It's been a long time ...

I haven't felt like blogging at all. :( I miss being excited about writing and photography. I'm ready to start feeling "normal" again ... whatever that is.

My back is doing better. It's probably about 75% better than it was last week. I go back to the doctor next Tuesday, and he'll determine if I need another epidural or if we can move on to physical therapy. I'm anxious to see what he thinks about my progress.

We decided to extend the Biggest Loser competition at work for another three months. We'll now finish on June 30. So far I've lost 32 pounds! I'm excited about it ... but it's been difficult to stay on track the last few weeks. Whenever I feel crappy I just want comfort food! The good thing is that I've still lost some weight despite not eating as well as I had been. Now that I'm feeling better, it will be easier to make dinner and not eat out so much. And hopefully I can start working out again. I noticed the other day that when I waved at someone my arm kept jiggling well after I had stopped waving. Was that too much information? Oh well! It will motivate me to go to the gym once I'm feeling better.

I surprised Travis last Friday night with tickets to a Texas Rangers pre-season game in Frisco. We had a really good time even though it was freezing outside. The Rough Riders Ballpark in Frisco is so nice! If you like baseball, take your family out there one night this summer. It's so much fun and great for families. Plus, every Friday night they have fireworks.

On Monday, we went to the Rangers home opener at The Ballpark. It was so much fun! Travis had not been to Opening Day before, and he was so excited. George Dubbya was there to throw out the first pitch, which was a strike! It was FREEZING cold outside with strong winds, but our seats blocked the wind, and we ended up hot all day and came home with sunburns. The Rangers won ... in fact, they won again tonight, so they're 2-0 so far! I'll post some pictures from the game soon.

Lastly ... we are still waiting to get final word on our closing date for our new house. As soon as we find out, we'll let everyone know. If you want to help us move (and you know you do!), mark April 25 on your calendar. That's the day we're hoping to move. :)

I'll try to be better about posting more often. Now that I'm feeling better, it will be easier. Thank you all for your prayers. I've felt every one of them!

The Biggest Loser | Day 79

Well, the good news is I haven't gained any weight. The bad news is I haven't lost any either. :(

I've been in so much pain and haven't been able to exercise. I haven't even felt like eating right ... although I did MUCH better than last week!

I'm going to Spine Team Texas today at 2:00 pm. If you feel led, please pray for me. I need them to figure out what's going on so we can start working on a plan to recovery.

The Biggest Loser | Day 70

Blame it on the steroids ... I am.

This past week was insane. I ate everything I could get my hands on. I couldn't stop eating! I was constantly hungry. My co-workers got sick of hearing me talk about how hungry I was all the time ... I definitely know Travis was tired of hearing it!

Last Monday, I went to the doctor for my back (which still isn't better) and for an allergy shot. I got a shot of steroids and she put me on a steroid pack. So, being on a double dose of steroids has made me want to eat non-stop. It's been an absolutely crazy week. I was hungrier this week than ever before. I thought about food all the time, even when I wasn't hungry. I didn't even struggle this much the first week of my diet.

So, I've decided that I'm not going to "officially" weigh-in tomorrow. I weighed at home this morning and, thankfully, I haven't gained any weight. (But I certainly haven't lost any.)

This week, I'm going all out! I'm back in the game. I'm going to be THE Biggest Loser! No more steroids! No more munchies! No more cheating! No more excuses!

It's on!

The Biggest Loser | Day 57 & Day 64

I'm sorry I've been behind on updating my blog.

Somehow last Monday the scale showed that I gained 1 pound. (I blame it all on the scale!) It was disappointing, but I knew I could do better.

Today, when I got on the scale it showed that I had lost 5 more pounds! So, I definitely made up for it ... and this time I like what the scale showed! Yay!

I have lost 26 pounds in just 9 weeks!

The Biggest Loser | Day 50

OK, I'll get right to it.

I lost 6 more pounds last week. As of today, I've lost 22 pounds since we started this on January 5. I am so excited!! Thank you all for your encouragement. The last few weeks have not been as easy, but it helps knowing you're all out there pulling for me.

The Biggest Loser | Day 44

Yesterday was the weigh-in and I gained 2 pounds. I was pretty upset about it yesterday, but I'm not losing the faith. I'm going to lose that 2 pounds and more this week!

The Biggest Loser | Day 38

Quick update! As of Monday (day 36), I lost 2 more pounds. That's 18 pounds so far!

Sorry I'm behind on my blogging. :( As soon as I can get some major projects finished at work, I'll be back to blogging ... and it will be about more than just my weight!

The Biggest Loser | Day 29

Today was a good day!!!! I lost 5 pounds last week! I've lost 16 pounds in just four weeks!

