Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Week 5

Today is weigh-in day. Excited to announce that I am down 20 lbs. Technically, I maintained this week because I didn't blog about last weeks weigh-in, but I am gonna count this week as a success. I was discouraged because the weight doesn't seem to be coming off as quickly as I would like but while I was shopping with my mom this weekend I picked up a five pound bag of flour, then I picked up four of them. When you have an absolute to measure the amount, it seems like a much bigger triumph. Another indicator is the fact that I have never felt better. I didn't even realize that I felt terrible. Being tired and sluggish was just something that I was so used to, it became the norm. It wasn't until I started feeling good that I understood just how bad it has become.

I feel as if my soul is lighter, as well. I am becoming more at peace with, not only my body, but with myself. I am stripping away the armor that I put in place years ago for self-preservation, because if I wouldn't let you in, there was no way you could hurt me. Thank the Lord, there are many people who saw right through my facade and showed me that there was much more to me than I gave myself credit. They didn't just see Laura the fat girl, they saw all components of who I am. They were able to see who I truly was even when I couldn't. There are many words that would describe me: funny, crazy, smart, witty, quirky, compassionate, adventurous....unfortunately the word I chose to define myself was Fat. Not anymore.

This journey continues to be one of the most difficult things that I have ever done. Every single day is a struggle. Every day I have to make the conscious decision to make healthy food choices and incorporate exercise because it does not just come naturally. I wonder if it ever will? It's about taking one day at a time. I work towards existing goals and I continue to add new goals each day. Side note: Nichole and my quest to conquer that awful hill in Red Cloud continues. I still get winded and am unable to talk/breath during  that portion of our walk and my brain can't process complex thoughts for at least 42 minutes after, but it is getting a little easier each time.

I am still enjoying the Nutri-system. I love the simplicity of the program. A few nights a week, I try to cook some meals because it isn't realistic to remain on the program for the rest of my life. I am eventually going to have to cook healthy meals all the time. Tonight, I made a low-fat cheeseburger pie. I got the idea from a meal that was served at work and tweaked it to make it so I could eat it. It was also filling. I am a "more bang for your buck" type of girl and if you can get a lot of food for not a lot of calories or fat, I am all about that. Plus that fact that it was pretty damn delicious didn't hurt either.

Here is the recipe I came up with:
 
1 # ground turkey ( I got the 97% fat-free kind)
9" frozen pie crust
ketchup
mustard
onions
pickles
 (I used baby dills and chopped them but any kind will work)
roma tomato
fat-free shredded cheddar cheese
 
Preheat oven according to temperature directions on pie crust (350 degrees). Brown ground turkey, drain. Put ketchup and mustard in bottom of pie crust (approx. 2 tbsp each), place browned turkey over ketchup and mustard mix. Add 2 cups, FF cheese. Onions, pickles, and tomatoes. I put ketchup on the top of this as well before baking. Bake for 35-40 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before cutting.
 
Next time I make this, I think I am going to try to make a Swiss Mushroom Burger Pie. I think the ingredients can easily be rearranged to meet anyone's favorite burger preferences.
 
 

I am enjoying researching different recipes. You can basically make any recipe healthy with just a few slight changes. I think the challenge of this is what is keeping me intrigued. I like learning new things and this helps me to feel more in control of this process.

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