On the Way: Positive Mental Outlook

I feel downright bubbly.

I gained this week.  It sucks.  I don't want to talk about it.

What I do want to talk about is what I did right this week.  Frankly, the scale does not always reflect the work you did in a week.  It's not always an accurate measurement of progress. The week started out as a struggle, but I came out of it and I don't really care what the scale has to say about it.

• I hit my GHG everyday.
• I earned a personal record 44 APs.
• I drank a gallon of water per day.
• We cooked dinner at home every weeknight.
• I worked out six times, including a C210K training run that had intimidated the crap out of me.
• I went to my WW meeting in spite of knowing that it would be fug.

Whatever, scale.  I'm counting it as a good week.   I got BOT after a sucky weekend.  I'm counting it as a good week.  If I have more weeks like this, the scale will catch up eventually.

LBows!

You know the best part about your friends starting to make babies?  Buying them awesome, adorable, and ragingly unapologetic gender-biased presents.

When my friend Stacy told me over the summer that she was expecting a baby this spring, I was elated.  I was actually the first person she told, a secret I miraculously kept even in spite of my bachelorette party shenanigans that weekend.  When she found out a few months later that they were expecting a bouncing baby bundle of girl, I was beside myself.  Girl stuff is so much more fun, let's be honest.

It was not long after that my friend Lindsay announced that she was opening her very own Etsy shop, making bows and headbands in every color imaginable.  As soon as the date of Stacy's shower was announced, I placed a custom order with her.

Stacy and her husband have a mixed marriage, you see.  Stacy is a fellow alum of my alma mater, whereas her hubs is a die-hard University of Illinois fan.  Crazy, I know, but those kids make it work somehow.

I bought Baby Kinley the only items that were not pink.  Still, I think she'll get some use out of them, knowing her mom and dad.

We think the baby will be born with lots of hair (she's giving her mama some nonstop heartburn), so she may be lucky enough to wear her LBows as clips instead of headbands.

I dare you to find a cuter preggers girl, seriously.

If you have any little girls in your life (or maybe any coming soon), Lindsay would be happy to send you some LBows too!  She does custom work by request, as well as having a ton of ready-made colors to choose from. 

Before you ask, don't worry, I'll be sharing photos once there is a baby to model the LBows pictured above.  You'll just have to wait until April!

Edit:  Lindsay is offering a discount for MeaganLikesIt readers!  Use code MEAGANLIKESIT30OFF for 30% off your order at LBows (www.LBows.Etsy.com)!  Enjoy!

On Losing 100 Pounds.

My mom is my WW mentor and role model.  I first joined with her back in 2005, just a few years after she had started her own journey.  While I continue to fight the good fight, my mom has went on to lose over 100 pounds.  I will admit that I may have inherited some of my bad habits from her (eating my feelings, party of two?), but the example of health and determination she has set in recent years is so much more important to me now. Faced with the growing discomfort, pain and the potential onset of multiple obesity-related health conditions, she made the decision to take her life back. 

A friend of mine has been feeling down lately about the daunting task of losing a substantial amount of weight, so I asked my mom to share her thought on what it takes to lose over 100 pounds.  What she sent back was so inspiring and motivating that I can't help but to share it.  I am so proud of my mom's hard work, perseverance, and achievement. 

I think she forgets sometimes how inspiring she is.  After a rough week, I was in dire need of a pep talk, too. And Mom is really, really good at pep talks.

As you both read this, please note that I'm talking to me too.  This is a never-ending journey, and I had the same kind of week you did last week.  None of us are perfect in this.  All we can do is to keep trying, and to never give up on ourselves!

First, believe in yourself!  It doesn't matter how much you have to lose, because this journey is taken one day at a time.  You didn't gain it all at once, and you won't lose it in big chunks.  It's going to come off one pound at a time, and that's okay.  I considered weight-loss surgery at one time - I was desperate!  But then I learned that those who have the surgery have to learn to eat differently - a lot differently.   If I had the lap band surgery, for example, I was never going to be able to eat all the chocolate chip cookies I wanted.  I still haven't found the diet plan out there that lets me live on chocolate and dessert (darn it!!), so instead of surgery, I went to Weight Watchers, because it teaches you how to eat - what are good choices and portion sizes.   It's not all frozen pre-packaged food.  WW works in real life situations.

