The Final Countdown

Alright my wedding is less than 5 months away.

Which means, its time to get crazy.

Crazy with weight loss.

When I explained this to Mr. Gaunt he got all concerned that we need to live a healthy lifestyle and blah blah blah….kidding.

Seriously though, I am so pro-healthy lifestyle it’s not even funny. And I plan to live the rest of my life eating healthy. However I’m setting that all aside to be crazy for 5 months.

I know its cliché, believe me. I have spent so much time internally battling whether I should just be fine with how I look, or I should give it my all to look my absolute best for my wedding. Its pretty exausting…in my head.

And I’m sure there are a bunch of girls out there who think that its absurd and disrespectful to myself and all women, but I don’t care. The only person who matters is me (well Mr. Gaunt matters too, but I’m sure he wouldn’t care if I was 500 pounds, So he doesn’t count) and if losing 30 or 40 pounds before my wedding means I can walk down the aisle feeling confident and pretty, than that’s what matters.

So what does this mean? Well it means I’m going on a DIEt. Yup a strict DIEt, for the next 149 days. I’m not counting calories, I’m cutting out foods, and a lot of them. Here are the OK foods:

OK FOODS

-Grilled Chicken

-Lean Ground Turkey

-Chicken Sausage

-Grilled Vegetables (no starchy ones like corn or potatoes, Yams OK)

-Apples, Bananas, and Strawberries (limited to 1 serving a day)

-Whole Grain Toast (limited to 1 serving a day)

-Quinoa & Brown Rice (Limit 1 serving pre day)

-Non Fat Greek Yogurt

-Egg Whites

-Raw Almonds

-Black Beans

-Honey, Cinnamon, and other spices

-Coffee, tea, and water. (allowing 3 Iced Vanilla Lattes a week…lol)

-Oatmeal

-Popcorn

That’s it. SO obviously it’s no cabbage soup diet, but its all low in fat. Here is the no no’s:

NOT OK FOODS

-Eating Out (At least none for a while, maybe I’ll do an occasional eating out after I get a handle on things)

-Cheese (buh bye)

-Chips, Crackers, Pitas chips, trail mix (or any other “snacks”)

-Candy, baked goods, ice cream (anything sweet like that)

-Fried foods

-Sweetened Bevrages

-Alcohol (allowing 3 glasses of wine a week)

-Pasta

-Butter, oil, peanutbutter

-Beef, Pork, Fatty Fish

-Packaged foods

I’m sure there are a million other off limit foods, but you get the idea. It’s gonna be hard, I know this, but it’s what I want to do. And I believe that all though its deprivation, its in a fairly healthy way.

I’m giving myself until the first of May, mostly to clear out the fridge a bit.

I’m asking that my friends and family be supportive and help me resist temptation. Yah know…dont invite me to go out to dinner. Which I know sucks, but it’s also going to be nice on the wallet, and my waist line.

I’m hoping to update you on my progress as I go along.

The goal is 40 pounds by September 24th.

First Goal: 10 Pounds Lost by June 1st!

Please Forgive

I havent cooked anything worth photographing, nor anything else health related. And to be honest, all I really want to blog about is my life-woes (or non-woes) and my wedding. For this I am sorry that for the next 10 months I may be slightly useless as far as weight loss motivation.

And do I still plan on losing weight for the big day? Well it depends. I spent a good week doing the hunger diet. Oh whats that you ask? It’s where I don’t eat unless I am VERY hungry, and I always go to bed a little hungry. It might seem like starving yourself, but it’s not, I swear I eat. However in 10 days I lost 8 pounds. Yup 8 pounds in 10 days. Wanna guess how many days it took me to gain back? Ok I only gained back 4 pounds, but as you can see I can drop weight and pack it on like its my job! Ha! So I really feel like its futile. I know I eat healthy. I eat when I’m hungry. I make good choices. I don’t work out at a gym, but I have a pretty labor intensive job (for instance last week I was harnessed onto a moving platform 20 feet in the air, where I had to hold a cordless circular saw to cut down a 50 foot wall for a 45 minutes!). I don’t know. I mostly wanted to lose weight for the dress, but over the last few days (and after a dress trying on Hell) I realized that I DO want to look and feel like myself. I want to be comfortable and happy, not stressed. And so I may continue to work on it a little, but I’m going to give a good effort in not stressing. I’m also re thinking my entire feeling on dresses, even lowering my previous budget of **trying to find one under $700*** to insisting on spending less than $250!

So that’s that.

The holidays are coming up! This is nice and not so nice. Again its hard for me to get excited when A. I have so many other plans and things I’m focusing on (especially financially) and B. I’m not with my family. However they are here, and its our first “engaged” Christmas and our last “Not-Married” Christmas so I want to celebrate!

