Getting my Gravy Back!!

So, when Travis and I first started dating he asked one of his friends/family members what they thought of me. Now you have to remember that in high school I was 117 pounds, had long blonde hair, etc. The person responded with something like "well she looks like she is all gravy, but does she have any mash potatoes?". Trav told me about this years later and for some reason it has stuck with me. I think that the mash potatoes referred to anything with substance such as intellect, personality, character, etc and the gravy was referring to something physical or sexual. Well, for the past 10 years I have been trying to prove to people that I had lots of mashed potatoes. I completed an advanced degree, bought a home by my 21st birthday, drove nice cars, got a good paying job, became the president of clubs, was involved in church activities, etc. but while I was doing all those things...I let my gravy go. Well, this post is to tell you....that....

I AM GETTING MY GRAVY BACK

The other night I was going through pictures from the last year and I stumbled upon this one taken in January. Wow! That was enough to go get me on the treadmill. Seriously? Oh, my! I actually printed this baby off in an 8x10 and posted it on the fridge. I know that the month of December is going to be hard. I am busy making goodies and I am busy taste testing them too. However, if I can lose any weight in December I am going to be happy. I think the average American gains 3-5 pounds between Thanksgiving and New Years so if I can lose some I am going to be very proud. I must admit that I am looking forward to the new year. Not because I want to start another resolution but just to start fresh and have the holidays behind me.

My niece Ashley is getting married in late March and we will probably go to her wedding. We are going to try! My goal is to lose 25 pounds. Hopefully I can do it in time. It is an aggressive goal. The wedding is 13 weeks away and 3 of those weeks are in December. So really I have 10 good weeks. As we know, I have had a hard time losing 2-3 pounds a week as of lately but like I said, I do think the new year will help with that. I will probably see the person that made that statement 14 years ago and I want them to see that I still have some GRAVY :) 2011 is the year of my gravy train!

Last week I only lost a pound but at least I am back to my pre-Thanksgiving weight and that is something to celebrate! And...look at all the progress I have made since January of last year when that pic was taken. This journey may not always go as fast as I would like it to but it is a journey in the right direction. I promise to re-paint my toes for the next weigh in...they look terrible!

Am I Fat?

I was talking to my friend the other day about taking Hudson to this big waterpark close by, Splash Country. She chuckled and said that I should go because it would be a big confidence booster and I'd feel skinny when I left. This week in the news Tennessee was listed as the fourth fattest state in the nation with an obesity rate of over 30%. Wow! I am sure it is all the fried foods and the southern comfort foods such as biscuits & gravy that are catching up to people's waist lines. I have to admit that I have never had a biscuit & gravy and I have only had fried chicken a handful of times. I've never had fried okra and only tried fried green tomatoes. When I tell people this, they look at me with dismay...like I am really missing out on something.

Growing up in California which is actually one of the fittest states I was never served these types of food. I had cold cereal, an english muffin or a bagel for breakfast. My family never really had hot breakfasts such as homemade french toast, pancake or eggs & bacon. Occasionally we would have waffles or eggs and bacon for dinner. As a kid I wouldn't even eat pancakes. I am getting off topic...

As I read this article about the fattest states it reminded me of a radio cast I had heard on NPR telling a similar story about the obesity rates in the south. They interviewed people and asked them to describe people as obese. Most people states above 300 pounds. What? I am a 5'3 female and I think that sadly I am still considered obese at 170. The show focused on how people sometimes don't realize that there is a problem when all the people around them have the same problem. It made me think back to my friend's comment about splash country. Here I am, still overweight but if I went to splash country and saw all the people there that are overweight and sporting their skirted swim suit how I would all of a sudden feel skinny. It makes total sense to me.

I think that is why I think its good to have a strong base of friends and family members with common health goals as you. This holds you accountable and can keep you on track. I'm not saying that you shouldn't have friends that are overweight; how sad would that be. I am so thankful for all of my friends no matter what size they are but I am glad that I have those that bug me for my weigh ins, ask me what I am eating and want to go workout. Without them I would be lost on this journey. I just think that it could be really easy to not realize that you have a problem if everyone around you has the same one. That puts those of us that live in these fat states at a disadvantage already because the normal here is just an illusion and not a good picture of health.

Do you wonder if you are overweight? Click here for a BMI calculator. BMI is not a perfect prediction as we know that muscle weighs more than fat however it is pretty accurate for the typical, average person.

The Whole Package

Even though I was and still am overweight I always did pride myself on trying to continue to have a fun hair cut and good make up. I used to say that when all you had left was your face you better at least make sure that it looked good. We have all heard the saying "I'm fat, you're ugly...I can lose weight". I never really felt ugly I just felt disgusted with my body and thought that my weight was all that people could see. My face got rounder and it was harder to find hair styles that didn't accentuate it worse. Also there was someone on the inside. I have always been pretty confident about myself and I felt like I really couldn't shine in that shell.

