Dieting Again Are We?

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So THIS will be happening in about 97 days.  Yes, I have a countdown going on my calendar.

My sisters decided for Lent they are going to work out at least 5 days a week.  I jumped on the bandwagon.  I'm leaving on my NKOTB cruise in June so I need to start toning and not just losing weight.

I've committed to burning 200 calories a day in cardio - so far I've chosen to do that by doing the elliptical and then strength training with weights alternating arms and legs.  So far I did it for the past three days - woo!  This is actually a record for me.  On the down-side, I have not lost weight yet.  It's a bit discouraging BUT I am giving this strategy until the end of Lent.  I have to keep in mind that I've lost 45 pounds already so it might slow down in the weight loss department.  I hope I can keep it up with this added exercise though.  

Ugh, very sore today in my inner thighs.  Tuesday I did these exercises where you lay on your back and bring your legs straight up and then slowly spread them back in to a wide V - as wide as you can go - and then back up to where they touch again.  I did that 100 times.  Wednesday I was barely sore but Thursday and today I am very sore.  

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This weekend I flew to Dallas to visit one of my sisters and to see JK, affectionately known as my hubby (when not in the presence of my real hubs of course!)  

I've posted this pic in my other blog but I haven't in this one yet so of course I am going to post it now.  I got VIP last summer and met Jordan in the first picture on the left.  The bottom left picture is a picture I took the same night with my sister right before we met JK.  The picture on the right is from this weekend, 45 pounds and about 7 months later.  

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I can't really call this a before and after photo set.  It's more of a before and during.  I'm down 45 pounds and wanted to commemorate the last couple weeks.  I gathered several dresses and skirts that no longer fit me to take to goodwill.  It was hard finding a full body shot for me before picture.  I was a ninja at hiding my body and only choosing the best angle to put myself in the most flattering position.  

That being said, I do like that in my before picture I didn't let my size get in the way of enjoying myself.  I was self conscious about it, don't get me wrong but I didn't let it stop me from dancing with my dad in the hotel room.  Haha, in truth we were doing a happy Crispy Pata dance.  It's just us, doing a silly dance because we were so happy we were about to go to a Filipino restaurant to eat Crispy Pata which is a deep fried ham hock.  

[pullmeoutofthiscoma]

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Going through a little Ddub love.

[liseysolisey]

Oh Donnie

[pullmeoutofthiscoma]

Oh. My. GOD!! I think I’m gonna cry! :’D

[nineuno]

jordan knight “broken by you” and “tender love” on piano at mojoe’s in joliet, il january 27, 2012 (by JKsAngeyRae1)

So glad someone got these.  I was on the side of the stage and was blocked by a pole. 

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These are not cruise control friendly but I did what I could to cut back.  The picture on the top left I used turkey lil smokies and reduced fat croissant dough. The top right picture is not diet friendly at all, haha, full fat Velveeta cheese with rotel, the middle left picture are steak kabobs with taco seasoning (a lighter fat option instead of ground beef tacos).  The middle right pic is not diet friendly either but I had to have classic spicy wings for the Superbowl crowd.  The bottom left picture is taco dip.  I used 1/3 fat cream cheese and light sour cream but I'm afraid that one is off limits to me tonight.  The bottom right picture is the NOT cruise control friendly tacos, also for the Superbowl crowd that is not dieting (it seems like it's only me that is dieting here tonight, haha.)

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On the left, my inspiration pic of my at my goal weight. In the middle, where I was at my highest.  On the right, where I am now..  Haha, my weight may change, but apparently taking pics on my "good" side and my penchant for holding my head like that does not change.

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I went in for the orange ones but got the blue and the green ones too!  I'll be colorful this spring.

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On the left is Essie's Mango Bango.  I wore it to match my red and orange outfit today.  On the right is Essie's Cocktail Bling, which I just got done painting. I liked Mango Bango but it felt like a vacation, good for a quick trip but it's not for every day life.  Cocktail Bling feels like home, well, if home is modern and elegant.

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So that was my dinner last Monday night.  Believe it or not, dinner was ready in less than 20 minutes!  I got a spinach and feta stuffed salmon roll from the seafood counter and baked that along with the mushrooms (drizzled with garlic oil and balsamic) and then heated up some pureed butternut squash.  

