Watch out for added Carbs/Calories in Frozen Drinks!

With summer sometimes comes more temptation with summer time parties and celebrations and everyone drinking slushies, milk shakes and frozen alcoholic beverages in various colors and flavors. It's important to remember how much sugar those drinks contain and avoid them.

 

Alcohol also has sugar in it and can lower your inhibitions and let your judgement slip on just how much food you should eat. It can also cause you to need more food to offset the effects of it as well. Also those who are Low Carb will get intoxicated a lot faster than someone that consumes more carbs due to not having anything to absorb the alcohol. If you feel that you must have some kind of drink then maybe opt for something mixed with Crystal Light instead of a sugary mixer.

Summer Time can also bring discouragement when it's time for an event that involves bathing suits... that's when you need to step back and take a look at your progress and be happy with how far you've come so far and with the fact that you're taking steps to improve your health. Then look for a style of bathing suit that covers your problem areas the best and opt for a cover up or swimming skirt or swimming shorts to go over it if you don't like your thighs etc.

Maxi dresses that gather under the chest are often good choices, knee length summer dresses are good if you like your legs, mesh tops help with those who don't like their arms and the swim skirts and shorts help with those who don't like their thighs. There's a lot of cute coverups out there.

Having a melt down or a panic attack or getting mad at people for inviting you to an event won't help the situation and will only take longer in the fitting room...

I've had a few friends experience this in the past few weeks so I thought a reminder would be helpful in case anyone else was also feeling that way. It also does not help to get frustrated and fall off the wagon either.

Hang in there and focus on the good parts and enjoy your summer. You can't go back and relive the summer and you could be missing out on some fun memories if you avoid pool side gatherings. 

Long Term Sucess/Life Time Maintenance and Rewarding Yourself!

This topic came up in my reply to Melody who's lost 45 lbs in her first 5 weeks on Low Carb and I decided it might be helpful to others as well so I'm going to share it. Congrats Melody! You're off to a great start!!!

As we all know this is a long process and a life time change to improve your health and way of life. To change the way you think about food and not to comfort or reward yourself with food. But it's also important to make sure to reward yourself along the way when you can.

Try get a new pair of workout pants, or a new flattering wrap top that helps you start to see your progress more. Maybe a new yoga mat for doing Palates if you need something low impact and you aren't up for the gym yet. Even go see a movie, but skip the snack counter... eat lunch or dinner before the movie. Get a mani/pedi, have a spa day at home with a friend. Maybe get some new pj's or new undies. Make sure that you at least have one properly fitting outfit so you feel good going places.

I went from a size 56 dress, 8x/9x men's shirt with a 91" waist to a size 18/20 dress, 1x/2x tops so I've had to replace my entire wardrobe several times along the way. It sucked spending the money on clothes, but it felt so good to wear an outfit that fit me correctly. It's also important to get rid of your clothes when they become way too big, or get out the sewing machine and alter them. Because if you keep the bigger baggy clothes around and you start gaining weight you won't realize it in your clothes if everything you have is baggy or stretchy.

I've been wearing nothing but dresses with leggings and boots to work all winter (stretchy clothes). My office was passing around germs and I was busy, never home, not sleeping enough, not drinking enough water and I got a sinus infection that was upsetting my tummy for 3 weeks and then I had the flu that lingered for 4 weeks and lots of extra stress from work. I've still been doing low carb, but not as low as I normally do and I started drinking more Sprite Zero and Fresca trying to settle my tummy and I think it made me feel worse and upset my tummy more from the added sweeteners in the long run.

The scale gradually went up a bit... but I wasn't too worried because I still looked the same and my clothes still fit me.  Then Friday night I went to go put on my "Skinny" jeans that used to fit comfortably and they wouldn't button out of the dryer. I realized that I had not worn them in two months. I sighed and put on my relaxed fit jeans and they fit me snugly... That's my sign that I have to go back to induction level carbs (20 or less per day) instead of having off days of 30-40 carbs per day like I have been doing a lot the past couple of months.

