Back on the Wagon... Miss Me?

Not that I ever technically left the wagon. I just didn't pay as much attention as I usually do to how much I ate. So, I didn't lose any weight but more importantly I didn't really gain any either -- a couple ounces. I'm not worried about it.

I had a fabulous Thanksgiving. I ate what I wanted, how much I wanted, and whenever I wanted. I had some of everything. But I have to tattle on myself and confess it just wasn't Thursday. I also ate what I wanted, how much I wanted, whenever I wanted of leftovers til Sunday.

With the holiday, 3ft out of school, and my husband having nearly a week off of work my routine got all sorts of jacked up. So instead of stressing, I just let it go. I'm living. Life does that. So now it's Monday and the world is running the way it should: 3ft went to school and husband went to work. I was able to jog this morning, which was awesome. And tonight after I get the kids in bed I plan on playing some Wii, either Just Dance 2 or The Michael Jackson Experience (which is like Just Dance just with MJ songs -- old school, oh yeah).

I also returned to my normal eating habits and feel better for having done so. I ate a lot of chips and other things not quite fabulous for me and it's amazing the difference it makes in the way I feel. No chips today, no baked treats today, just lots of veggies, fruits, and a Turkey Pot Pie creation for dinner.

I took about 2 cups of chopped leftover turkey, with 1/2 cup chopped carrots, 1/2 cup chopped celery, 1/4 chopped onion, and about 3 cloves of chopped garlic. Sauteed them in a pan and then added a cup of leftover turkey gravy. Cooked it until simmering and then put it in a square baking dish. Topped it with about a cup of leftover mashed potatoes mixed with 1/2 cup 2% cheddar cheese and then tossed it in the oven at 350 until it was all bubbly and the potatoes were crusty. Turned out so good. Serves about 4 and around 300 calories a serving. It was a great and healthy use of leftovers. Tomorrow I'm making Turkey Noodle Soup and then the turkey will be all used up.

What are some of your favorite ways to use Thanksgiving leftovers?

Healthy Lifestyle - Day 173

Total Pounds Lost - 58.3

Meals:
Breakfast - FiberOne Honey Clusters w/ homemade almond milk
Morning Snack - FiberOne Granola Bar
Lunch - Leftover Challah Roast Beef Sandwich, cucumbers, carrots, and grapes
Mid-Afternoon Snack - 1/2 a banana
Dinner - Turkey Pot Pie creation

I Know It's Late.

Ack! I'm running late tonight. I have a good excuse. I had to go last minute shopping. I ran out of eggs and needed whole nutmeg so I had to run out and get some. Of course I had to go to two stores because the first store didn't have the nutmeg. Then of course I found a bunch of things I couldn't live without so it took that much longer.

I took another stab at Eggnog. It was bothering me that it wasn't the right color. So I got whole vanilla beans, whole nutmeg, and cinnamon extract which is clear. I used a little less condensed milk and less flour (bring the calories down) and was able to use less egg yolks too. So I'm hoping this batch is good. It looks right which is important.

I also baked gingerbread people today (yes I'm getting ready to do my Christmas baking) because gingerbread is an awesome cookie, lasts forever in airtight containers, and freezes really well. So what the heck, I had my gingerbread out to make gingerbread bears to take to a play date and figured it wouldn't hurt to bust out some people while I was rolling and cutting dough. So I baked 3 dozen people.

I also baked my Pecan Tart w/ chocolate drizzle for Thanksgiving. It turned out so pretty and smelled so good (and I got some on the spatula when I moved it to a cake container so naturally I had to eat it and it tasted amazing). I'm really hoping it makes it to Thanksgiving (cuz you know I might eat it before hand -- but that's okay I have all the ingredients to make another one).

I exercised. Did Wii Fit Free Step for a half hour. I hit over 3000 steps but I don't remember the exact number. Then 3ft and I went on a walk, not too mention all the housework, laundry, baking, cooking, and chasing the ever busy Grumpybutt around the house. I'd say I got enough exercise.

