R3:D27

Current Weight: 260.8 lbs
Total Lost: 25.9 lbs

I gained...and I don't care!

Day by Day

March 20th

Holy Chicken Nuggets Batman! I love these things! 

I made sweet potato fries to go with them. I wont be doing that again. Not a fan!

March 21st

Beef Stew on this stupid cold wintry day IN SPRING! Stupid Snow! 

You guys...this stew turned out pretty amazing. I didn't have any tapioca/arrow root so I wasn't completely compliant having to use corn starch to thicken it a little. I am not a fan of soupy stews. This tasted a lot like Denty Moore before they changed the recipe! It was so good! 

I have better pics on the good camera. This was at the beginning on this nonsense. There was a good 6 inches on the ground within a few hours. Ugh! I'm so ready for warmer weather! 

Oh! And the hubby got me new shoes for our BG weekend!

March 22nd

I made this stir fry a bit different then last time. I used a frozen stir fry mix. I wont do that again. There were not nearly enough mushrooms! The canned green beans worked well in it tho! 

March 23rd

Lemon Herb Chicken and Broccoli's! Yum!

No recipe for this one. Its the lemon herb chicken from Heartland Foods. 

Easy Peasy! 

March 24th - The Big Day! 

We surprised the kids with a day at Busch Gardens! 

We all had the best day! It was full of fun and laughter and a lot of non scale victories! We left around 8am and stopped at Chik Fil A for breakfast. I made a pit stop at Starbucks for my frappe and Will tried a Caramel Macchiato. We got to the park a little after 11. The kids, and the adults, rode just about everything they could. The last time we went to BG last year it was tough fitting in the seat for Verbolten. This time...NO PROBLEM! Multiple clicks even! SCORE! I even rode a kid ride with the littles! 

Gwen totally rocked it and rode Invadr, Verbolten, Mach Tower, Apollo's Chariot, Tempesto, and Loch Ness. She rode lots of other things, but those are the big ones! Super proud of that kid! 

It was so nice to go and spend the day enjoying ourselves instead of being upset about not being able to ride some of the rides. I fit into rides I havent ridden in years. AND for most of them I fit with my back brace ON! Which was a total win for me! 

Will was super excited that he got to go on Invadr. Neither one of us could fit on that one last year. He fit nicely. I still have some work to do, and I am a-OK with that! 

We all rode the carousel too! Normally when I ride that anymore I stand or sit in the non moving parts. This time, we both rode horses!! And didn't make the ride explode! Score! 

It was cold and windy, but we all had a great time. Lots of walking and talking and riding rides! Lots of smiling and laughing. And good food! We had lunch in Germany because they really do have the best food. Gwen is super upset they have closed DarKastle. That was her favorite ride in the park. 

We chose to eat dinner outside of the park, so we headed out at 6:30 to Cracker Barrel. Country fried steak and green beans! Yes Please! Oh and yes I will have that Mocha Latte! Thank you very much! 

It wasn't even 5 minutes after pulling out of CB that the girls kicked the bucket. Denise was next I believe, followed by DJ and then David. It made me smile knowing we had such a great day! Them being asleep was a plus too...they didn't have to listen to me sing! LOL! 

We arrived back at home around 11:30 pm. An amazing day with amazing friends! 

March 25th - Sunday

I got up around 8 am. Showered and started laundry. Made breakfast around 9 thinking the other deadbeats in my house would be awake soon. Nope. 10 am. Nope. Still asleep. 11 am. Nope. Still asleep. This is pretty unheard of in my house. I split the breakfast into two containers for Monday's breakfast for Will and I and went to work on my grocery list/dinner menu. 

Will woke up around 11:15. I sent him to shower and get ready to go to lunch. I have made it very clear the last week or 2 that the day after BG we were going to the Mexico Restaurant for lunch or I was going to murder everyone I came into contact with. Gwen got up around 11:30 asking about breakfast. When I told her she missed it she might have thought about having a meltdown...until I told her where we were going for lunch. She was totally good with it after that. 

Chips and salsa and queso - Oh My! Thank you Lord for queso! I had Arroz Toscano (I think is what it was called). Strips of beef and chicken with shrimp, lettuce, tomatoes, guac and sour cream over Spanish rice. It was soooooo good! I left feeling pretty full and bloated and didn't even care! 

