Off the Wagon

I've fallen off the weight loss wagon. Since I have no scale and haven't been to the gym in a few weeks I have no idea what my weight is, but I know it isn't pretty. I try to focus on the goals I have stuck with, drinking more water, walking more, eating organically, but I can't help but beat myself up at least a little for my lack of consistency with the whole process. I suppose there's nothing left to do, but pick myself up, start again with the healthier habits and try again, but I can't help but feel disappointed in myself. I want to get to a place where I look in the mirror and feel pretty. Why is that so darn hard?

Week 6

I did well keeping up with my plan during my actual vacation, but since my return last week, I've slipped quite a bit. My normal routine is off and I haven't been able to get back on track. Hopefully after this week I'll have some order back and can get back into walking regularly. I haven't gotten to a scale, but I know I've gained, I can feel it in my clothes.

Overall a depressing week. My goals for next week are to get back on track and get active again.

Back from Vacation!

I actually found it easier to eat well on my vacation than I thought. The condo I stayed in had a full kitchen so we made a lot of our meals at home and only went out a few times. I did splurge on Thai food one night, but split an entre with my sister and only had 1 spring roll, so I was pretty proud of myself. Now that I'm home and not back in my routine yet, I've slipped a bit, but once Monday comes around I'll be back on my regular schedule again which should help.

I'm so not looking forward to getting on the scale again though!

Salad with Grilled Chicken and Fruit

Grilled Chicken Salad with Seasonal Fruit

Submitted by: Karena Rated: 5 out of 5 by 41 members

Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cook Time: 20 Minutes

Ready In: 35 Minutes Yields: 6 servings

"This salad looks and tastes great and can be varied with the seasons. In summer use your favorite type of berry along with the grilled chicken, and in winter use orange segments (or try dried apricots or cranberries. The dressing is a sweet vinaigrette, and complements both the fruit and the poultry."

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves 1/2 cup pecans 1/3 cup red wine vinegar 1/2 cup white sugar 1 cup vegetable oil

1/2 onion, minced 1 teaspoon ground mustard 1 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper 2 heads Bibb lettuce - rinsed, dried and torn 1 cup sliced fresh strawberries

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Preheat the grill for high heat.
2.	Lightly oil the grill grate. Grill chicken 8 minutes on each side, or until juices run clear. Remove from heat, cool, and slice.
3.	Meanwhile, place pecans in a dry skillet over medium-high heat. Cook pecans until fragrant, stirring frequently, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat, and set aside.
4.	In a blender, combine the red wine vinegar, sugar, vegetable oil, onion, mustard, salt, and pepper. Process until smooth.
5.	Arrange lettuce on serving plates. Top with grilled chicken slices, strawberries, and pecans. Drizzle with the dressing to serve. I cut down on the oil and sugar to make it healthier, or even sometimes use a low-fat bottled vinagrette instead.

Week 4

Starting weight: 163
Current weight: 158

Only another pound lost, but I've been into the cookies more this week, so it was bound to happen. I'm definitely more aware of my portions and portion control and need to work on that more this week. I'm going to Aruba on vacation for a week and I'm terrified I'm going to gain everything back (plus some!). I need to find the strength to be VERY disciplined on my trip and make use of the resort gym and instead of laying on the beach, WALK on the beach.

Vacation

I've been doing fairly well on my weight loss goals this past month and am just starting to finally see some results. I'm afraid my vacation next week is going to completely derail me. My resort has a gym and I'll hopefully be taking some walks on the beach, but I'm afraid vacation eating will get the best of me and I'll wind up right back where I started. I don't want eating stresses to ruin my good time, but I also don't want to come back and have gained back all the weight I've lost plus some!

What's a girl to do!

Weekends

I find it much easier to keep on track with my goals and eating during the week, but when the weekend comes I find myself eating more and being WAY less active. All too often I don't leave my apartment the entire weekend or do anything active at all. I know I'm partly eating out of boredom, but I like having lazy weekends with no plans. There's no reason I couldn't be lifting weights or doing something in front of the TV though. That definitely needs to be on my list of goals for next week.

Does anyone else find that they gorge themselves after returning from the grocery store? Even though I never shop hungry, whenever I return from the grocery store with my various foods I find that I can't choose from all the good food I bought and I end up eating a little of everything! I wonder if shopping a little bit every few days instead of all at once would help with this issue.