Before I forget, I had a fabulous moment today. It was pouring down rain when 3ft and I took the Grumpybutt over to my friend, Riana's, house for a play date. I was able to fit comfortably in my husband's size L jacket. Oh yeah. I'm loving it. :)

Healthy Lifestyle - Day 167

Total Pounds Lost - 58.3

Meals:
Breakfast - FiberOne Honey Clusters w/ homemade almond milk
Morning Snack - (early lunch)
Lunch - spaghetti sandwich
Mid-Afternoon Snack - (still full from lunch)
Dinner - roasted pork and cheese quesadillas

Thanksgiving Insanity

I'm on a roll.

This morning I did over 3000 steps on Wii Fit Free Step while watching Rachel Rae impress and amaze me with Shnitzle. (I have no idea if that's spelled right) and I also had no idea what it was. She made a beef broth and mushroom soup over egg omelet crepe noodle thingies. She called them something but I don't remember what. While the shnitzel doesn't seem to be anything but breaded and fried meat with anchovies on top (shudders over the anchovies) the soup looked pretty amazing. I also went for a walk with Grumpybutt (taking advantage of the nice weather while we have it) and then took 3ft to the park for a playdate. Not too mention all the trips lugging things up and down my stairs -- so all and all a busy day activity wise.

I did breakfast for dinner tonight for 3ft. Once a week I make him whatever breakfast food he wants for dinner. He opted for Cinnamon Vanilla Pancakes. Now before anyone gets all excited about how fancy that sounds -- it's not. It's Krusteaux's Pancake Mix with a little water, cinnamon, and vanilla mixed in before cooking it. Super easy but super delicious. He smothered those bad boys in syrup and went to town. I didn't even look longingly at his plate (I love pancakes) because I had my Asian Chicken Salad again for dinner. I've got one more serving of it after tonight which will be for dinner tomorrow then I'll have to move on to something else.

I've been watching shows on Food Network about Thanksgiving -- something I really shouldn't do because now I'm adding a Brussel Sprout dish that looked absolutely divine to my list of things I'm cooking on Thanksgiving as well as being reminded about the pumpkin roll I make that I'm going to serve as an appetizer along with marbled banana chocolate bread, finger sandwiches, fancy olives, fancy pickles, layer dip, veggie tray w/ ranch, and chips.

I have mentioned I'm going to be eating all freaking day, right? I can't wait! I figure I can't undo the months of progress I've made in one day. Besides, all my dishes are healthier versions so while I'm saying right now I know I'm going to eat WAY TOO MANY CALORIES (look at my "I don't care" face) it could be worse! So since I've clearly gone insane over this Thanksgiving and can't seem to make enough food to graze on all day, what are your go to Thanksgiving dishes that I can't live without?

Healthy Lifestyle - Day 162

Total Pounds Lost - 56.3

Meals:
Breakfast - FiberOne Honey Clusters w/ homemade almond milk
Morning Snack - FiberOne Granola Bar
Lunch - Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich, dill pickle, and Chicken and Stars Soup
Mid-Afternoon Snack - 1/2 peanut butter and banana sandwich
Dinner - Asian Chicken salad with toasted almonds on Napa cabbage.

Holy Hot Dogs, Batman!

I definitely think I got my exercise in today.

I did Wii Free Step for half an hour -- 3000 steps, oh yeah! Then I went on a 30 minute walk when I went to pick up 3ft from school this afternoon. The Grumpybutt was being fussy and the easiest way to get him to "happy up" is to take him outside. Then this afternoon I went on a 4.4 mile walk with 3ft and the Grumpybutt.

3ft's new glasses came in today. 3ft had the choice of going on a VERY LONG walk or waiting until tomorrow when Daddy could take us. He was so excited and couldn't wait so he insisted he could handle the walk. I asked him multiple times and told him it was super far. He wouldn't change his mind so we went. (Talk about really wanting his glasses!)