We headed to Mom's Market to see if they had the mayo and coconut amino's I need for this week...they do! They have EVERYTHING! Love that store! And the prices aren't terrible either! 

Mom met me at my house and I took her over to Mom's Market before heading to the grocery store. I think I may have created a monster! She went back yesterday for salt (the grocery didn't have any without sugar in it) and dog treats. Yes, dog treats. We went to the grocery and spent a small fortune and then home to unpack everything. I made Gwen soup for dinner. Made Will lettuce wrapped burgers. I had grapes. I was done with food and being awake for the day. Bed was calling my name. 

March 26th - Monday

Yesterday was nothing special. I went to work and totally forgot about updating the blog. Gwen has a new chore chart and will now be earning an allowance. This comes from not only wanting to start teaching her about financial responsibility, but because if she asks us for something in every shop in BG one more time we might strangle her. When I got home from work last night I set to cooking. I have been really slacking in this department here lately. So, I made sausage for my breakfast for the rest of the week. I made ground beef and sweet potatoes for Will's breakfast this week. And I made Egg Roll In A Bowl for dinner and lunch today! YUM! 

March 27th - Tuesday

This morning I am up 1.2 lbs from my 259.6 lbs weigh in last week. I am super OK with that! I ate a lot of food I new better then to eat and I did a lot of walking and calorie burning! Honestly, 1.2 lbs isn't even close to what I thought I would gain as a result of my food choices this weekend. 

But you know what...its just a number on a scale. It doesn't define who I am or what I am working towards. Getting on those rides. Riding them with my friends and family. Being able to walk through the park without having to sit and breath. THOSE are my victories! That is who I am. And I am only getting better!  

R3:D19

Current Weight: 259.6 lbs

YOU GUYS!!!!! 

There really are no words for what I felt getting on the scale Sunday morning and seeing that number! It was even better getting on the scale this morning and seeing that same number! I will totally take staying the same over gaining any day! I'm feeling pretty good!

OK. Now that the excitement is over, lets back up. :)

Wednesday evening we had Pork Tenderloin with taters and carrots. It was delicious!

Before dinner we all went on a walk. It was COLD!!!! I'm so ready for Spring! We didn't make it very far. The wind was killer and none of us could feel our faces. 1.4 miles.

Thursday was pretty normal. I went for my walk before dinner only to realize half way through that my app wasn't recording the walk. Sigh. Will thought it may have been a good 3 miles. Turns out this particular route is a little over 2 miles. It was cold and windy, but I did it! And I enjoyed every minute of it.

Friday was pretty normal as well. I went for my walk when I got home and did the same route as the day before. This time, my app worked! 2.1 miles of walking and listing to music. When I got home I made Sheet Pan Chili Lime Shrimp Fajitas (THANK YOU LAUREN!). They were spicy but ohhhh so good!

Recipe

Saturday was AWESOME! I got up and worked on my grocery list before Chi and I headed to VA for lessons with some of my favorite people! Side note - I totally stopped for Starbucks that morning because I had been sooooo good all week! Reward days are a new thing! Taylor was ALL SMILES and did amazing! Sherry was in her element with Quincy on their very first ridden trail ride!

I am so incredibly proud of both of them! Sherry got Quincy when he was a yearling. I am so glad that she chose to trust me and let us train him together rather then sending him away. He is such a nice boy with a great brain! I cant wait to get more trail hours in with these two!

Non Scale Victory! Look at all that room!!!!!!!

Feb 22, 2018                           March 17, 2018

After lessons, Chi and I grabbed lunch (2 grilled chicken patties from McD's) and then headed back to my house to meet Mom before heading to the grocery store. Mom has been struggling with some things lately so we sat and talked for a while. She has a lot going on and I worry about her, but I know she can overcome and move forward. Another side note - I am so incredibly proud of her! She stepped up her "step" game! She has been walking 10 laps around the house with the pups for over a month now. The other day she put the dogs inside after their walk and headed out on her own. 2 miles down the road!!!!!!!!!!! SO PROUD!!!!!!! Excellent Job Mama! 

After the grocery we came home and Chi helped me make Bang Bang Shrimp. Yum! Served over Broccoli/Cauliflower Rice. Yes Please!