My goal is to lose another 15 pounds in February. I know that I can do it, especially with all the love and support I've gotten from all of you. Thank you for your encouragement!

The Biggest Loser | Day 25

Well, I guess I should have blogged earlier this week, but there wasn't much to say. I didn't lose any weight, but I didn't gain any either. So, we're hoping that Monday will be good news! :)

On another note, I'd like to say Happy Birthday to my Aunt Stephanie and my cousin Doug! I pray the Lord continues to bless you all year long. I love you both very much!

The Biggest Loser | Day 15

I lost 5 pounds last week for a total of 11 pounds so far! I am so excited.

The best thing about this experience is doing it with my friends and co-workers. It's awesome to have such a great support team.

Thank you all for your support and encouragement.

Eating Healthy Can Still Be Tasty!

My friend Erin is such a joy to be around. She has a very fun personality and is always making me laugh. Today she stopped by my office to talk to me about an event she's planning. She and another co-worker have been trying to find a caterer for their events and went to a food tasting party today. As she was describing all of the wonderful food she got to eat she used words like delicious and tasty. It reminded me that just because I'm eating healthy doesn't mean the food I eat has to taste like cardboard. It can be healthy and taste good!

So, I decided to share one of my favorite delicious recipes with all of my blog readers. It's healthy and quite tasty!

Peach-Glazed Chicken
total time: 14 minutes

Cooking Spray
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 pound chicken breast tenders
1/2 cup peach preserves
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 green onion, chopped
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray; add oil, and place over medium-high heat until hot. Add chicken, and saute 5 minutes on each side or until done. Remove chicken; set aside, and keep warm.
Reduce heat to low; add preserves and remaining 3 ingredients. Cook, stirring constantly, until preserves melt and onion is tender. Spoon preserves mixture over chicken.
Yield: 4 servings.

Per Serving: Calories 238 (10% from fat) Fat 2.7 g (sat 0.6g) Protein 26.3 g Carbohydrate 26.4 g Fiber 0.1 g Cholesterol 66mg Sodium 95mg
Exchanges: 2 Starch, 3 Very Lean Meat

The Biggest Loser | Day 9

Yesterday was the big weigh-in at work and I'm proud to say that I lost 6 pounds last week! That's six pounds that I don't have to carry around anymore! Yay!

Is anyone watching Biggest Loser this season? It's awesome! I love that show. It's so inspiring. If you're watching, let me know who you're rooting for.

Gone, baby, gone!

You can thank my friends Kat and Lauren (also my hair designer) for this. They thought a new hairstyle would help keep me motivated to keep losing weight. I think they might be right! ;-)

Here's my sassy new hairdo!

The Biggest Loser | Day 1

Today wasn't nearly as difficult as most first days on a diet. It helped that a bunch of us at work are doing this together. Paul, Kat and I went to Central Market for lunch and most of us ate very healthy lunches. I won't mention who didn't eat healthy (Paul), but I do know that he made a fabulous dinner tonight to make up for his lunch. :)

The funniest part of the day was when we all weighed ourselves. I forgot to bring the scale to work, so we all ran over to the Resource Ministries office and weighed on their big scale. We left on our heavy clothes and boots. Next week we'll take as much off as we can so we can weigh as little as possible. Ha ha!

Travis made dinner for us tonight. It was so good. He roasted garlic and grilled chicken with whole wheat pasta. YUMMY!

I hope tomorrow, and all the other days, are just as easy as this one ... at least when it comes to food!

I Want to be a Loser ... No, I want to be THE BIGGEST LOSER!

The New Year has started, and tomorrow Travis and I start our diet. The Media Department at Gateway, along with our spouses, is starting The Biggest Loser competition. I have decided to take this very seriously. Even if everyone at work decides to give up before reaching their goal, I have decided to keep going. I really want to get all the way to my goal weight. I have also decided that one way of doing that is to blog about it and that way I’m held accountable. It’s not going to be easy, but I’m really looking forward to the challenge.

For those of you wondering, my goal is to lose 115 pounds. Please do not comment to tell me that I don’t need to lose that much. I know how much I weigh, and I also know how much I should weigh. So, let’s just leave it at that. Travis says that he wants to lose “a couple pounds.”

I am going to be doing Weight Watchers along with taking Alli and working out. Travis will just be doing Weight Watchers (or some form of what I’m doing) and working out.

I’m excited to start this journey and hope that you will all help us with encouragement and support.

To start the week off, here’s a picture of Michelle, last season’s Biggest Loser. She’s going to my inspiration this week.

usmagazine.com/news/biggest-loser-winner-i-feel-at-peace