He rode his scooter and I pushed the Grumpybutt in his stroller. It took us about 45 minutes to get there. 3ft would switch on and off from riding the scooter and walking (he walks slow). It took us about an hour to get home because 3ft was so excited about having the glasses and new case for them he had to carry it which meant walking. I finally convinced him to ride and we finally made it home.

For dinner, I made an Asian chicken salad with toasted sesame Asian dressing (light), chicken cooked in teriyaki sauce, and sliced almonds on Napa cabbage. It turned out super delicious. But because I missed my snack because we were somewhere between home and the optometrist I ended up having a hot dog with 3ft too. It's totally okay, I buy Chicken Franks so they only have about 100 calories, granted most of them are fat, but I figured after the long walk on top of everything else meant I could handle it.

Healthy Lifestyle - Day 160

Total Pounds Lost - 56.3

Meals:
Breakfast - FiberOne Honey Clusters w/ homemade almond milk
Morning Snack - FiberOne Granola Bar
Lunch - Roast beef sandwich and carrots w/ranch
Mid-Afternoon Snack - (walking)
Dinner - hot dog on a bun, and Asian Chicken salad with toasted almonds on Napa cabbage.

Too Tired, Completely Forgot.

Darn it. I was so tired last night I completely forgot to blog.

Had a pretty good day yesterday. I jogged for a half an hour while I watched cooking shows. Is it wrong that I watch Tyler's Ultimate just to watch Tyler Florence? His food looks yummy too, though, so it's not JUST for him. I was able to jog the whole time and it really flew by. I love being in better shape.

I also did 180 crunches yesterday that incorporated the lower abs by doing leg lifts at the same time and 50 push ups. I was going to do another couple reps of both after having put the kids to bed last night but I was too tired. It was a long day and I'm still recouping from being sick. I can't quite seem to shake this cold completely. It's annoying.

I also did the standard chase the baby and baby lifts. Now that's he's about 20lbs and 10 months old it's actually quite a workout. And let's not forget the torturing of 3ft although yesterday I think it was him torturing me.

Healthy Lifestyle - Day 159

Total Pounds Lost - 56.3

Meals:
Breakfast - FiberOne Honey Clusters w/ homemade almond milk
Morning Snack - FiberOne Granola Bar
Lunch - Roast beef sandwich, carrots w/ranch, and cucumbers w/ Italian dressing
Mid-Afternoon Snack - chocolate banana bread and crackers w/ tuna salad
Dinner - (not hungry)

Baked Goods and Cinderella

I felt better today, but not completely back to normal so I took it easy again.

Well, kind of.

I mopped my kitchen floor, the bathroom floor, wrestled with children, baked...twice, and did 3 loads of laundry. No wonder I'm so tired. I was a busy girl.

I had bananas that were practically dead and begging to be put out of their misery on my counter, so this morning I made Chocolate Marbled Banana Bread. It turned out so delicious. The best bananas for baking are the ones that are practically disintegrated they're so ripe (which would be the state of the bananas I used today). So I made 4 mini loaves (I love mini loaves, they're so cute and you can trick your mind that you're having a lot by having multiple slices for the same calories as one full sized loaf slice). I had to take a picture because I love the way the marbled looks and I'm still all proud of the epiphany about how to do it that I had.

I'm also working on a Gingerbread Sleigh Project. I made gingerbread dough after the kids went to bed and did a single sleigh cutout to see how well it'll put together before I do an assembly line sort of thing. So I made a ka-ton (it's a word, I just made it up) of gingerbread dough, rolled out some and shoved the rest in the fridge for another night. I already designed and cut out the sleigh pieces (I geeked out on that yesterday). I set my shapes on the dough, got a sharp knife, and cut them out. In retrospect, I'm going to bake the dough about halfway next time and cut it out then. The cookies had some expansion, which I didn't even think about (I did mention I was tired) so I can negate that from the final shape by cutting it out after it's expanded but not fully cooked yet.