Recipe

Sunday was....Sunday. I made twice baked potatoes for breakfast...and then spent the next 30 minutes to an hour in PAIN. OK. So that's Pineapple and Sweet Potatoes that are setting me off. Good to know. Stay away from SP and Pineapple for a while. Will suggested that maybe my other tummy issue I have going on is from not enough fiber. So, I started taking Fiber Gummies yesterday morning. So far so good! 

While I was making our breakfast for Sunday morning, I made more sausage for this week. I had plans on making a Sweet Potato Breakfast Casserole for the week but that was pushed to the side for the morning. Especially after having the pain from breakfast. 

Chi's room has been driving me nuts for weeks now. Her room really is the bane of my existence. Its super small and really has limited ways to arrange it. And lets be honest here, the kid has a crap load of...well...crap. Now, I would like to preface this by pointing out that I gave her MULTIPLE chances to clean it up herself. Her definition of clean is nowhere near close to mine. (Thanks Mom!) So, at 11 AM we started. Yes. We. I had her help me. I am hoping that by having her help me clean things out and decide where she wants things to go she will take the initiative to keep it a bit cleaner. (wishful thinking?)

I did not take before pictures. I cant have that kind of destruction on record. Even she was complaining that she couldn't walk in there without tripping over stuff. Sigh. I did take a progress shot. This was after we removed EVERYTHING except her bed, dresser and desk from the room and had started reorganizing. 

I believe this was around 4:30 PM. 

We did stop around 1:30 for lunch. Green leaf lettuce wrapped sandwiches. Oven roasted chicken, turkey breast, salami and pepperoni with mustard and chipotle lime mayo. Will had roast beef on one of his sandwiches too. All compliant! All delicious!!!

We finally finished her room around 6 PM. 

She is loving her little reading nook in the corner! 

Dork Diaries for the win! 

I was hurting pretty good after working in her room and cooking for most of the day, but I still got my walk in. And Chi went with me! 

The lake was beautiful for our walk. It was a tad chilly but we had some good conversation and got some much needed exercise. We even stopped and chatted with friends for a few minutes! 

I had put Cilantro Lime Chicken in the crock pot around 3:30 PM so by the time we got home from our walk the house smelled amazing and dinner was ready! I heated up some broccoli and cauliflower and Boom! Dinner! I didn't take a picture. I was starving and completely forgot to take one. 

My aunt is home from the hospital and starting to mend. I had to share some Olaf and Pig cuteness with her last night. Here is the Pig.

He needed a Mohawk!                                     Fat Pig!!!

This morning I put 2 roasts in the crockpot with some balsamic vinegar, carrots, green beans, onions and green, red and yellow bell peppers. Yum! We should have dinner and lunch for 2 days! 

This weekend is Busch Gardens! I am so super excited! Especially since I have already hit my goal of 259.9 by this weekend! Hopefully I will be about 257 by Saturday! But honestly, as long as I don't go UP I'm happy! 

I hope everyone has a great Monday! See you all in a few days!

R3:D13

Current Weight - 262.1 lbs

So...I stopped making excuses. Obviously. 5 lbs gone since last entry! That's what I am talking about!!!!

The past week has been blissfully uneventful! I didn't do too much picture taking of food or even really a lot of cooking in general! I did make Bang Bang Scallops on Friday. Holy cow they were good!!!! I served them over Cauliflower/Sweet Potato Rice. DELICIOUS!

I know it doesn't look appetizing, but I promise its amazing!

Recipe

I also worked on my Recipe Book! I had lots of new recipes to put in it and needed to get it organized! I might have a tad bit of OCD on this...

I am considering making a page here on the blog with all of the recipes I have either tried or want to try. Might be a good place for anyone considering the W30 to get ideas! Thoughts???

Chi helped me make some sausage on Thursday night to have for breakfasts for a few days. She is such a girl. All she kept saying was "ewww" and "its so cold!". Get out of my way you sissy! Sigh. That kid!

Saturday was busy. Chi and I got up around 6:30 and started cleaning. We took a short break for food and then back to work. Everything got swept, vacuumed and wiped down. The counters got cleaned off and the pigs cage got new fleece. Happy pig! (Side note - Chi is not happy that snap chat doesn't recognize guinea pig faces...someone get on that!)

