THE WEEK AHEAD - Picking Up Where I Left Off

184/185/135

Sorry I missed the past couple of weeks. I just do not spend much time on here when Bob is home. Then the final weekend he was home, I caught his headcold. So when I would have been back in here catching up, I was stuffed under the covers with cold meds trying to shake the stuff before a big travel weekend and concert that had been planned since November!  All came out good and I'm back to work.

My sister and I try to do a 'sister weekend' at least once a year. Sometimes we get in 2. And we always eat at Red Lobster. It's just a given.

Last weekend we spent a couple of days in Paducah KY. I took her to see the Celtic Woman performance. Red Lobster before the performance, iHop (which I rarely eat) Saturday for breakfast. I ate part of a short stack plus sausage patties and smoked sausage links. Then Chinese on the home. Sikeston China Buffet is the only place around here I can get Peanut Butter Chicken.

All in all - I only gained a pound. I'm not thrilled I went up a pound, but I am not disappointed either. I could have gained a lot more.

In January I bought a Rebounder /w bar at Play It Again Sports. I have yet to really try it out. I ordered a work out video today. The reviews were from older people - my age and up and most of those having had recent knee surgery or have bad knees. I'm looking forward to trying the Rebounder program out.

I also broke down and bought an arm band for my cell phone. I have to keep my cell phone within range of my Traxx step tracker. So we shall see if this thing will work for me. I've had the arm band on and the feeling of having it on my upper arm is going to take some getting used to.

Bob is gone for another 1.5 weeks. I'm in protein/ vegi mode and trying to get back into the Metabolism Phase again.

Enjoy the Journey!
Kelly
184/184/135

THE WEEK AHEAD- Learning Curve

184/184/135

Another Challenge period has come and gone with the hubby. While he did not lose/ gain any weight during his three weeks out, I managed to lose 3 pounds - winning the $100. The last I may see for awhile as there is a job shift in our future. A shift that I was sure would have him stress eating during his time on the boat. I was very proud of him for not gaining.

And that 3 pounds I lost?  Back on within 2 days of him being home. I have discovered the secret...

Stop eating out! (This said as we have to do that again today)

However, I do need to clarify. When we eat out, we usually bring half of our meal home. I can appease myself of the price if I know I'm getting two meals off my plate rather than one. The other thing is that restaurant portions are much larger than they need to be. You can order smaller portions... like a 7 oz sirloin as opposed to the 16 oz T-bone.. but even that 7 oz is almost double what a traditional protein portion should be.

When hubby is on the boat, I hardly leave the house. I eat on my schedule and the foods I like... some of which he does not.

So, while that 181 looked really good - the 184 I showed on the scales this morning, not so much. The yoyo is back. But now that I know what the issue is, I hope to change things

The other thing is I've gotten the living room back in order so I can use the treadmill again. I'm giving the treadmill a test run to see how my knees fair. If that becomes an issue I will concede and sell the machine. The other thing is we finally have room downstairs to set up the Total Gym, so that is an option.

What does your week look like?
Remember, what ever you choose....

Enjoy the Journey!

THE WEEK AHEAD - February 9

What a game yesterday! If you are a Carolina Panther's fan, I am truly sorry. The best team won. Could I say that if I were not a Bronco fan? Yes. I believe in good sportsmanship and as a Bronco fan I am always embarrassed at the way Aqib Talib behaves. He is constantly getting called for 'unnecessary roughness'. Usually, after a play is made. I swear this man is lookin' for a fight and someday, someone is going to answer the call. Does he not understand that our youth are watching these games and learning by example? 

Okay, my rant about yesterday's game out of the way I have two more comments to make... Pictures are worth a thousand words...

Whatever Peyton Manning's decision, I am proud that he has been a part of the Denver Broncos. Today, in his honor, I ordered one of these...

And this is where the whole 'weight loss' part comes in. Because I could not try the shirt on, I ordered a men's XXL. Traditionally, I only wear a ladies 1X but no two manufacturers seem to size the same. Do I want to wear a XXL? NO! But then I do not want to wear a 1X in ladies either. 