As you can see, I got distracted and let the cookies get a little more "done" than I had wanted. My husband keeps telling me he'll eat them (he's weird and likes his cookies a little on the burnt side anyway). Normally I'd fret, but this was just an experiment which makes me extra glad I did it as such, because I'd already do things different in the baking process. I'm assured the dough is delicious and tastes like gingerbread (I haven't had any since I don't eat after 8pm). So tomorrow I'll make the "glue" and frost that bad boy together and see how it turns out.

Naturally, my mixer went nuts and spewed dough all over my freshly mopped floor. I didn't have a clean floor for even a freaking hour so after I got all the dishes washed (I cannot stand having dirty dishes in my sink) I got on my hands and knees with a washrag and cleaned my floor again. I felt like Cinderella. Except I already have my "prince". Do you suppose she ever mopped the floors after she "lived happily ever after"?

Healthy Lifestyle - Day 156

Total Pounds Lost - 54.9

Meals:
Breakfast - FiberOne Honey Clusters w/ homemade almond milk
Morning Snack - (early lunch)
Lunch - Chicken Salad w/ ranch
Mid-Afternoon Snack - Chocolate Marbled Banana Bread
Dinner - Mc Donalds Classic Grilled Chicken Sandwich w/out mayo

Cake Invention and Castle Defense

What are these you ask? These are Mini Cinnamon Coffee Cakes and another creation of yours truly. It's a cinnamon infused cupcake with a brown sugar, cinnamon, and oat crumble topping. I filled the cupcake wrappers too full so the crumble isn't solid like I'd wanted it. Next time I'll only fill them half as much and that way it'll "look" more like a coffee cake than just taste like one.

I haven't tasted one yet, but I'm assured they're fabulous by the husband. I made them last night after the boys went to bed and it was too late to eat one. But you can bet your bahooka that I'm going to have one today for a snack. Is it 10 am yet. Cuz that's snack time! Wahooo. I actually made them for my friend, Riana's, birthday. It's on Sunday and she's coming over with her munchkins for a playdate today so since I'm going to be out of town on her birthday she's getting her baked goods today. I gave her a chance to put in an order and she said, "Whatever. Surprise me."

So, that naturally means that I threw caution to the wind, saw the cinnamon oil extract in the cupboard which started calling me. I thought a cinnamon cake would be delicious and then it sort of morphed into the mini coffee cakes. They're a little higher in calories than I usually do, but I blame that entirely on my over filling the cupcake wrappers. I'd have gotten 2 dozen cupcakes if I hadn't been so heavy with the scooper and then they'd have been around 100 calories per cake instead of the 200 these are. Oh well. I'm still having one.

Took the boys to the playground yesterday and met up with Riana and her boys. While her baby girl slept in her stroller she played with the Grumpybutt and I chased around 3 active boys (one of which was 3ft). I got up on the playground structure and defended my castle from the boys' onslaught. I owned them, guarded my castle, and I got a lot of running around in. It was fun and naturally the kids thought it was hilarious and an awesome game to play. I still love, Love, LOVE, that I have the energy to do that with the kids, especially my own. 3ft absolutely adores when I play tag, chase, and rough house with him and I love having the energy and the flexibility to do so. When it comes down to it, I'm doing it for him, the Grumpybutt, and the husband so I can be around a LONG time to torment and torture...er.. I mean love and nurture them.

--Previous Day Tracking --

Exercise - walking, chasing three active boys around a playground, 400 crunches, and 90 push ups

Healthy Lifestyle - Day 150

Total Pounds Lost - 53.9

Meals:
Breakfast - FiberOne Honey Clusters w/ homemade almond milk
Morning Snack - 1/2 peanut butter and banana sandwich
Lunch - Tuna Sandwich, pickle spear, and organic yellow corn tortilla chips
Mid-Afternoon Snack - apple chips and a triple chocolate brownie
Dinner - Spaghetti and eggs (it's a family tradition thing)

Chocolate Victory.