It is possible to lose 100+ pounds.  I've done it, and you will find Weight Watchers (WW) members sitting in meetings every day who have done it.  Yes, it feels overwhelming at times but try not to think of it as "I need to lose 100 pounds".  All any of us need to do is to stay on program (OP) today.  Just for today.  Don't put a mountain in front of you, just do it for one day.  Break it into 5 pound goals, not 20 or 30 pound goals.  Every 5 pounds gone is a victory, it's 25 pounds of pressure off each knee, and you will start to feel a difference in your clothes once you start ticking off a couple of five-pound accomplishments.  One lady in my WW meeting has lost 150 pounds, and has done it five pounds at a time.  Amazing!  And remember, if she can do it, so can we!!  There's nothing wrong with us that we can't lose weight either.

Know that you're not alone in this struggle.  You're not crazy, lazy, or stupid just because you have some weight to lose.  Give yourself a chance to succeed - one day at a time.  I know it sounds trite, but the only thing that's stopping any of us is ourselves.  That negative self-talk can be a real road block.  There are times I have to talk to myself out loud to get past the negative tapes in my head.  "I CAN do this!  I WANT to do this!  I CHOOSE to do this!  Those cookies or that chocolate are no longer in charge of me!!"  Get the junk out of the house.  I've had to give up cookies totally.  They are a big trigger food for me, so for now, they are not part of my life.  Oh well.  I need to lose weight more than I need a cookie, that's for sure!

Take out an index care and make a list of all the reasons you want to lose weight.  Make it a personal list - include those things you might not want to share.  Do you want new sexy panties?  Some fun pajamas?  To not have your knees hurt?  To feel good about yourself?  To fit into the seat at the movie theater more comfortably?  These are some of the things on my list.  I made copies of the list and carried them everywhere.  One in my purse, one by my makeup and one next to my bed.  You can revise the list as much as you want but make it a good one.  When you're hungry or feeling down or feeling discouraged, read that list again!!!

As for the mechanics, the single most important thing you can do to stay focused, is to track everything!!  It's free, it's simple, it's easy (and we will learn new points plus values!) and it works.  Studies have proven that people who keep a food diary are more successful than those who don't.  If it helps, you can record your moods, things that happen each day that cause bumps in your road, what the weather was - whatever. I just track food but this journal/diary/tracker can be whatever you want/need it to be to help you keep going.  The other 2 things I do every day is to drink 100 oz. of water and to take a walk.  I have a 32 oz plastic cup and I drink 2 in the morning and 2 in the afternoon.  Easy, and I'm not counting a lot of smaller cups of water.  It really has become a habit and I really want my water!  And walking has become a habit too.  I wear a pedometer every day - it gets put on as I get out of bed because I want every step counted, and I go for 10,000 a day.  The mall opens at 6 am and when I wasn't lucky enough to have a treadmill, I was there every day.  If you're not an exercise fan, you can still walk.  It's easy, it's free (once you have a good pair of shoes) and you will learn to like it.  It's my time.  I can use my IPod or just enjoy the neighborhood or the shops.  And, like water, you start to want that walk.  It's great stress relief, you don't have to count reps, and it's easy.

WW meetings really help me.  Someone will say something, ask the question that's in my head, or the leader will offer an idea that clicks.  And there's something about sitting in a room with a bunch of people who are working on the same thing(s) that I am that I find hopeful.  I'm not alone in this struggle so that makes it so much easier to do!  If  you find a good meeting or leader, you know you can go more than once a week.  I have a WW buddy who is a regular at 2 meetings because she says it helps keep her head in the game.  The Message Boards on the WW website are helpful too.  You can find someone to help or someone to share with at any time.  It's all about staying focused on the journey of weight loss.  You pick up tips, recipes, and friendships.  You're not alone and do not hesitate to figure out what works for you.

You will have good days and you will have bad days.  An office pot luck or a family dinner can derail the best of intentions.  But, that's life, that's okay, and keep going.  Dust off, face forward, get out that tracker and do it.  You have to accept that you need to be OP - this is my biggest struggle, but I'm working on it.  I have days where I don't want anyone telling me what I can or cannot eat.  I want to eat what I want, and I don't want to have to count.  I lost 115 pounds and took last summer off with that not-so-good attitude but I'm back at WW again.   I gained almost 25 pounds so I've proven, again, that the whole rebellion thing doesn't work.  I will always be a WW, but that's okay.  When you do the program, the program works.