The gradual increases can sure add up in time if you gain 10 lbs one month and 10 lbs another month, you have to catch it before it gets out of hand. I know it's not added muscle weight because I haven't been training hard lately, it's from eating too many carbs for my system. With my PCOS I have to stay at 20 or less per day to maintain my weight and to feel my best. I haven't been working out because the numbness has gotten worse due to excess skin cutting off circulation and pinching my nerve. I'll post more about that later though.

I had increased portions because I was working over time and I would often be at work until 6:30 or 7pm so I started getting bigger salads for lunch to compensate for a later dinner. My salads had a lot of turkey, ham or chicken on them from the work salad bar so I know there was hidden carbs there even though I brought my own dressing. I'd eat half the salad at 1pm, the other half at 4/5pm and then dinner around 8/9pm. But it ended up adding an extra meal to my day instead of it just being a snack. Then some days I'd say screw it, my tummy was already upset so I'd grab a piece of pizza with my salad too. I normally avoided the carbs because they upset my tummy, but it was easier to give in to them when my tummy was already upset.

I'm sharing this with you guys to let you know that even someone like me who's maintained the loss for over 2 years still has to watch it and that we can all have little setbacks, we all have to be careful. We just have to get back on it and watch the carbs and portion sizes to keep yourself in check. Also make sure to drink enough water too and try to get enough sleep... I struggle with the sleep part because I'm always busy with something or my mind is wanting to go go go instead of resting.

Remember the important part is to never give up on yourself, ever! You can do it, because you are worth it!

-CJ

New Winter Coat

A week or so ago I realized that I no longer had a winter coat. My old one was a man's size 6x and way too big now so I gave it away to a lady who could use it in the last car load of clothes that I got rid of. I don't know the lady but someone I do know told me about this lady and her daughter who needed clothes and  both of them are pretty large. They loved everything I sent and the lady who delivered them said they didn't think they had ever owned clothes that nice. I felt bad cause they didn't even get the best stuff, just random leftovers that I didn't give to the other ladies and some older clothes I found in a couple boxes in the basement. But I did give them some nicer dresses, skirts and tops because they wanted to go to church but didn't have anything to wear. It is a good feeling to be able to help others who appreciate it. :)

Anyway, I decided I better get a new winter coat, because I only had my London Fog Trench Coat, which isn't all that thick and more for just wearing to work. (This was the London Fog I got for $30 at TJ Maxx last spring that was normally $150).

 And then my leather jacket which wouldn't really be good in the snow and when it is really cold. (This was also from TJ Maxx and it was either $20 or $30)

I like finding good sales! It makes it not hurt as much to have to keep buying new clothes, but the weight loss, improved health and feeling better is definitely worth it. :)

Busy Busy Busy!

Hello Peoples who read my blog!
I have some info to post about comparing some foods, specifically travel type foods. But I don't have time to post about it right now. I am getting ready for my friends wedding on Saturday. :)


I'm totally not ready, but here you can see my fingers and toes! LOL

 This is a pic of me in a "Juniors" size dress. It was $3.75 on clearance too! This isn't the dress that I am wearing to the wedding. I was just surprised that it fits.

My youngest beagle is super clingy today. Here's my new hair cut, basically the same just get it trimmed. I don't like changing it really, but I do like it longer.

I have to go clean the house and stock the fridge for the dog sitter. I will post more when I get home next week, unless I end up with some down time along the way.

Bye Bye Cute Shoes!