We met Mom at the nail place at 11 and then headed back to my house for our Support Group meeting. We missed quite a few faces this past Saturday, but it was still a good meeting. I made chicken nuggets and meatballs in the air fryer. YUM! We talked a lot about goals and what we all want to accomplish. It was a good meeting with lots of laughing.

After the meeting, Mom and I headed to the grocery store. Where I spent too much money. Sigh. Came home and put everything away. At this point, it was 8 pm and I was exhausted. I made Chi soup and a sandwich and we all went to bed.

Sunday - Time Change. Ugh. I woke up far later then I had planned on. I did manage to get the Egg Sausage Veggie Bake made for Will's breakfasts for the week. I sliced up the remaining chicken breasts left over from the nuggets and set them to marinade in lime juice, garlic, salt and pepper. I got laundry started and made sure the dishes were done. Mom got to my place around 11 and we headed to VA to see my aunt. We made it there around 2 and spent the rest of the afternoon with her, heading home around 6:30 pm. Mom made us lunch for the road. Romaine Lettuce wrapped turkey breast with chipotle lime mayo and pickle spears! Holy Crap they were good! I'm going to get stuff to make them for my lunches next shopping trip! We did so good Sunday morning. Munching on grapes and eating our sammiches. Dinner time came around and we really tried to be healthy. No really. We tried to stop at a Subway but there wasn't any parking! So....Cracker Barrel. You guys cant be surprised by that one!

Mom chose her meal exceptionally well. Sirloin steak with baked potato and green beans. She had coleslaw too, but who wouldn't! I did not choose well. Country fried steak, mashed taters, green beans, coleslaw and a biscuit. I had a banana for breakfast. Give me a break. And then...then we had Double Chocolate Coca Cola Cake. And we considered pushing the car the rest of the 2 hour trip home.

Yesterday I did really well. I had ZERO cravings. I was quite surprised. I have been really struggling with cravings lately. Will had made Pepper Lime Chicken and broccoli for dinner the night before, so I had Chicken for breakfast and lunch yesterday! YUM!

I made Egg Roll In A Bowl last night for dinner. Much to my husbands pleasure! It really is one of the best dishes I have found! While I was making dinner, I mixed up a new batch of sausage for my breakfasts this week and put the marinated chicken strips in the oven to broil. I made the sausage in my air fryer this time. Holy wow its good!!

So this morning for breakfast I had 2 hard boiled eggs and sausage. For lunch I will be having ERIAB and I have no freaking idea what I am doing for dinner tonight. I might do something with Shrimp!

So I keep saying that my goal is to get to 259.9 by the end of the month. I have changed that. We are all (Denise and Family are joining us) going to Busch Gardens for opening day on March 24th. I have moved my goal date from March 31st to March 24th. I feel like I can def do that and it would be a huge accomplishment for me! Its 2.2 lbs away. I can do this!

I hope everyone has an amazing week! If anything awesome and amazing happens I will update! If not, I will see everyone next week!

Me and my Mini Me

R3:D6

Current Weight: 267.1

I have so many thoughts running through my head. I am questioning my ability to do any of this. My brain is doing the terrible "Maybe you were meant to be fat", "This is to hard.", "How come other people can eat cheeseburgers and french fries and things smothered in gravy?" "Why can't you just be skinny and beautiful already!?" Thanks Brain. Thanks A Lot.

My last post was on Thursday....I have kind of slipped on a lot of things. Last week I really wasn't feeling well. The Dr's were all thinking gall bladder. Long story short, its not my gall bladder. Had the HIDA scan done on Monday. Gall Bladder is functioning perfectly. Certain foods, like my beloved pineapple, are still setting me off. Super painful cramps, nausea and a nasty headache. My husband is thinking I have an ulcer. I will need to go see a gastro Dr as soon as I get the word from the surgeon.

Friday I don't think was super eventful. We had a Nor'easter come through with a lot of wind. Lots of trees down and rooftop damage to homes. We escaped unscathed!

Saturday was our planned Cheat Day. Will wishes to call them "Indulgence Days". We are planning on 1 every 60 days or so. That morning we got up and went to Cracker Barrel.

What I had:

• Mocha Latte  
• Country Fried Steak
• Scrambled Eggs with CHEESE
• Hash brown Casserole
• 1 Biscuit with Gravy and Butter

We then headed home for me to finish my grocery list and then Chi and I met Mom at Safeway in LaPlata. Chi was not in the right mindset to be out in public I think. I threatened her with murder quite a few times. (relax people I am joking - I would never actually kill her) We finished up shopping and headed home. By this time it was about 2:30. Will asked for Pizza Hut for lunch. 