I hate to admit it but my while I did my hair and make up I let other things go. I didn't really care how I dressed because I could never find any cute clothes and I didn't really want to shop at stores like Lane Byrant or Torrid; always in denial that I needed to go to those stores. I settled for clothes at Walmart and Target. Now don't get me wrong....I still love Target and I find really cute things at Walmart sometimes too. But seriously it was my whole wardrobe. I had friends that shopped at stores like TJ Maxx, Marshalls, Down East Outfitters and other discount stores and found the cutest stuff. Yet as I scoured the clothing racks all the cute stuff was for thin people (mostly size 10 and under, some size 12 and under) and the only things in my size were huge moo-moo dresses and old lady grandma suits.

I was not good at taking care of my skin either. I washed my face with a baby wipe and rarely put lotion on my legs or arms. I didn't care that my legs looked like alligator skin; I was never going to be wearing a bathing suit or shorts anyway. Speaking of my legs, there were also points that I went weeks without shaving them. This is where you can all be like...yuck! I promise that I still shaved my pits every day. Lol. :) But seriously, I just didn't really care.

As I lose the weight it is interesting that subconsciously I have started to take better care of myself all together. I haven't even really thought about it, it just has happened. I think when you feel better about yourself you put in more effort. This summer I have been shaving my legs almost every day, applying my gradual tan lotion to my legs, soaking my skin up with moisturizers, and following my skin cleansing regimen on my face. I haven't been scared to put on my swim suit and lay out and get a little sun, yet I always wear 30 spf sunscreen to help prevent skin cancer, I have to brag that I am a pretty nice bronze color these days.

I am all together feeling better about me. Putting the whole package together. These are the things that other people may not notice, I know you weren't feeling my prickly, dry legs....but I notice. I am sure that Travis probably notices too. He truly is the greatest and knows how to love unconditionally . He loved me just as much when I was 252 pounds barefoot and pregnant with unshaved legs. He deserves more though...it has been fun to get my gravy back! I have been discouraged a little that this journey has taken me a little longer than I thought. I have been working on it for a year now but today as I was getting ready I was grateful that it has been gradual. I think by losing weight this way it will be a permanent, lifestyle change. It has also allowed me to get in better shape and build muscle. I think that when I do get to my goal weight I will look a lot better than if I had just lost the weight quickly from starving myself and losing muscle in the process. It has helped prevent lots of extra sagging skin, so far I don't have that so I am hoping that my skin continues to shrink with me, thankfully it still has some elasticity to it.

Here is to feeling great and looking great...it is a long journey, but I will see the finish!

Fun in the Sun

Well the last 3 days we have been swimming and it has been so fun. I love to swim! The bad news is that I haven't been on the treadmill. I have a feeling this might be an interesting week for my weigh in. I have been doing pretty good in regard to points and staying on track with the eating. I have figured out what my problem is though. I love to snack. Now I am much more conscious about what I put in my mouth. A handful of doritos, a packet of fruit snacks, the crust from Hudson's sandwich, etc...I used to eat these things all the time with out even thinking. Today I was talking with a friend about pre-dinner eating. You get home from work, you are starved and then it takes 30 minutes to make dinner. So you snack as you make it and then still eat a full dinner. It is all those little choices that have been sabotaging me for years. When I think of myself, I don't see a glutton, someone that goes to Chuck-O-Rama on Saturday night for multiple trips to the smorgasbord. I rarely eat fried foods and I even get disgusted when I see people cover their food in butter, gravy, etc. I always look at them and think "you deserve to be fat..I dont". But we all have our vices and while mine seem small to me, looks like they add up. This week, I have noticed that I am snacking more. While I am staying within my points I could be making better choices that would me much better for me nutritionally. This week is my goal to plan out some healthy snacks, portion them out and stay on task. My mom gets here Tues, so I am working on my menu and going grocery shopping. I think as long as we eat most meals at home, we will be okay.

So tonight is "Moms night out"...it is where about 20 ladies from my church and the community go out to eat. We are going to the Olive Garden. This works out good for me. Since, I worked there about a decade ago, I am still pretty familiar with their menu. I already have it all planned as to what I am going to eat. One serving of salad, no bread sticks, and the lunch portion Linguini ala Marinara. It is 310 calories, 4 grams of fat and 5 grams of fiber. It is 6 points and since I really want to have salad (a whopping 9 points), that is about my only choice. I also love the Capellini Pomodoro it is 480 calories, 11 grams of fat and 11 grams of fiber. However, it is 10 points but a good alternative if you would like the minestrone soup in place of the salad. I plan to just drink water; maybe I'll take my slim and sassy oil to add to it!

Can't believe that I have to go back to work in just over a week. I am planning to enjoy this last week in the sunshine, boating, a trip to Dollywood and lots more swimming. The good news is that with me only working 3 days a week, I'll be able to still enjoy our nice, long summer here in East TN.