Mr. Gaunt and I have decided to get each other undergarments for Christmas…lol! Seriously. We both are in dire need of all new underwear, socks, undershirts, camis and bras. So that’s what we are getting each other! Lots and lots of underwear! Whats not to like? That way we are buying useful things and not stuff we don’t need. We are moving AND getting married so purchasing other stuff seems silly right now.

We are doing Thanksgiving at Ms. G’s house again. It’s always a good time of cooking and sitting on the porch and drinking Champagne. She’s already planning the menu, and has some amazing Kale recipes in the works! I’ll be making pies, because I like that.

Mr. Gaunt’s Birthday is the 28th, and I want to get him a new portable DVD player. I think I might (for the first time ever) attempt to hit up Target and maybe Best Buy on Black Friday to see if I can’t get a good deal. I don’t have to work that morning, so why not? Im also hoping to get a dinner party at a restaurant planned for his actual birthday, since it’s the big 3-0 and all.

Lastly I have ordered some pieces to put together little surprises for my bridesmaids that will go out next week…eek! And I have a graphic designer working on a quote for all of our paper wedding goods (invites and such) that I will get tonight. Fingers crossed I can afford it!

Last but not least I leave you with a few recipes to remind you how diverse and amazing Kale is! Use it in your Holiday meals!:

Kale Pesto Spread (click the photo to go to the recipe)

Chinese Noodles with Kale and Mushrooms (click the photo to go to the recipe)

Mashed Potatoes and Kale (click the photo to go to the recipe)

Vegan Sweet Potato, Corn, and Kale Chowder

The Thin Is Coming Back IN!

This backside is getting smaller!

Oh yes my friends, this blog was once dedicated to getting skinny (in a totally healthy non-vanity sort of way) before it became all about cooking, weddings, and my relationship ups and downs. Not that you all don’t love to hear about that stuff too…lol! But the blog once had a purpose, and a very successful purpose…SEVENT FIVE POUNDS of purpose. And now she is BACK!

To catch you all up on my weight, I have gained between 7-10 pound since my lowest weight. Meh whatcha gonna do? I have no shame. I hit my lowest weight almost 8 months ago and have more or less maintained that weight….go me! That is without Weight Watchers and without the gym.  Basically I eat healthy enough to maintain my weight without doing much physical activity.

I guess the weight loss stopped when I quit weight watchers, quit obsessing, and started my clean eating. In the last few months though I have loosened up on some of my rules, rules that were important and that need to be put back in place!

NO DRUNKIN CAKE EATING!

YOU EITHER BUDDY!

1. No sugary Alcohol drinks. I’m not opposed to alcohol, it’s a part of the socialization scene and it can be fun. The problem is the SUGAR! Margaritas, vodka cranberries, pina coladas, all full of sugar. I need to reinstate my strict Vodka and diet tonic only.

2. no eating after 7pm. This can be hard, but I get off at 2:30 so I shouldnt let the lax.

3. Drink only water and maybe tea. Again pretty much all beverages are shit and sugar. Water is the best.

4. Nothing Fried! Ever, that’s just stupid. No fish and chips, french fries, nada!

5. Snacking is for veggies. I have to remember to keep my hand out of the chip bag. I have no self-control after I have one.

6. Veggies should be the main course. 3/4 of your plate should be veggies, not meat or carbs.

7. No beef or Pork. I find this limits my meat intake, which is always best.

8. Biggest meals first. Big breakfast, medium lunch, small dinner.

9. Small healthy snack always packed. Otherwise you will eat you own face.

10. EXERCISE!!!!!!!!!! Ugg.

So those are the big things I have slacked on. Not a lot, just a little here and there. But breaking those rules have only brought back 10 very VERY unwanted pounds. Booo.

my favorite shirt of all time!

Its my birthday this week and I’m doing a lame “LAST HURRAH” and letting myself have sushi and cake and not work out. However this will ALL END monday morning! September 13th is the start of my “Skinny Bride” “Healthy Weight” “Healthy Girl” plan. I’m even starting a new weight loss progression chart over there ———>

And weigh in will be Friday Morning, just like when I use to go to weight watchers. I will weigh myself in front of Mr. Gaunt and he will force me to write it down.

So how much more do I want to lose? 50 pounds. Yup 50, in 12 months! That’s 4.1 pounds a month and 1.04 pounds a week. that is so do-able!

Mr. Gaunt wants to lose 35 pounds in the next year. That’s 2.9 pounds a month and .7 a week. Again he can do it!

For my birthday I’m getting new tennis shoes because mine are shot. Mr. Gaunt and I have big plans for working out that I plan to hold him to! Mostly running or at least walking 5 days a week, or more.

So there yah go. If you don’t see me post again on this in 2 weeks YELL AT ME! because I’m serious! I’m gonna FINISH getting Skinny!

PEACE OUT!