I did it. No sweat. Not even a blip on my radar.

I'm, of course, talking about the ginormous candy bowl filled with Halloween treats -- more importantly all the chocolate (I'm a sucker for chocolate). I had no desire whatsoever to have any candy yesterday even though 3ft had it right in front of me. I even had to open some of them for him and even the delicious smell of the chocolate didn't tempt me. Letting myself have it on Monday seems to have worked quell the chocolate allure. I don't want any today either.

We had another playdate yesterday with 3ft's best friend from school. This one included lunch as well. I can't even begin to tell you how nice it is to have someone else make lunch for me but better still how great it feels to not tweak on what it is they're going to make because of "dieting". I had a delicious roast beef sandwich made even more so because I didn't have to make it and apple slices. Now my friend (because it's not just 3ft's best friend), she knows about my healthy lifestyle (how can she not, I talk about it cuz I'm passionate and she sees me daily) so it could be she caters to that a bit -- I don't know -- but it wouldn't matter what she made, I'd eat it and just balance out the rest of the day with healthier eating guilt-free.

I also made Shepherds Pie last night for dinner. Underneath that delicious layer of cheesy mashed potatoes is ground turkey and lean ground beef, a rich gravy made with low fat beef broth and tomato paste, onions, garlic, lots of mushrooms -- cremini and baby portabella, carrots, and seasoned with fresh parsley and thyme.

It serves 6 and 1 serving has approximately 288 calories and about 6 grams of fat.

It was a huge hit. 3ft absolutely loved it and cleaned his plate. I mean it's basically meat and potatoes with gravy, what's not to love? It's also a great recipe for leftover mashed potatoes with the holidays coming up. I made the mashed potatoes specifically for the dish but I know when I have leftovers this is definitely going to be a go to recipe. I'm already thinking of making one with a turkey twist -- like a pot pie but made in the style of Shepherds pie. It'll be a nice change to the turkey noodle soup that's usually made. Who am I kidding -- I'll end up making both.

--Previous Day Tracking --

Exercise - walking, chased after multiple kids at the playground, 400 crunches, and 90 push ups

Healthy Lifestyle - Day 148

Total Pounds Lost - 53.9

Meals:
Breakfast - FiberOne Honey Clusters w/ homemade almond milk
Morning Snack - 1/2 peanut butter and banana sandwich and hot tea
Lunch - Roast beef sandwich and apple slices
Mid-Afternoon Snack - craisins
Dinner - Shepherd's Pie

They're Heeeeeeeere...

The holiday season is officially here. The fattest time of the year with four holidays that focus on parties, eating, food, eating, family, and...eating. Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years Eve. Am I the only one that thinks that it was poor planning on our forefathers to put them bam, bam, bam instead of spacing them out better over the year?

Normally I'd be worried, but so far I've survived Halloween unscathed. I spent the evening carting around 20 extra pounds, Mr. Grumpybutt the Skeleton, as we walked around the neighborhood trick or treating. I had one Payday fun sized candy bar the whole night. The bowl of candy isn't really beckoning to me too much -- not like it is for 3ft who stands over it, stroking the bowl, and murmuring, "We wants candy, my precious. Yes we wants it. Lots of it, don't we my precious?" Apparently we have the one "bowl" that rules them all. 3ft started off as a ninja but morphed into Gollum once his bucket was filled with candy.

I'm just going to hold on to my key word this holiday season: Moderation. I can have the candy, if I want it, in MODERATION. I can have the cakes, the pies, the food, the treats, all the deliciousness, if I want them, in MODERATION. Plus, I'll make sure that I have a lot of healthy snacks and better for you food around so that I can enjoy it in MODERATION and not have to worry about my waistline as much.