What we ordered:

• Large Meat Lovers Pan Pizza
• 6 Piece Mild Buffalo Wings
• French Fries
• Pepperoni Personal Pan Pizza (Gwen)
• Triple Chocolate Brownie

What I actually ate:

• French Fries with Mayo (don't judge me)
• 1 slice of Meat Lovers Pizza
• 1 piece of Brownie

While I ate, I was making sure all my monopoly pieces were attached and the codes were scanned. This right here took me a good 1.5 hours.

Around 5:40 we headed over to Denise and David's place to drop off Chi and pick them up! It was Denise's birthday and we were headed to our first Escape Room! We met Deena and Chad up there and had the BEST time! What a cool experience!

Highly Recommend Laurel Haunt! 

https://laurelhaunt.com/

After our Escape Room, we headed back to SOMD for some Cold Stone Creamery Ice Cream! Because "INDULGENCE DAY!" and of course its Denise's Birthday!!! And she had never been to a Cold Stone! That was just unacceptable in my book! 

We dropped them off and headed home around 10:30. It was a great day and an even greater ending! I love spending time with them! They make my heart happy! 

Sunday was tough. I got up and cooked an egg, sausage and veggie bake for the weeks breakfast, as well as the yam, celery root and bacon hash. The veggie bake is not my cup of tea. The texture is spongy. I have a thing about textures. The hash was great!!! 

Hash! Yum! I cooked my yams too long...oops. 

Recipe

Egg, Sausage and Veggie Bake. 

Recipe

I got some laundry started and then headed to VA with Mom again around 11. Spent the day with my awesome and amazing Aunt and headed back home around 7 Sunday evening. By the time I made it home I was pooped. My amazing husband had set his alarm to wake up when I got home so that if I needed to talk he would be there. I heart him.

Monday I went for my test/scan/thing. I wasn't allowed to eat or drink anything before hand so I hadn't taken my meds. My headache was in high gear. The poor guy had to stick me 4 times before he found a vein that didn't collapse on him. That was fun.

I promptly took my meds in the parking lot, called in Chinese Food and went back to work. The rest of the day was pretty uneventful. Monday night I made a delicious new recipe. I stole it from Mom! I changed the snap pea's to green beans to make it compliant. I am telling you, these were the best mushrooms I have ever had!

Shrimp Stir Fry

Recipe

Next time, I will use less cashews, more green beans and more mushrooms! YUM! Even Gwen ate it!

Tuesday was a bit more eventful. I tried Tuesday morning to write and upload this blog entry. But I just couldn't get it done. I feel like a total failure at the moment with the whole thing. The Whole 30, The Blog, The exercise. All of it. I was feeling pretty good Tuesday until I ate some pineapple with lunch. There went my stomach and headache again. Ugh. And then to top it all off, I went to stand up Tuesday afternoon and my knee did something terrible. I couldn't put weight on it or straighten it. I have done this a time or two before, horseback riding can be hell on your knees, and thought like the other times it would loosen up and be fine in an hour or so. Nope. Not today George. I found myself hobbling around the office using an old bent golf club for support. I got home and Will met me at the car with his cane and helped me inside. He then put his knee brace on me and I went straight to work on dinner. I had Gwen help me because I couldn't really maneuver well.

Dinner was awesome, even though I bought the wrong chicken!

Fajita Chicken Wings

Recipe

I was supposed to get those little wings, drumstick things. Nope. I got regular wings. They were still amazing though! A little spicy, but really good. The chicken was moist and tender with lots of flavor!

We cleaned up the rest of dinner around 8 and headed to bed! I was hurting pretty good by then and was hoping I would wake up in the morning and be magically cured....its happened before.

News Flash - Not cured. Sigh. I didn't pack breakfast or lunch this morning. I had to call Janie to come get Gwen. I hobbled out to the truck and drove in to work with my shiny, new to me, cane.

Its not any better. I still cant straighten it. Weight on it is a no. I am headed back to patient first tonight for my follow up on my stomach/headache issue, may as well have them x-ray the knee too.