I've made some good friends through WW, and I have a great quote from Pam in Boston, that's stuck on my PC monitor:  "Every day is a new day and a fresh start!"  

My other favorite quote is from Winston Churchill:  "Never never never quit!"  

You're worth the effort.  Do this FOR you!!

So if you've had a bad week, if you're struggling, if you're intimidated with the idea of the long journey ahead, I hope this helps.  My mom is an example of what can happen if you just keep going.  I know I admire her for it, and she is just one reason I keep pushing.

Love you, Mom!

Let's Fall in Love: All Dressed Up and Somewhere Important to Be.

My friends were dressed.  My hair and make up were almost complete.  Suddenly, what felt like just minutes after waking up, it was time for me to put on The Dress. I was anxious (no surprise) about the dress.  I had HUGE anxiety in the month leading up to the wedding about how it would fit, how I would look, and how all the changes I made to it would work out in actuality.

The Dress was hung in the doorway of the suite, out of the flurry of the food and make up happening in the rest of the room.  It stared at me all morning.  My friends dutifully oohed and aahed accordingly, while the knot in my stomach continued to wind up.  As my hair and makeup moved towards being finished, Bmaid Adrienne offered me part of a Jimmy John's sandwich and champagne.  I could barely speak, much less eat.  My nerves were officially shot.

And the dress continued to stare me down.

But alas... the time for stalling and hand-wringing was over.  No turning back.

So St MOB grabbed the dress from where it was hanging in the front room and met me in the other room.  Our photographer, being a dude I've known since middle school and all, stayed out of the way for the undies parts.  But man, getting in that dress was pretty smooth.  I stepped into the crinoline and the dress in one sweet maneuver, and I only almost fell over twice. I don't know why women gave up wearing ballgowns every day.

I stayed upright, and The Dress was on.  A couple of my friends peeked around the corner from the bathroom where they were finishing their make-up.  I will never forget the matching expressions on their faces, the same sweet, excited smiles.  I recognized it from their own wedding days.  There's just something magical about a girl in her wedding dress, and much to my surprise, I was no exception.  

It sounds so ridiculous and cheesy, but it really was magic.  Mom zipped me in and fussed with the buttons I had borrowed from her own wedding dress, and there I was.  

You know the funny thing?  All that anxiety, the nerves, the worry over this damn dress just ... evaporated.  The knot of nerves in my stomach eased for the first time all day.  All the tears I had held back, all the angsty emails I had exchanged with friends, well they all just faded away.  Before this moment, it was just a white dress, but not anymore.  I was standing in a queit hotel room on a bright September morning, in my wedding gown.  That's the moment I became a Bride, and there was nothing in the world that could bother me.

At least, maybe after some adjusting...

Twenty-something odd layers of crinoline and tulle don't just fall into place by themselves, you know.

It was a serious undertaking.

Which would be nothing compared to what the bustle would entail.  There's sheer terror in Seester's eyes, people.  There were over twenty ties under there, and she's really good at math.  She knew what she was in for later.

So after what felt like hours of fluffing ...

And tugging ...

And okay, maybe some lingering nerves ...

Everything fell into place.  For real.

I put on the jewelry I had carefully chosen for the day: vintage pearl earrings and cocktail ring, and the heart-shaped pendant set with the diamonds from my grandmother's wedding rings.  

Mom kissed me and told me how beautiful I looked.

My friends nodded, smiled, giggled in approval.  Mom might have squealed a little bit.

Kate helped me into my Something Blues.

And I was finally a BRIDE!

And only just a little excited.

I was ready to go get married (or dressed, at least).  But first, there was a very important reveal just around the corner.

A very important man was waiting to see me.

In case you missed it ...

I bought a dress and completely changed it.

We had a marathon final week of engagement.

I giggled my way through our rehearsal.

Mr LikesIt got grilled at our rehearsal dinner.

The groomsmen ran amok in downtown Springfield. 

The girls got gorgeous. 

We exchanged mushy wedding-day gifts. 

The guys got fancy and then got dancy.

Bad weeks happen.

