Derailed Train Has Been Set Back On Its Track

Hallelujah!!!!!! My weight loss train journey..which was recently derailed by a "throw all caution to the wind" trip to Floriday with my hubby..IS BACK ON TRACK! We left for Florida on January 17th, were there for one week. Between January 17th and Saturday February 20th, I managed to put back on 8.6 pounds! Yeah...that is a lot of cake, cream cheese frosting, valentine's day, my birthday, Superbowl party....it was fun while it lasted. However I will tell you that by Saturday the 20th, I really felt horrible. Bloated, pants getting tight again, weeding through the clothes that I had just recently put away. So I decided that Sunday was my official re-start, get re-focused day. I started my 2 day LA Weightloss detox. I lost a total of 7 pounds in 2 days. The detox isn't anything crazy that makes you go to the bathroom like a colon cleanse. Basically for 2 days I eat meat, green veggies, and I drink this fruit Take Off drink 4 times a day. Losing 7 pounds in 2 days tells me that most of the weight that I had gained was water weight gained mostly by all the sodium and sugar I was shoveling into my mouth.

I already feel like I have more energy, even though I am actually sick right now. My asthma has been acting up with a little bronchial flare up I acquired after both of my sons have been battling sickness the last 3 weeks. I am optimistic that I am going to beat the sickness without going and getting a bunch of steroids and meds that I will be addicted to again.

On a side note: I still don't have a computer of my own. Right now I am using the churches laptop, because our associate Pastor who usually has it is gone for a couple of weeks. It is a slow dino. I don't know when I will have a computer of my own again, but I am hoping it is soon. I do have 2 money jars that I could drain, one for Vacation Fund, the other is Furniture Fund. Oh, and the $658 I spent to get all 4 tires on my van fixed and my windshield replaced...didn't help matters. Boy, this living with a budget deal does have its ups and downs. It will all be good in the long run, when we are young and debt free. I can't imagine what bondage people have to live in that live paycheck to paycheck to live in huge houses, brand new cars...etc. Although I would love a new mini-van with Sto & Go storage, heated seats, a CD player, DVD players for the kids...driving around in my van that I payed cash for is comforting. Having our school loans paid off, a breath of fresh air. Having our credit cards paid off, unbelievable. Knowing that the only debt that we have is our home....relaxing. Yes, still we require a hefty paycheck to make our ends meet, but that is because we are putting money into retirement and college funds, and sending extra to have our house paid off faster, building up a savings so that we don't have to be in constant fear of the furnace going out, or the need of getting new tires for our vehicle. Fear doesn't control us.

Well, enough ramblings for one morning. Need to scrounge up something healthy to eat for lunch!

Nameless Muffins

Today I made random muffins from scratch, without a recipe. I started adding stuff...and couldn't stop. The following items are what I grabbed and threw in:

1/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes

1 cup of multi-grain oatmeal

1 egg

about 1/3 cup of unsweetened applesauce

a little more than a dash of cinnamon

about 1/2 cup flax meal

approx 1 Tablespoon of flax oil

1/2 tsp of baking soda

1/2 tsp of baking powder

about 1 cup of flour (would have preferred to use whole wheat flour)

pinch of Morton light salt

1/2 cup of Splenda 1/2 sugar blend

a squeeze of honey

a spoonful of Nutella

About 5 shredded baby carrots

a dash of pure vanilla extract

Pretty much everything but the kitchen sink.

Mixed it all together. Put them in greased muffin liners in a muffin pan. Sprinkled a little sugar and coconut over the tops of the muffins. Baked for about 15 to 20 minutes. It made 12 full size muffins.

The outcome...they were good! The ultimate test taste pass was when Xavier liked them! He, of course, is the pickiest eater of all times. He can sniff out onions, garlic, and "green things" in food from a mile away.

If and when I try them again, I may replace the shredded carrots for shredded zucchini.

This picture was taken with my camera phone, so not the greatest.

If you make them, or something similar...let me know!

Oh...and...I need a name for my invention. Any suggestions?

Peeling the Layers, part 2 go here for part 1

**If you would like to go back to the beginning of my weight loss blog journey, go here. On the original post is where I will be updating and tracking my actual weight loss amounts. If you missed my first Peeling the Layers post, go here.**

On Monday after I left my first consultation, testing, and half work-out at the gym...I went straight to the grocery store to purchase $230 worth of healthy food. Boy, eating healthy can sure be expensive...if someone figures out how to do it for cheap, let me know.

I was doing fairly well. I know from my LA Weightloss days of dieting that you should be able to get most of the groceries you should eat from the outer aisles of the store. You walk in, go straigh to the produce section, you walk a little more to the meat section, and then around the other side is the dairy section.  Of course you have to to the inside aisles for a few items, but really not much. I was going about my merry way doing fine. I zoomed past the chips aisle. Ohhhh, I love chips! Zoom onto the meat aisle...and there..BAM...out of nowhere is this cute little unsuspecting little old man. He has a handheld basket, which he quickly walks up to me and shoves in front of me and says..."Did you see that!? Thirty-Nine cent chocolate milk! Can you believe that? You have to get some, I mean...it's thirty-nine cent chocolate milk!" I politely nod and suggest that yes, that is a great deal. Now....do I drink chocolate milk? Rarely. Do I like it? Sure. Was I thinking about chocolate milk before this man bombarded me? No. Did I crave to the point of salivating chocolate milk more than ANYTHING for the next 15 minutes after he was gone?? YES! More than anything I wanted to drink a nice tall glass of ice cold chocolately milky goodness. I would have drank it right out of the jug! BUT, I persevered! Got through the moment, and felt so much better for doing so.

That's all for today, off to keep on moving! 

**Thank you for following my journey, I am doing this for myself. Not my kids, not my husband (although they will directly benefit from this)...I have to do this for myself. However, if I inspire a few others along the way, my motivation will increase surely! Please tell me about your own struggles. If it isn't weight loss, what is it?**