In the process of losing weight my feet have shrunk from a very wide 10 to an 8 wide or an 8.5 normal, but some of the shoes are still too snug, so I know my feet are still wide, just apparently not wide wide. I tried on 8.5 wide in Clarks and Soft Spots and they fell off my feet. But the 8 wide in soft spots fit fine and the 8.5 normal in clarks fit fine too. Anyway, I have a big box full of shoes to post on ebay or give away and this one really cute pair is going to a good friend of mine. I really like them, but they fall off my feet. I never even got to wear them either. Oh well, it is easier to find shoes to fit me now. My feet use to be an 8.5 before I gained weight, so I guess they just went back to their normal size. But not only am I having to replace all my clothes, but I am having to replace all my shoes too.....

My ring size also went from a 8 up to an 11 and it is now a 7, so my hands ended up smaller then they were before.

Moving on.....

.... to a new size :)

I do enjoy the sizes going down in clothing, but every store, every brand is always different and it does get annoying. I just look at it as hey, I started with a 90" waist, so this is definitely better then that!!! I have been wearing the 18/20 dresses from Lane Bryant, but for the pants I was having to wear a 22 to go over my extra belly skin. I was wearing a pair of 24 Columbia jeans and they were really baggy, but a month or so ago they were still tight. I was also wearing a 3x top from last winter about 50/60 lbs ago. It looked ok with the leather jacket on.

But.........
 When I took the jacket off it looked like this.....

The Schwan's man came to the door and I had my jacket off. He asked me how I was doing and I said fine, he said, "You need new clothes". I said "Huh?" He said, "I noticed that your clothes are really baggy, you're doing good". He knew I was losing weight and had asked me how and always tried to get me to buy stuff that had carbs in it and I would tell him no, I can't eat it. So he has asked me more about low carb once in awhile.

The other day I stopped at the vet and the vet tech hadn't seen me in about 2 months and she was like, how much more have you lost??? I said nothing really. She said I looked a lot smaller then the last time she saw me. Have I mentioned that I ♥ ♥ ♥ my strength workout and the treadmill? I'm not really losing more weight right now but I am reshaping, losing inches and toning my body and building more muscle tone. :)

After the Schwan's guy left, I got told to go shopping and get new pants and then I got told about a spend $100 and get 40% off sale, or spend $250 and get 50% off sale at Lane Bryant. So if your stuff rings up to $100 it only cost you $60 and $250 worth of stuff would be $125. I went but was trying to hurry so I could make it home for the Patriot's on Monday Night Football. I was 30 mins late, but they didn't really score much anyway. I got home right as the Dolphins scored, but then the Pat's won so it was all good. :)

Anyway here are my new jeans. They are a size 20 from Lane Bryant, they are snug because of the extra skin, but the 22's were too baggy everywhere else. I will be glad when this extra skin is gone and I don't have to worry about it hurting my back and hips from pulling on me and won't have to worry about infections anymore either. I can get the 14's up over my butt and hips but they are about 4 inches away from buttoning. I won't have any problem fitting into 14's after my surgery. :)

It is odd though because I can't use the size chart for measurements, I would be in a 26 by measurements, yet I have a pair of 26's in these same exact pants and they fall off me completely, like all the way to the ground, not just baggy..... Because of the extra skin, I gotta try everything on, cause it all fits differently. Here are their size charts. These are taken from Lane Bryant  right fit jeans measurements.

I wish places and brands were consistent in their sizing, but I guess some places and some brands accommodate a certain body type and once you find a brand that works for you then you tend to stay with that brand until they change it and you no longer like it. LOL

Cleaning out my closet and helping others. :)

Are you serious about your weight loss???
If you are, then when your clothes get to be too big, like 2+ sizes too big, either get them altered or box them up and get them out of your room!!! Don't let yourself slip up and gain weight back because you kept your bigger clothes and they were baggy and you didn't notice yourself gaining weight again. Sometimes nothing can motivate you like a pair of snug fitting jeans! :)

I have made a few other posts about getting rid of my old clothes. I have shipped out 150 lbs worth of clothes to 3 different ladies who needed it. I still need to ship one box to a lady and I just rounded up even more clothes and took them to be delivered to 2 other ladies.... I never knew I had that many clothes! But clothes that big are expensive and hard to find too, so I didn't want to just drop them all off at goodwill and have them sit there and rot until someone found them, or just get thrown out if a lady that size didn't find them.

