Confidence

There was one point were it would take all of my strength just to leave the house some days. I was so worried about what people thought of me and it controlling my life. When I joined Curves, the only way for me to go every day was to walk, which is about 2 or 3 blocks away. There are some days when I get nervous and wonder who is staring at me, but today, I noticed something. I was walking through the middle of town on main st on a busy Saturday morning at 10am with the weather being nice. There were TONS of people out, lots of traffic, and even people walking past me, and guess what, I DIDN'T CARE! I really think walking to the gym as given me a confidence that I didn't have before. Some other things that have attributed to it is of course weight loss, and also zumba...it takes a lot of courage for someone my size to do zumba moves in front of stick thin women. But everyone is so nice there...no one judges you, they are just happy you are trying to get healthy. I still don't like to eat in front of a lot of people, but that will change as I go down in size...:)

Thank you!

Just hit 1,000 on the "My Supporters" counter. Obviously it is repeat visitors, but 1,000 hits in the first 3 months for a weight loss blog is awesome! Thank you for all of your comments and support in my journey to a healthier life. Please continue to support me and PRAY for me AND my husband as he is trying as well. Keep being awesome!

Pizza, YES! PIZZA!

Anyone can tell you that pizza is not the healthiest of choices, especially if you are ordering it. I make a healthy version that I have posted on here before, but still filled with carbs.

In the past when we (being David and I) would order pizza, we would end up spending $30-$40! That usually consisted of 2 large stuffed crust fully loaded, a double order of bread sticks, and either a dessert or a side of wings. Then we would top all of that with some ice cream afterwards! Whew! I am getting nauseated just THINKING about it!

Well tonight we decided on pizza. When I went to order it, I look at the total and it said the normal amount, around $30. Then I thought about those extra pounds I WOULDNT be losing, and how swollen my stomach would get, and that I would be sick for 2 days. I just couldnt do it. I ended up ordering a medium ONE topping pizza, light sauce, and 2 salads! Total was $16!!! We went to the church to clean and ate before. We were both full, AND satisfied. AND, NO ICE CREAM!

It is so exciting to see the progress we are both making. It is a HUGE issue for us to tell each other no when we are both craving the same thing, which is ALL THE TIME! We are finally starting to overcome these problems and I am not just excited for me, but to see my husband trying to get himself in shape. He has been getting up at 5am, early before work, and going on a mile walk with me. Then he goes to work and I go to the gym. Praise God that He is showing us mercy through this. If you have ever had a weight problem, whether big or small, you KNOW how difficult it is to not only lose weight, but eat right, exercise, portion control, etc. Please keep us in your prayers....:)

Cindy's French Fried Chicken (with roasted garlic mashed potatoes)

Now, in order to enjoy this recipe, you will have to like french fried onions. I WISH I could say I created this recipe, it was delish! I got it from French's, hence the fried onions...lol. The recipe calls for BONELESS chicken, which would probably make it better, but I used bone in thighs because that is what I had.

2 cups (4 oz.) FRENCH'S® Original or Cheddar French Fried Onions

2 tbsp. all-purpose flour

4 (5 oz.) boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 egg, beaten

Directions:

Place French Fried Onions and flour into plastic bag. Lightly crush with hands or with rolling pin. Transfer to pie plate or waxed paper.

Dip chicken into egg; then coat with onion crumbs, pressing firmly to adhere. Place chicken on baking sheet.

Bake at 400°F for 20 min. or until no longer pink in center (I had to put it in for another 20 minutes, but it was bone in).

It also says that for a tangier taste, you can sub 1/4 c. mustard for the egg. I will try that next time I make this.

Calories 360, Carbs 13, Protein 32, Sodium 225...I was quite impressed with the sodium in this, thought it would be a lot more. Hope you enjoy!

.

Cindy's Triple B

If you are wondering what triple B stands for it is "beef, bacon, and Benedict"! I like to try new recipes as often as finances allow me to, and SOMETIMES I actually come up with my own recipes, which I love the most! This is one of them, and one of the best ones I should say. It was sooooo good! Not hard to make at all, only a couple of steps and FOUR ingredients!

1 round beef steak

1-2 slices of turkey bacon

1 egg

2 Tbs. hollandaise sauce

Preheat oven to 400. Season steak to your liking (you can add any kind you like, just make sure it will match the sauce) Wrap bacon around the edge of the steak and hold in place with a WET toothpick. Place in small baking dish and bake for ABOUT 30 minutes, or until it is cooked to your liking. I checked mine at 30 minutes and it was too pink for me so I put it in for 15 more minutes. If it starts to brown too much, you can place a piece of aluminum over it.

While that is baking, cook some brown rice to go with it. Do not make anything else until the meat is done...the egg will get rubbery and the sauce lumpy if they are not fresh. As soon as the meat IS done, set it aside and make the sauce and egg. For ultimate taste, you will want to do both at the same time. For a creamier sauce, use 1/2 c water and 1/2 c milk instead of 1 c water. For the least fat, fry the egg using an olive oil cooking spray. Cook to your liking.

Take out toothpick. Place egg on top of steak and drizzle with sauce. Serve with rice and veggies and enjoy! Calories 242, sodium 458, protein 28, and only 1 carb!!!!!

If you try this recipe, please give me feedback on how it was!

3 month pictures!

I took my 3 month picture today. To the left is me at my highest weight of 505, and to the right is me today at 461. What a difference I see! And it was pointed out to me that my smile in the new picture is SO much bigger than the other one...:) The skirt I am holding up I received in the mail today and it was so big on me I couldn't even keep it up! Yesterday I tried on 4 or 5 shirts that I have not been able to wear in over a year and EVERY SINGLE ONE FIT! The blue striped shirt is one of them.

I am so excited at the things the Lord is allowing me to do for myself, and I MUST give Him the glory in this, I would not have been able to this by myself.

I am wanting to take pictures every 3 months to show progress. I can see the tone in my arms, and more of an hour glass shape instead of a ROUND shape.

Weigh In - Month 3

Today was a great day! I got weighed and measured and when I got on the scale, I was just PRAYING for a couple of pounds to come off since last month I didnt lose at all, just stayed the same. (I did lose inches last month though) I actually had to get off the scale and get back on because I didnt believe it...I lost 16 pounds!!!!!! I thought I was going to get a ticket I was driving so fast to the gym...I couldnt WAIT to get measured....and I lost 1.75 inches! So far, total loss is 44 pounds and 16 inches!!!! I am 11 pounds from my first weight loss goal, second goal on my list...so close I can taste it!