Good Gravycakes! It's been too long since I posted...sorry! LTRH and I have been sanding and staining floors like it's going out of style and I have neglected my blog. :( On the plus side, my feet now look like the victims of a terrible spray tan.
I have seen the Promised Land! My wonderful mother introduced me to Blissful and Domestic and I am looking at life in a totally different way. This amazing woman feeds her family of four on $14,000 per year. $14,000 PER YEAR!!!!!! Can you even fathom that??? I know what you're thinking - these people have got to be in debt up to their eyeballs. They're not. They're so not. They paid CASH for their house. Blows my mind.
After doing a bit of blogstalking, I learned that Miss $14,000 was not always Thrifty Lady Extraordinaire. Her husband was stationed in Iraq in the military and she would cope with his absence by shopping. Her transformation started with a book. It always starts with a book! Her husband recommended that she read America's Cheapest Family Gets You Right On the Money. She read it and it revolutionized the way she ran her house.
So, of course I bought it and am in the process of reading it. Oh my cookies!!!! I have seen the light now!
LTRH and I are so excited to start weekly (eventually monthly) meal plans so that we utilize everything in our pantry and refrigerator. No more wasting food! Also, budgeting is not scary anymore - it's doable! I am so excited about all the money that we have the potential to save and I can't wait to update you on our progress.
In other news, I am not losing weight yet. I like ice cream too much for that to happen. But I have gotten over fast food! Fast food used to be the seductive temptress that would crook her little finger and I would hopelessly run after her. Not so anymore. It's just not satisfying.
So, what am I doing? I'm eating regularly. I guess that's what you call it. Eating balanced meals (I had 3 bowls of salad last night!) and not depriving myself. I might be going a little too far out of my way to make sure that I'm not deprived, but I'll work on that.
Back in the day when I was in shape (other than round), I ran. A lot. I loved it so much! It kept me feeling good and powerful. Why did I stop? Love makes you do crazy things, people.
Anyway, I've decided to get gently back into running by using the Couch to 5K program. I've heard great things about it. The Color Run is coming to Augusta this fall and I want to join in!
Have any of you used Couch to 5K or any other exercise programs? What did you think?
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
Monday, August 5, 2013
The Great Divorce
Hi People! Life is good on this side of the Mississippi - how is it where you're sittin'? I hope it's just...peachy!
Good friends are invaluable! One of my dearest friends is the illustrious Stacy Emmet. She is like unto a brassiere - very supportive! :) Special friends are capable of reading minds, I think. She wrote this blog post and I swear, she took it right out of my brain.
Like Stacy, I too have gained and lost the same weight...and gained more to boot. It's frustrating as can be, and I didn't feel the support at Weight Watchers that I expected and needed. It felt more like a competition and I hated showing my face when I gained weight. The pressure was intense - more than it should have been. So I got out. Now I'm saving money and one hour per week that I would have spent on something that I wasn't really invested in.
I'm doing my own thing now, and I feel so much better! I'm forcing myself to make recipes (healthy ones!) out of whatever I've got in my cupboards. The other day I made what I call The Fast Food Antidote. I would post pictures, but the meal was inhaled just as fast as it was created.
Here's the breakdown:
Pasta of your choice (I used rigatoni)
3 ounces of cream cheese
Frozen or fresh vegetables of your choice
4 ounces grilled chicken
2 ounces shredded cheddar
Cook everything and throw it in a bowl. Stir, add salt and pepper and there you go! You've got protein, dairy, carbohydrates and vegetables all in one dish! And, it didn't taste too bad either, according to LTRH.
Since moving into the apartment and fixing up the old house, I have had not a single opportunity for exercise, which has been hard for me. I miss exercising - not so much because of how I expect to look as a result, but because I feel so productive.
So maybe Weight Watchers didn't work for me because I didn't follow the program perfectly. That's probably true, actually. But what's important is this: now I have a plan that I feel good about. A plan that I am more likely to follow through with. Success (like perfection) is a journey, not a destination.
LTRH wants me to be sure and tell you that his Weight Loss Nazi duties did not end simply because Weight Watchers is no longer in the picture. He is still very much involved in being my adorable slave driver. :)
And I'll continue to chronicle my weight loss journey - don't you worry about that!
Good friends are invaluable! One of my dearest friends is the illustrious Stacy Emmet. She is like unto a brassiere - very supportive! :) Special friends are capable of reading minds, I think. She wrote this blog post and I swear, she took it right out of my brain.
Like Stacy, I too have gained and lost the same weight...and gained more to boot. It's frustrating as can be, and I didn't feel the support at Weight Watchers that I expected and needed. It felt more like a competition and I hated showing my face when I gained weight. The pressure was intense - more than it should have been. So I got out. Now I'm saving money and one hour per week that I would have spent on something that I wasn't really invested in.
I'm doing my own thing now, and I feel so much better! I'm forcing myself to make recipes (healthy ones!) out of whatever I've got in my cupboards. The other day I made what I call The Fast Food Antidote. I would post pictures, but the meal was inhaled just as fast as it was created.
Here's the breakdown:
Pasta of your choice (I used rigatoni)
3 ounces of cream cheese
Frozen or fresh vegetables of your choice
4 ounces grilled chicken
2 ounces shredded cheddar
Cook everything and throw it in a bowl. Stir, add salt and pepper and there you go! You've got protein, dairy, carbohydrates and vegetables all in one dish! And, it didn't taste too bad either, according to LTRH.
Since moving into the apartment and fixing up the old house, I have had not a single opportunity for exercise, which has been hard for me. I miss exercising - not so much because of how I expect to look as a result, but because I feel so productive.
So maybe Weight Watchers didn't work for me because I didn't follow the program perfectly. That's probably true, actually. But what's important is this: now I have a plan that I feel good about. A plan that I am more likely to follow through with. Success (like perfection) is a journey, not a destination.
LTRH wants me to be sure and tell you that his Weight Loss Nazi duties did not end simply because Weight Watchers is no longer in the picture. He is still very much involved in being my adorable slave driver. :)
And I'll continue to chronicle my weight loss journey - don't you worry about that!
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