Now that I've achieved my goal of getting down to my prepregnancy weight (GO ME, I even surpassed it). I want to lose another 15 pounds by Christmas. Seems like a reasonable goal -- I have a little over 10 pounds to go (10.1 lbs to be exact). I'm making sure I have a goal so I don't get complacent over the holidays and just promise myself I'll start back up diligently after my birthday (January 1st). A lot of damage can be done with complacency so I'm doing my best to ignore it. Besides if I start thinking, "I can start back up after my birthday" well then that becomes a diet and not a lifestyle, doesn't it? Which goes against everything I believe in. So, I shall put up the good fight this holiday season, I shall lose another 15 pounds, and I shall do it while LIVING!

--Previous Day Tracking --

Exercise - walking, carrying the Grumpybutt around while Trick or Treating, 350 crunches, and 80 push ups

Healthy Lifestyle - Day 146

Only Water - Day 140

Total Pounds Lost - 53.9

Meals:
Breakfast - FiberOne Honey Clusters w/ homemade almond milk
Morning Snack - Slice of Chocolate Marbled Banana Bread
Lunch - Soup and Salad at Olive Garden
Mid-Afternoon Snack - didn't need
Dinner -Tuna sandwich, pickle, and a fun sized Payday

Wake Me Up...

Before you go-go.

Third day in a row of Just Dance 2. Still loving it. I shook it to the Beetle Juice song -- you know the one at the end that Winona Ryder dances to because she like got an A on a test or something? Yeah that one and then you probably figured out I Go-go'd with Wham! I love the eclectic mix of music on it.

I also busted out my push ups and crunches and since the weather was nice the Grumpybutt and I went for a walk before we walked over to pick up 3ft. It's funny, other than the bane of my existence (the push ups) and the crunches, I don't really feel like I'm working out. I know I am because I'm losing weight, and working up a sweat, but I'm mostly just having fun. When the weather turns I'm hoping to get back into the gym to battle it out with "The Walker" and "Sweaty Guy on the Bike" but right now I'm just enjoying goofing around.

I surprised 3ft last night with hamburgers and french fries for dinner. Well he had a cheeseburger. I perfected my patty. I used 1/4lb ground turkey and a 1/4lb lean beef. I added some Worcestershire Sauce, ketchup, sauteed onions and chopped garlic, salt, pepper, smoked paprika, and some grill seasoning. I made four patties and then stuck them on parchment paper and stuck them in the freezer (I do all my dinner prep work during Grumpybutt's afternoon nap so I can just quickly throw dinner together at dinnertime). The patties had a lot of moisture and they were thin so I figured freezing them would help them keep their shape while they started cooking. It totally worked out perfectly. 3ft inhaled his cheeseburger like it was ambrosia. And was super excited about the homemade french fries.

The fries were super easy because I got a Chef's Envy for an early Christmas present. It's basically a mandolin (which I really really wanted). So it cut those fries up in no time and they were all the same size and perfect. I was so proud of them. But the camera's battery was dead so I couldn't take any pictures and 3ft was circling like a vulture so I couldn't wait for them to charge. Next time.

I also made another batch of cranberry chocolate granola bars yesterday. I cut way back on the chocolate and made a more caramel type sauce to mix into the oats and it turned out super delicious. I sprinkled a little kosher salt on the top so it's a sweet and salty type of deal and it was all I could do not to eat the whole pan. We'll see how it is the second day because I'm looking forward to horking down a bar for snack today.

--Previous Day Tracking --

Exercise - 30 minute power walk, 30 minutes of Just Dance 2, 350 crunches, and 80 push ups

Healthy Lifestyle - Day 143

Only Water - Day 137

Total Pounds Lost - 52.9

Meals:
Breakfast - FiberOne Honey Clusters w/ homemade almond milk
Morning Snack - FiberOne Granola Bar
Lunch - Ham sandwich, carrots w/ hummus, and sweet pickles. Split a sugar free pudding with the Grumpybutt and 3ft.
Mid-Afternoon Snack - homemade cranberry chocolate granola bar
Dinner -Hamburger and homemade french fries.

Baking and Dancing

Or more like spasmodic dancing. I sort of just flop and flail around. I have zero rhythm.