This is the last batch of clothes I just got rid of:

These are pretty large bags from Schwan's and there is 5 of them stuffed full:

My closet has never been this empty and it is mostly stuff for work that is left. (But I had bought new work clothes and then didn't get the job so they got too big for me, some of this stuff fits now and some is still snug.)

I don't ever remember my armoire being this empty either, this is mostly my gym clothes and baggy sweatshirts with a few baggy shirts in the bottom that I am wearing around the house for now.

These clothes are for after surgery, but 2 pairs of the shorts fit me now.

1 pair of jeans, 2 pairs capri's, 3 skirts. This is the emptiest this drawer has ever been too. LOL

Me in my favorite new dress. This was one of the ones I got on clearance for $5.99 :)

 I also found a couple long sleeve shirts at TJ Maxx for $5 and $7.

I'm mostly just wearing my gym clothes all the time unless I am going somewhere nice or I wear a dress. I have a few normal tops and bottoms, but it is just easier to wear the gym clothes because they fit me longer having some stretch to them and then having a drawstring to tighten up the waist when they get baggy. I am pretty active these days so I guess it is fitting. But it has been had adjusting to not having a lot of clothes to chose from because I very much have to have everything matching and I have to look nice when I go out in public. Especially being bigger I didn't want to be out and about and look like I was not put together, neat and tidy. I always thought since my size people were going to stare at me so I needed to pay more attention to the details and not give them anything else besides my size to comment badly on. I am also very picky about my clothes too. I am just trying to limit my shopping while I am still losing and find good sales and be selective in the pieces I do buy. :)

The ladies I have helped out with my old clothes have all been very thankful to get them and it makes me feel good to have been able to help others. Maybe some good karma will come my way and I will keep finding good sales on clothes that fit me and find a good full time job instead of just doing temp work...... I can hope anyway! I haven't really mentioned that on my blog, but yes while my weight loss is going on I am also in the middle of a job search and a bunch of other things as well. I am glad I have a lot of energy now! But I am kind of tired this afternoon and I want a nap! LOL

My Red Jacket

I was cleaning out some more boxes of old clothes and I found my red jacket. I think I am going to hold on to it for awhile for comparison. I have been getting rid of so many clothes but I was trying to keep a few things that I had pictures of me wearing before I lost weight. I wish I had more before pictures, but I really hated pictures of myself and mirrors back then. I can't find the purple shirt that I had laid over the bed and it looked like a blanket. I hope I didn't give it away on accident. I do have a blue one just like it still, but I wanted to keep the purple one because I have a picture of me wearing it. If you are currently losing weight or wanting to start losing weight, I would recommend taking a lot of pictures of you from all sides. You will be glad that you have them later on. Sometimes I really don't see a difference until I compare a before pic to a current pic. Anyway here is the red jacket.

LOL.....

Sometimes I don't know weither to laugh, cry, sigh or get frustrated at the constant need to keep re-doing my wardrobe. Just when I thought I had gotten rid of all my baggy clothes except for my Red Sox and Patriots gear I go to put on a hoodie that was tight on me last time I wore it and now it is too big. It was from my smallest point before my accident when I had lost weight the first time. It is a great feeling when your "skinny" clothes are now too big for you. I guess I better double check my old clothes while I am still getting rid of the last bunch of clothes I just removed. Some day the constant getting rid of clothes that are too big will end! :)

I have a picture of me wearing this hoodie before my accident with my Dad in front of me. I played in photoshop and cut him out and stuck him in front of my new pic in this same hoodie, but holding the excess material in the back. It is about a 40 lbs difference but my middle has a lot more definition from my strength workout now. :)

I need to go visit my Dad and take a new picture with him soon!

