I tried pleading my case, but was getting nowhere, and the pharmacy was busy, so I just sucked it up & paid the extra buck... I still did good for only spending $3.05 this week... here's what I got:

So it's a little blurry b/c it was taken with my phone, but you get the idea! Here are my transactions:

Transaction #1

Aleve D (20 ct in error): $3.99

Excedrin $3.99

2 Glade Sprays @ $.99: $1.98

Powerade: $.88

Total: $10.84

Use $2/$10 CVS coupon from magic coupon machine

$1/1 Aleve coupon

$2/1 Excedrin coupon (cashier didn't notice this was for the wrong Excedrin product... but it scanned!)

BOGO glade coupon

Use $3 ECB from last week

Total OOP: $1.85 + tax = $2.00 (Earn $3.99 ECB & then noticed I didn't earn $3 ECB for Aleve...)

Transaction #2

Had to return the 20 ct Aleve D b/c what I really needed was the 10 ct. They returned $2.02 to me as the adjusted cost with coupons

Transaction #3

I then got the correct Aleve. There was a $1 off coupon taped to the box, which he scanned then never removed, so at least I got an extra coupon outta the deal...

Aleve D 10 ct: $3.99 (earn $3 ECBs)

Total: $3.99

Use $1/1 Aleve coupon

Total OOP: $3.03 & Earn $3 ECB (after the fact I realized I had $2 ECB that I could have used for this transaction, but was so flustered that I forgot!)

Transaction #4

Lipton 100 ct: $3

30 oz Mayo: $3

2 Skippy Peanut Butter & 1 Ragu pasta sauce: 3/$5

Total: $11.00

Use $2/$10 CVS printable

Use $.50/1 Lipton coupon

Use $.50/1 Mayo coupon

Use $1/2 Skippy coupon

Use $3 & $3.99 ECBs from earlier transactions

Total OOP: $0.01 + tax = $0.04 (earn $3 ECBs)

Started the week with $5 ECBs, Ended the week with $5 ECBs. Spent $3.05 OOP this week.

My CVS Savings 8/7-8/13

Not a huge week for me b/c there's not much I'm interested in this week, but I started this week with $5.99 ECBs from last week, and I spent $2.40 OOP & earned $5 ECBs. I only did 1 transaction this week b/c there weren't a lot of deals I was interested in, but I did get a couple things I needed for really cheap! Here's my transaction:

I bought:
2 cans CVS peanuts @$1.99 each ($3.98)
2 Aussie shampoo/conditioner @$2.49 each ($4.98)
1 bag Chex Mix @$1.00 ($1.00)
1 Revlon Nail Polish @$3.99 ($3.99)
1 3-pack CVS paper towels @$1.99 ($1.99)

Total before coupons: $15.94+tax

I used:
$2/$10 CVS printable
$2/2 CVS nuts coupon from magic CVS machine
$2/2 Aussie products from yesterday's paper
$0.60/1 Chex printable
$1/1 CVS paper towels from magic CVS machine
$5.99 ECBs from last week

Total savings: $13.59

OOP this week: $2.40
Earned: $2 ECB from Aussie products & $3 ECB from Revlon nail polish

Free All You Trial

Perhaps this is something that you've been able to get for awhile, but it's news to me...

Walmart puts out a magazine called All You that's chock full of coupons... in searching thru this month's issue for new coupons, I noticed a little blurb about getting 2 free issues by going to http://www.blogger.com/www.allyou.com and requesting the free trial.

Fill in your name/address, then check the "Bill Me" option. Really what this is doing is signing you up with a 12-issue subscription, but the fine print states that you can cancel at any time, simply by writing "CANCEL" on the bill when you receive it and sending it back, while keeping your trial issues. So, get your 2 free issues, send the bill back, and you'll get a couple month's coupons for free!

CVS Deals 8/31-9/6

This was a pretty good week for me... I started the week with $4.49 in ECBs ($3 & $1.49) and I spent $1.75 OOP and ended with $5.99 in ECBs. Here's how I did it:

Transaction #1
3 cans pringles @ $.88=$2.64
1 Dawn @ $.99
1 Colgate @ $2.99 (earn $2 ECB)
2 Cover Girl Lip Color BOGO=2/$9.99
Total before coupons $16.61

Coupons used:
$2/$10 CVS printable
$.30/3 Pringles
$.50/1 Dawn
$1.50/1 Colgate printable
BOGO Cover Girl lip color coupon (-$9.99)
$1.49 ECB
Total Coupon Savings: $15.78
Difference: $.83 + Tax = $1.67 OOP & $2.00 ECB Earned

Transaction #2
Cover Girl Wetslicks $5.99 (Earn $5.99 ECB)
Total before coupons: $5.99

Coupons Used:
$1 Cover Girl coupon
$3 old ECB
$2 ECB earned on last transaction
Total Coupon Savings: $6.00
Difference: Overage of $.01 + Tax = $.08 OOP & $5.99 ECB Earned