With diet issues discovered last year, I'm making some adjustments. Adjustments are not easy. And with finances changing within the house, those adjustments will be tested. So I hope, in the coming weeks to show comparisons in being able to eat healthy without spending a small fortune. It's a fact that American's spend way too  much money on food anyway - and a lot of what we purchase is tossed in the garbage. 

In the words of Earl Pitts... Wake Up America! 

I was going to get on the Wii this morning and start that process over. Somewhere between drinking my morning coffee and waiting for Bob to check in, I lost all momentum to do anything. I even took a nap. Not that I was tired, just putting my head on a pillow seemed like a good idea at the time. I know I will pay for that choice tomorrow. We always pay for the choices we make.

Time to make better choices.. and 

Enjoy the Journey!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Hey everyone!

Just a quick check in. Still trying to get a routine down. I have some changes coming to the blog over the next couple of weeks.

I am starting the year at 183. I did beat Bob on the December weight-loss challenge, which allowed me to pocket $100 towards my summer travels. I would really like to make a trip to Colorado but I know some weight has to come off if I'm to deal with an altitude I've not been in since the 1980s.

I've also become enamored with a show on Food Network called The Kitchen. One topic that has me intrigued is 'Meatless Monday'.. apparently a hot trend.

So stay tuned...
In the mean time, share your 2016 plans for Enjoying the Journey!

THE WEEK AHEAD

I found this on MorgueFile and thought how pretty! I've seen places like this through the Ozarks and Virginia.

Autumn is slipping away here in the Ozarks and thoughts turn to comfort foods. Soups mostly for me, but I'm also looking ahead to the holiday baking. I'm not a big cookie person but when Christmas time approaches, I want to bake up a storm and I have a few favorites that I only make during the holidays... treats.

If you do not know, I am a writer by trade. My job as a freelancer is what has kept me away from this blog. I see I have three of you who visit each morning and I thank you. I am blessed.

So over the remaining weeks of 2015 I will be posting here and there. Right now I am taking part in the annual National Novel Writing Month Challenge. This is my 9th year. So when I'm not doing the day job of promoting musical artists and working the freelance gig, I am working on my latest novel... the 2nd in my Branson trilogy.


For the week ahead I will be striving to stay on task. Money is a great motivator. Bob is off on the boat and we are on our weight loss challenge. Except we have decided to up the anty... Instead of the usual $100 to the winner, we've decided to roll over the $100 neither of us won the last time out. So this time the pot is worth $200! That would look nice in my travel money bank for 2016.

His biggest challenge is while he does not have an official cook on the boat, he does have a deck hand who likes to cook - from scratch! LOL Bob said he will limit his portions. Last time he had a deck hand who liked to cook, he gained #6.

I have it a little easier. I eat lots of stir fry while he's gone and plenty of protein. After a recent Glucose reading scare I'm really trying to watch my carbs.

So there you have it. Bear with me and I'll get things back on track.
Love the Journey!
Kelly

RECIPE WEDNESDAY - Burrito Bowls

Today's recipes is one of the easiest to make. Very filling, delicious and had a variety of ways you can serve this. 

Another Pinterest recipe which came from iheartnaptime  One Pot Burrito Bowls is like 7-layer burriot in a bowl and is a keeper in my Pinterest Recipes book. 

Two ingredients her recipe calls for that I left out of mine were chicken stock and rice. While the rice would stretch the dish and be more filling, I opted out of the starch and went straight for vegie. Also, if you leave these two items out plus the ground bee, this makes a great vegan recipe.

I used twice as much ground beef because I'm just a protein lover. You can serve this in a bowl, use it as a burrito filling, lettuce boats or scoop chips. Great Football Party dish!

RECIPE WEDNESDAY - Shrimp Tacos

While I had the shrimp out I thought I'd double up on recipes and meals. I saved out about 20 of the shrimp from the package and just tossed them in a teflon pan with a little butter-flavored olive oil (Spritzed) and a couple Tablespoons of Taco Seasoning. I thought I might have used too much seasoning but was pleasantly surprised.

I spread a bit of sour cream on the inside of each Spelt Tortilla added chopped Romain Lettuce. I divided the shrimp up between the two shells and sprinkled a bit of fancy shredded seasoned cheese on each. Very tasty. Also very quick. 

What's on your menu? Share a link to your favorite recipe.

Enjoy the Journey!