 It's been a rough WW week and I just don't feel good. It's hard to articulate, but I feel off. It started out fine, jazzed about my big loss and feeling like a world conquerer. But then I made a very strategic mistake: I assumed the three unmade meals from last week's plan would get us through, so I skipped the store. Mr LikesIt assured me that we could run and get he essentials whenever we needed them (ie, milk for our daily lattes), but we did not plan for such things as a huge snowstorm. I should have known. This was dumb.

I actually love the grocery store. I love the entire process: culling through my many recipes to make a meal plan, checking the pantry and fridge for needed items for meals and snacks, organizing the list by aisle, reading labels and specials, and filling the cart with a week's worth of goodies. I even like unpacking them, since it's an opportunity to clean out and organize. An orderly fridge is a happy fridge.

So why did I skip it this week? I have no idea. I am feeling complacent and meh all over. We didn't make any of those planned meals ... I cooked once, I think. That is, unless you count the cookie bars I made "for Mr LikesIt," of which I obligingly ate my half.  So that left us with a lot of take out and sort of faked meals, not really the healthiest.  Amazing how eating kind of crappy food also makes you feel kind of crappy.

I can't say no to him when he wants something like Mexican for dinner or baked treats in a Wednesday. I am not blaming him for my own lack of willpower, but I don't know how to be strong when his suggestion for Chinese food sounds so much better than grilled chicken.  This is something I constantly struggle with.  I love to cook, but some nights it's just easier to say yes to whatever thing he wants instead.  He is involved in menu planning, so it's not like I am pushing my choices on him, but still.

I decided this week that I didn't want to deal with the scale.  I still went to my meeting and got a dose of WW juju for the coming week, but I opted out of WI.  Some weeks, it just doesn't happen.  And that's ok.  I'm back in the game and feeling better today, but I guess I needed a little timeout.

How was your week?  Have you ever needed to step away for a day or two?

Book Report: Outlander

I love this book.

When my sister recommended the Outlander series to me a few years ago, I knew I had to try it. She said at the time that if I liked Anne Rice and Harry Potter (which were favorites a few years back, and are still at the top of the list for me), I would love these books, too. Seester rarely disappoints when it comes to book recommendations, and these have become some of my favorites.

Outlander is the first in the series by Diana Gabaldon. It requires a hefty dose of suspension of disbelief, but once you get into the story, you soon forget the fact that you're reading paranormal historical science fiction, with a smattering of smutty romance novel thrown in for good measure.  Despite it's "yeah right" concept, at it's heart is a great story that sucks you in. 

Outlander is a fast read, and thoroughly enjoyable from cover to cover. Its full of action, adventure, romance, dry humor, and fantastic descriptive passages. You can hear the thick Scottish accents and see the Highland countryside. It's the sort of book that makes you forget what time it is. Yet, it's still light, and just highly entertaining. And the best part? There are six of them, plus a spin-off series!

Outlander has become one of those books for me that I read over and over again, and every time I enjoy it just as much as the first time.  I have since started the sequel, and I can already tell I am on the hook for all of them before I will be able to move onto the next thing.

Happy reading!

The cure for Spring Fever.

It's cold here in the Midwest.  Snowy, grey, and gross ... normal for winter around here.  Snow quickly loses it's appeal after Christmas, yet St Louis was lucky enough to get eight inches this week.  Hooray.  I am so ready for spring.

Thankfully, Mr LikesIt and I have some relief from the season to look forward to.

Gorgeous Seaside, Florida.  We finally booked our first mini-moon trip and I could not be more excited.  We have been there once before, for a wedding, and it is just beautiful.  One of the most picturesque little towns you'll ever see.  There's a sweet little town square, yummy restaurants, quaint little shops, and of course, a beautiful white sand beach.

If it looks familiar, it's for good reason.

The Truman Show was filmed in Seaside.  It's that picture-perfect.

We've rented a little beach house with an ocean-view for a long weekend of relaxing.  Temps there in February range in the 60s and 70s, not laying-on-the-beach warm, but certainly better than St Louis.  We'll be close to the town square, so renting bikes and taking walks on the beach are definitely in our future.  There will also be plenty of wine, reading, napping, and brunching.  We fell in love with the area when we were there before, so we're both really looking forward to going back. 

First mini-moon is officially set!  Hopefully the first of many travels together!