I got Just Dance 2 for the Wii. My sister, Brandy, had mentioned playing it with her daughter and how much fun they'd had. I figured 3ft isn't that much younger than the Princess so it'd be a good game for us too. Well 3ft hasn't played it yet but I did. OMG, it is sooo much fun. My husband was mortified to see that Wham was in the play list. Even more so when I made him dance to "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" with me.

We'd just turned it on to check it out and ended up playing it for an hour. I'm going to get 3ft to play it with me today after school when the Grumpybutt is taking his second nap. It's going to be AWESOME! Because unlike DDR (which we only have one dance pad for -- the other one is the Xbox 360 one that I make look like it's hooked into the PS2) it's a two player game and we have two Wii motes. So he'll actually be able to flail right along beside me and actually have it count (he has no rhythm either). He'll be stoked.

Yesterday, I baked Pumpkin Pie Muffins. They turned out so delicious. Today I'm going to make some cream cheese marshmallow filling to pipe inside of them. I think that'll make them EPIC instead of just delicious and at 164 calories a muffin how can you go wrong?

Pumpkin Pie Muffins


Other than that it was a pretty uneventful day yesterday. Well, other than LOSING FIFTY POUNDS!! (Yeah, I'm still stoked.) And the giveaway is still going until Wednesday, so get your comments in on the "I DID IT" blog or on it's post on facebook, or what the heck, just let me know you want to be included and it'll be so!

--Previous Day Tracking --

Exercise - 250 crunches and 60 push ups.

Healthy Lifestyle - Day 132

Only Water - Day 127

Total Pounds Lost - 50.2

Meals:
Breakfast - bowl of FiberOne Honey Clusters w/ homemade Almond Milk
Morning Snack - (early lunch)
Lunch - Ham Sandwich, carrots and hummus, and a sweet pickle
Mid-Afternoon Snack - Pumpkin Pie Muffin and tea
Dinner - Broiled barbecue chicken (homemade sauce), garlic rice, green beans

Willpower for the Win!

I have to brag for a second about my willpower yesterday. One of our neighbors gave the boys push up ice cream pops. 3ft inhaled his and Mr. Grumpybutt pretty much just played with his and got it all over us. But the whole time he was sort of eating it and getting it everywhere, although I was tempted to "help" him eat it, I didn't take a single lick.

You see, I'd already had my sweets for the day and didn't feel like I needed more. Plus, I really wasn't hungry. It's empowering to eat only when I'm hungry and not just because it's there. Moments like that one make me realize I have changed my lifestyle and believe that I can keep doing this forever. It's a fabulous feeling. I'm still reveling in it.

I also realize how much more energy I have. Sure, by the time I get the kids in bed and relax for the night, I'm exhausted. But during the day, I'm up and down and all around. Doing laundry, cleaning the house multiple times because my children insist on messing it up, I'm doing dishes, sweeping, and finding the time to rough house with my kids. It's funny because when the Husband gets home from work we catch up on our days and he always says how much more busy mine is.

I'd gotten chicken out for dinner, but because we ended up playing outside for so long (yes, I couldn't get enough of the adult interaction with the neighborhood moms), I ended up making breakfast for dinner instead of something fabulous with poultry. It worked out. 3ft really likes breakfast foods and my mom had made homemade fig jam so I totally had a bit on my english muffin. I was in jam heaven.

--Previous Day Tracking --

Exercise - 30 minute walk, 250 crunches, and 60 push ups.

Healthy Lifestyle - Day 129

Only Water - Day 124

Total Pounds Lost - 48

Meals:
Breakfast - bowl of FiberOne Honey Clusters w/ homemade Almond Milk
Morning Snack - FiberOne Granola Bar
Lunch - Tuna Risotto, collard greens, and mushrooms
Mid-Afternoon Snack - cinnamon sugar cookie, cranberry scone, tea w/ vanilla creamer, 5 chocolate covered almonds
Dinner - scrambled eggs and a whole grain english muffin with homemade fig jam.