Old Clothes

I didn't realize there was this much difference until I saw an old pic compared to trying this dress on tonight to see how it fit me now. I was able to shrink it a bit in the dryer because it is a line dry dress, but the neckline didn't shrink and got a bit too low and the sleeves a bit too long too. There is a 50 lbs difference between the two pictures.

I have been sorting out all my old clothes and all of the clothes on this table are now gone! They were sent to a lady who could use them and a smaller portion was sent to a second lady and a few items are being send to a 3rd lady. It was nice being able to send them to people who could truly use them and not just try to re-sell them or have them sitting in a goodwill rotting because no one needed 4, 5 and 6x clothes. This was 150 lbs of clothing that I shipped out......

The table was completely clear and then I filled it half way up again. These clothes here are going to consignment shops or ebay:

The suits and coats in this closet are all going bye bye too:

It really does feel good to get rid of the old clothes and get ones that fit you correctly.

Shopping!

I have had to replace my clothes several times during the process of losing weight. It has been bitter sweet because while I like getting smaller sizes and wearing clothes that fit me right, the money part of it bugs me. I like quality things but I like to be frugal and find them on sale. Everything I have purchased has been on sale or came from TJ Maxx so it wasn't full price to begin with, but even then replacing a spring, summer, fall and winter wardrobe for casual clothes, gym clothes and dress clothes can add up even at clearance prices. Then my feet shrunk from 10's to 8.5's so I had to replace my shoes too. BUT I am not complaining!!! I would much rather have to replace my clothes and shoes then to still be bigger and unhealthy.

Just for some comparison, the jeans in the back were from last spring/summer and the black denim shorts currently fit me now, the jeans in the front with the holes in them are in my goal size. My youngest beagle was helping make sure the jeans didn't move. Notice he even brought his bunny with him..... he is a little pest, but so cute. :)

These are all of my pants and skirts that have gotten too big and fallen off since last fall.

Anyway I went to a 40% off sale and I was looking around but only found a couple of tops that I thought were worth getting. Then one of the sales girls asked if I was finding everything ok, after I turned around she said, "Oh Hi, I remember you" she had helped me once before about a year ago. She kinda looked at me a bit and said, "You have lost a lot of weight haven't you!" I smiled and said yep! I told her I was having trouble finding things because I didn't want to get stuff that would just be too big soon and trying not to spend too much. She told me to check out the clearance section in the back corner of the store and said most of the racks were $9.99 and then 40% off that!!!! The signs said "Clearance $9.99 and up" so the items that said $49.99 I thought were price as marked, but if they had a gold sticker then they were only $9.99. Like this, it was only $5.99 with all the discounts!

My youngest beagle inspecting all the bags.

They had about 8 racks full of $9.99 stuff and then the 40% off that. I found 22 items for $5.99 each. :) I came home with 4 bags full! I have never done that with clothes before ever!!!

All 22 of these items were $5.99 each.

I got 7 dresses, 6 of them in my goal size and one of them for now that ties around the middle so I can wear it longer, 2 pairs of jeans, a pair of capri's, 2 pairs of shorts, 2 skirts, a hoodie and matching pants and 2 other athletic pants, a dress shirt, a long sleeve v-neck, a sweater and a turtle neck sweater all in my goal size. I also got 4 tops, a nightshirt and a pair of pj's in my goal size that were not on clearance but they were still 40% off.

Here are some of the dresses, these are the ones that were originally $69.50 but ended up being $5.99!!!

Semi-Casual Dresses

Dressier Dresses and I almost bought this black one at full price once but decided to wait since I had one similar and didn't really need another one yet. I am so glad I waited and got it cheaper plus in a smaller size too. :)

Red Sweater, was the only color they had and it can go with the black skirt or over the black strappy dress.

My youngest beagle had to inspect everything and by the time I was done putting clothes away I found him like this......

Inspecting and approving all of the new things wore him out!