So my brain is yelling at me.

• You can't do this!
• You are going to FAIL!
• See, every time you try to better yourself you get hurt! Just QUIT!
• You are better off this way!
• You set your goals too high anyway!
• You Aren't/Will NEVER Be Good Enough!

I'm struggling. I'm floundering. I need to get my shit straight. I need to remember WHY I am doing this. I need my brain to SHUT UP! 

I need....to stop making excuses.

R3:D1

Starting Weight - 286.7 lbs
Current Weight - 265.0 lbs
Total Lost - 21.7 lbs

Before I go any further - I have hit a slight snag. Since mid last week, I have been having some pain in my stomach and found myself in the bathroom quite a bit. I sort of figured it was due to stress and brushed it off. By the weekend, my stomach pain was joined with a nasty headache. Again, thinking it was stress, I took some Tylenol and went on about my way. I had things to do! I didn't have time for this nonsense.

Enter Monday. By the time I was on my way home Monday evening I could barely keep my eyes open. My head was pounding. My stomach felt like I was being stabbed. I fell asleep twice on the drive home before calling my husband and asking him to keep me awake. I honestly don't remember much after getting home that evening.

Tuesday was...well. The headache was still hanging in there. My stomach had calmed a bit. So off to work I went. I got to work and had breakfast as usual. The pain in my stomach was back and the headache was full force. This time however, there was now pain in my shoulder blades. Again, I'm trying to brush this off and blamed stress. After lunch, I couldn't bare it any more. I finished what I needed to do at work and headed to Patient First.

Side note - I was super happy on Tuesday because I got to wear a shirt that had been a bit too tight on my arm for the first time in a while. I thought I looked pretty good in it. Good enough to take a picture!

It has pockets!!!! :)

Anyway, I went over to Patient First. The doctor checked me over and told me point blank that there is a big neon sign pointing at my gall bladder. Awesome. She highly suggested I make a trip to the ER. Even more awesome. So, to the ER I went. Because sometimes, I follow directions.

The ER sent me directly back for an ultrasound and then put me in a room. Will and Gwen met me at the hospital. The Dr. checked over the ultrasound and said that he couldn't see any stones or inflammation but he wanted some additional blood work. After he checked me over, he agreed that the signs point to my GB. He point blank asked me if I have a surgeon. My thought in my head was to respond with "I don't carry one around with me, so no." but I refrained. He called a surgeon himself and spoke with him about what he saw/didn't see and the surgeon asked to see me the next day. The blood work all came back normal so I got to go home...and have dinner...

Bouillon Cube Dinner - YUM!

Honestly, I'm not even mad about the broth! It was delicious! Wednesday I went to see the surgeon. He agreed it was more then likely my GB and gave me a referral to get a HIDA scan done. The earliest I could get it scheduled for is Monday, the 5th. Once I get the scan done, I have to go back to see the surgeon for the results. If the results come back that it isn't my GB, then I have to see a gastroenterologist. I was able to eat some noodles on Wednesday for lunch and even had some of my egg roll in a bowl Wednesday night for dinner.

I tried to eat my breakfast this morning and it just made me nauseous. I opted for some grapes and ginger ale. Yes, I know ginger ale isn't compliant, but I'm fairly certain I have a pass at the moment. I am trying to stick closely to the diet though.

My headache today is still hanging out with me. The nausea seems to be minimal as long as I am not in the car. Not sure what about the car makes me so nauseous but I don't like it. The ginger ale helps though.

I was able to get Gwen to take my monthly pictures this morning. Lets see how we did!

1/31/18 Back                                     3/1/18 Back

1/31/18 Front                                3/1/18 Front

1/31/18 Left                                  3/1/18 Left

1/31/18 Right                               3/1/18 Right

Not a HUGE difference, but a difference indeed! I cant wait to see the difference in another month! Especially if I'm down to eating grapes, banana's and broth! LOL! (kidding)

Since I didn't hit my goal of 259.9 lbs by 2/28, I am keeping that goal. 259.9 by 3/31! I am CERTAIN I can do that, and MORE!

My amazing husband, I need to get him to give me pictures of himself, has lost 37 lbs! He looks amazing!

I will leave you guys with a daily dose of cuteness!

That is the craziest looking guinea pig I have ever seen! 

Have a great weekend everyone! See you Monday!