Cookie Pie

Take a look at this, friends.

 

 Believe it or not, this is a WW recipe.  Yay healthy!  Or at least, less fatty than usual.  So it has that going for it.  Plus it's suuuuuper easy to throw together, which is why I personally feel it's a stretch to even call it a recipe in the first place.  It's more in the "opening and stirring" category of cooking.  All assembly, no skill required.  So there's that too.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie

26 low-fat Chips Ahoy cookies
1 cup skim milk
1 (9-oz) graham cracker crust
1 tub Cool Whip Free

Dip eight cookies in milk and arrange in a single layer in the crust.  Top with about a third of the Cool Whip.  Repeat with two more layers each of cookies and Cool Whip.  Crumble two cookies and scatter on top.  Cover and chill eight hours before serving. from Weight Watchers.

  It's definitely a dessert that looks more impressive than what it actually takes to make.  It's great for an easy chocolate fix, or to impress your mother-in-law.  Enjoy!

Chicken Avocado Boats

One of my favorite foods on the planet is avocado.  As soon as I see a recipe that incorporates it, I feel compelled to try it. After making this, I am so glad I live by that guideline.  My MIL works at the library part-time, and she has a wonderful habit of sending me home with the cookbooks they either remove from circulation or people donate but they can't use.  Some books are hit or miss, others I can't wait to use.  I saw this recipe the first time I flipped through this particular book, this is the first recipe I stumbled upon, and I was sold. 

Chicken Avocado Boats

3 large ripe avocados
6 T lemon juice
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 1/2 T grated onion
1/4 tsp celery salt
1 tsp garlic powder (or more to taste)
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups diced cooked chicken breast
1/2 cup shredded 2% cheddar cheese

Slice each avocado in half, lengthwise.  Remove each pit and sprinkle each with 1T lemon juice.  Preheat oven to 350.  Combine mayonnaise, onion, celery salt, garlic, salt, and pepper.  Stir in chicken and mix until well-coated.  Drain excess lemon juice from avocado halves.  Fill avocado halves with equal amounts chicken mixture.  Sprinkle with cheese.  Arrange avocados in a single layer in a baking dish.  Add water to the dish to a 1/2 inch depth.  Bake 15 minutes until cheese melts and chicken is heated through.  Serve warm with a green salad. from the Treasury of Creative Cooking

These are, simply put, awesome.  One or two make a serving, though if you're watching fat and calories, one is best.  The good news is that they're filling, especially if you eat it with a green salad and some brown rice on the side.

Let's Fall in Love: Super Manly Hang Out Time.

 Oh yeah, remember the wedding?  Remember how I was writing recaps and all that?  I got sidetracked with Reverb and the holidays, but now it's time to return to our regularly scheduled recaps.  If you need to catch up, you can read the progress of our wedding day so far here:

I bought a dress and completely changed it.

We had a marathon final week of engagement.

I giggled my way through our rehearsal.

Mr LikesIt got grilled at our rehearsal dinner.

The groomsmen ran amok in downtown Springfield. 

The girls got gorgeous. 

We exchanged mushy wedding-day gifts.

The girls got dressed in one suite and meanwhile, on the other side of the hotel, Mr LikesIt and his groomsmen had arrived.  Whereas my suite was relatively subdued, Mr LikesIt and the guys turned the morning into a raging dance party.  No wonder he spent so much time the week before making a playlist.

You see that blue cooler in the background on the right?  Not a cooler.  That's a speaker.  The white trunk to the left (you know, the one a dead body could fit into) was the cooler.  The boys obviously bad big plans for the trolley ride later on.

 Epic.

Now, from my understanding, it doesn't take much to put on a tuxedo, so Mr LikesIt and his friends had ample time to partake in some liquid courage and goof off.  Both things are highly developed skills in this set of friends. 

So they got dressed.

 

 And then the goofing off commenced.  As you can see, the aviators we bought for all of them were a big hit.

Just like at my end of the hall, the morning flew by.  Suddenly, it was time to leave.  The groom and his men headed to the trolley first to catch a ride just a few blocks away for pre-ceremony photos at the church and state capitol grounds.

The boys were off and away, which meant it really was almost time for me to get dressed.  Almost.

(photos care of Matt DeBackere Photography and multiple groomsmen)