Why does this always happen to me...

Almost 2 years ago, when I was just about to reach -50 on my weight loss journey...I got pregnant. I was very happy, and excited because I thought I could continue to lose weight while I was pregnant. 

And I could have....

But I failed.....

...failed miserably. 

Instead of losing weight I gained 15 pounds. I dropped that pretty quickly after Harmy was born, but then in my post pregnancy days of sloth and adjusting to 2 children, I gained 20 of it back. It took me a year to lose that again. I found my body had changed and the weight (which has always been slow to come off), was now clinging to me for dear life! 

But come off it did, and about a month ago I got back down to 264. I was once again approaching that -50 mark! Excitement began to mount. I increased my workouts to 5 days a week! I was eating healthy and losing 1-2 pounds a week! 

Then it happened. Yup. I got pregnant again. It wasn't unplanned, but since we've been trying for several months, I wasn't exactly expecting it either. But I REALLY wasn't expecting what came with it. My first 2 pregnancies were fairly easy. I would get nauseous but never threw up. 

Not so this time around. 

The upside to being sick all the time is that I didn't feel like eating anything. The down side is that I was usually too sick to work out, so probably didn't lose much fat during that time, and fat is what I really want to lose! But my weight has dropped to 259, and I am now sitting 4 pounds away from that -50 marker. It's not much to lose, but......

it's Christmastime.....and that means eating. 

Goodies are everywhere!!! And we've been baking for work and church. It's a dieters nightmare! AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

.......

I have regained my composure. 

After I started to feel better I also noticed something else. When I ate sugar, or anything sweet, I got a horrible taste in my mouth and felt funny. I wish I could be more specific, but I'm not really sure how to describe it. Not nauseous or dizzy, but somewhere in between those 2. It happens when I eat certain carbs too. As a result, I am trying to eliminate sweeteners such as sugar, honey, maple syrup, etc. and cut down on processed carbs. 

You would think feeling this way would help me control my cravings for sweets, but it hasn't. I look at that cookie, and I tell mysef, "Marie....if you eat that cookie it will make you sick. You will terrible. Do NOT EAT THAT COOKIE!"......

Then I eat it. 

What is wrong with me?

This is what I am struggling with right now. Getting those sugar cravings under control, make sure I get enough water, and get a LOT of protein and vegetables in. I've been having serious cravings for meat, which isn't new; I always crave meat when pregnant. Unfortunately it's usually for bacon, hamburgers, and sausage. Really salty things. 

Please pray for me as I attempt to continue to lose weight while I am pregnant. Don't worry, it's doctor approved :-P I'm really that fat. 

I love this macaroni and cheese!

Okay people! This Baked Macaroni and Cheese recipe is originally from EatingWell, but I have made some changes that suit our family and have pleased everyone that has tried it. It still uses cheddar cheese, so it isn't low calorie. But it replaces butter with cottage cheese, (BRILLIANT!) and uses low fat milk and whole wheat pasta, making it a much more wholesome and nutritious version of the beloved classic.

I recommend checking out the original recipe and reading the comments. This is a great basic starter recipe and easy to adjust to your own taste.

Just don't add butter :-P

First let me tell you my changes from the original:

1. The original recipe calls for regular plain breadcrumbs. I have tried regular breadcrumbs, crushed crackers, and Panko breadcrumbs on top of the casserole. I liked the Panko crumbs best. 
2. SPINACH: The original recipe adds frozen spinach in with the casserole. I think I might like the casserole with spinach in it, but my picky eaters actually prefer fresh, raw veggies. So I leave out the spinach and serve it with a fresh baby spinach salad or raw broccoli. 
3. Nutmeg: The original recipe calls for nutmeg. I'll be honest, I haven't even tried it. Maybe some day when I just have to cook for myself I'll give it a go, but I used garlic the first time I made it and my family loved it. So, I just kept the garlic instead of nutmeg. 

Topping: Mix these together and set aside. 

• 3 TBLS Panko Breadcrumbs
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1/4 tsp paprika

Casserole: 

• 2 cups whole-wheat macaroni
• 1 3/4 cups low-fat milk, divided
• 3 TBLS all-purpose flour
• 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1 cup low fat cottage cheese
• Dash of Garlic powder
• Pinch of salt
• Ground pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 450°F and put a pot of hot water on to boil (for pasta)
2. Sauce: Heat 1 1/2 cups milk in a large saucepan on medium until steaming. Mix 1/4 cup cold milk and flour in a small bowl until smooth. Add it to the saucepan and stir quickly until it the sauce thickens a bit. (It will thicken even more when you add the cheeses, but I don't like to let it thicken too much or the casserole ends up rather dry). Remove from the heat and stir in the cheddar until it is completely melted. Stir in the cottage cheese, garlic powder, salt and pepper. TASTE IT, and continue to season until it is to your liking. 
3. Cook pasta for about 4 minutes. Don't overcook it. Drain it and mix in the sauce. 
4. Pour it into a 2 quart casserole dish and  sprinkle the Panko crumbs over the top. 
5. Bake it about 25 minutes, until the cheese bubbles up the sides. 

That's it! It's a very simple recipe, but it tastes AMAZING. Hope you and your family enjoy!

Love, 

Rie

Urgh! Ugh! OUCH!

Yeah, I'm sore tonight. But it's a good sore. I finally got a day with my workout buddy. She's doing great! She's up to an hour 3 days a week, which makes me feel very sheepish. I'm still at 30-40 minutes 3 days a week. And even then I usually don't get in all 3 days.

Which is probably why I weighed in this morning and have gained 4 pounds. I hate the 260's. At this point I just want to be below 250!!!! That's not a huge leap, but it seems whenever I get down to 263 my weight starts climbing again.

So today we agreed to meet every Friday to workout and encourage each other. This is so important when you are trying to lose a lot of weight. It takes a long time, and if you don't have someone you can get together with and recommit every week, you will have a very hard time reaching your goals. This is the lesson I've been learning lately.

Today we decided to up our workouts to 5 days a week. I'll continue to do the bike Monday, Wednesday  and Friday. And I'll be adding Yoga (just the basic stretches) on Tuesday and Thursday. I'm hoping this, along with religious calorie tracking, will help me get past this plateau and into the 250's before the holidays hit. It is also really important to workout regularly and eat consistently through the holiday season so you don't come up on the new year 10 pounds heavier.

Other areas of our life are going well, though. Homeschooling is going fantastic! Little Meme is picking up her letters and sounds really fast, and she's even started "drawing" her letters in Sunday School :-P Harmy keeps us smiling and both entertains with their singing and dancing.

I hope everyone that happens by will have a great and healthy weekend!

What's Important?

This is a question I've been asking myself a LOT lately. At each stage in my life it seems the polite answer is different. But up till now, I think the real answer would have been myself. I was my all importantness (that's a word, I just made it). My own dreams. My own desires. My own passions. Even my niceness to other people was motivated by a deep and long ingrained desire to please others and have them approve of me.

And even though love of self is not what prompted this long and very tedious weight loss journey, it is what prompted the start of this blog. It's also what prompted me to spend a ridiculous amount of time typing on this blog, designing the layouts, networking, and browsing other blogs.

While the most precious elements of my life played on the floor by themselves.

So some things have changed. I don't game online anymore. I'm not looking for an income. And I have all but stopped blogging. In fact, the computer is kind of a boring place for me right now. But the more boring the computer becomes, the more joy and delight I seem find in my real life.

MeMe has started preschool (homeschool) this fall, and Harmy is walking around getting into everything. I'm still losing weight, but at this season, being a part of their lives takes priority over blogging about what's going in mine.