The butternut squash was new for me.  It was from the frozen food aisle.  I've made it fresh, cut up, and baked, but never pureed.  It was good but I feel like the squash could have been better. I think I need to read some recipes to see how to properly spice it.  

Anyway, dinner was super simple and super quick!  I loved it but C needed some carbs - poor guy is always hungry without it so I toasted him some garlic bread. He's a trooper, wanting to eat what I eat to support me during my never ending diet. He's from a main dish, 2 veg, and 1 starch plus a slice of bread kind of family, so sometimes I can tell he wants a little more.  I try to have a carb-y side for him every once in a while.  

I think I might try doing Meatless Mondays.  I always read about it on food blogs and I like alliterative things.  I did Taco Tuesday for 3 months til I got sick of my low carb version of tacos but I'll save that for another post.

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We weighed Mr. Stokes and he's 26 pounds, he's going to be a heifer!  He's already grown a ton since we got him 3 weeks ago when he was 15 pounds. Gotta take more pics while he's still a little pup.

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I know, that's a HUGE picture of my eye.  I'm known for my eyeliner.  Well, for always having eyeliner on anyway, haha. I could never do the winged eye though.  Try as I might, it would always look like a 5 year old drew it on with a black crayon.  Then I came across this link: https://skinmagonline.wordpress.com/2011/11/17/cat-eye-liner-using-scotch-tape/ and I tried it.  Scotch tape works!  I used liquid liner that comes in a pen form and then filled in a little with a pencil eyeliner.  I LOVE it!

Hubs said I looked like it was Halloween but I know he really meant to say high fashion and beautiful ;)

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Grilled steak, sliced and covered with a harissa/mayonnaise spread . Harissa has a vinegary, peppery, tomato taste even though there's no tomato and just a little heat. One of the best new recipes I've tried in a long time. For hubs I put the sliced steak on a bun with lettuce, tomato, onions caramelized with butter and made the spread by mixing Hellman's (the only mayo in my opinion) harissa, green onion and chopped sundried tomatoes. I made myself a salad and used the harissa spread as a dressing and added the steak, tomato, raw onions (my preference) and sundried tomatoes in to the salad.

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Cruise Control inspired dinner tonight!  Dry fried Shrimp.  You stuff shrimp with a mixture of garlic, oyster sauce, harissa, green onion, dried onion, vinegar, lemon juice, curry powder and a few dashes of sesame oil for the flavor.  You put the shrimp on a dry screaming hot pan and sizzle for 2-3 minutes on each side. These shrimp were so big I only needed 4 of them and a simple side salad with oil and vinegar before I was stuffed (just like the shrimp!)

What do you think?  Would Danny approve?  Is this Standard! Bam! worthy?

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What a difference a year makes!  The picture on the top left is my Christmas card picture for 2010.  The picture on the top left is the 2011 Christmas card.  The picture on the bottom left is from Thanksgiving of 2010.  The picture on the right is September of 2011. 

Every time I think that I can't tell that I've lost weight, I go back and look at my pictures from Before.  I categorize my life as BEFORE July 2011 and AFTER July 2011.  That is, coincidentally, the same night I met Jordan Knight for the first time. I jokingly call this my NKOTB Diet but really, it's played a larger role than I anticipated.  Several songs from The Block and Unfinished are on my work out playlist, my weight loss "end date" is the day the NKOTB cruise begins, and I started this whole diet the day I met Jordan Knight.  I didn't start the diet because or for Jordan.  I started the diet because I lost a few pounds because I was so happy that month.  I got to see the NKOTBSB concert 3 times, I met one of my idols, I got to see my sisters and best friend and have a lot of fun.  I never thought it was possible to have so much fun that eating didn't matter to me but those few weeks the pounds melted away. I realized that it wasn't that bad and decided to really go for it.

It's scary how easily I forgot what I looked and felt like before losing weight.  I'm officially 40 pounds down now with my ultimate goal 36 pounds away.  I remember getting to the halfway point, 38 down, 38 to go and that was a big day for me.