No More Yo Yo... I Mean It!

When Dan was in Iraq, I got a job working for LA Weight Loss.  A job that I was sure I was too heavy for... I just kept thinking why would anyone want to take weight loss advice from me when I need to lose more than a few pounds?  Well, they hired me anyway and I was so excited to start because I couldn't wait to learn how to eat healthy and then help other people who were just like me... struggling to eat good food and still lose weight.  

The job was not a success for me for many reasons but the diet was.  I lost about 30 lbs and felt great!  I kept the weight off for a few years, fluctuating up and down here and there.  Then, I got a job in an office as opposed to retail.  Then, I got pregnant.  Then, I got depressed.  

Now, I'm right back where I started so many years ago.  Now, the obstacles are different since I'm a stay at home mom.  Now, I can't really afford to pay a weekly membership to have someone monitor my food diary or for the special food that makes the diet tolerable.

And now, my husband is following my lead.  He went to the doctor today and was told his blood pressure is too high.  No doubt because of our fantastic ability to always be out during lunch or dinner resulting in a lovely fast food meal.

Now, after all this time of mentioning losing weight, I'm dedicating myself to actually doing it.  I'm tired of feeling uncomfortable in my own skin and would love to have more energy.  We've been making little tweaks here and there but have a terrible habit of rewarding ourselves with food.  

Next week will be rough though.  Dan's parents are coming this Friday and visiting for a week which means lots of day trips and probably lots of eating out.  My first goal is to plan and make some healthy desserts.  My second goal is to eat a salad because I just learned that salads can actually taste good.  They can, I SWEAR!  

I never knew it, but I like spinach way more than I like lettuce.  To me, lettuce was just a filler for a salad and did nothing for me.  Spinach, on the other hand, is yummy!  Especially with strawberries, feta cheese, almond slices and balsamic vinegar... delish!

I know a lot of people are probably just like me and have a hard time finding meals that are simple, tasty and healthy.  During one of my many searches, I came across an awesome site.  Gina's Skinny Recipes contains recipes for just about everything, only they are healthier versions.  Her goal is to make weight watcher friendly meals, so it's great for anyone out there who counts points.

Most importantly, everything I have tried so far has been fabulous!  Tonight we had the Turkey and Black Bean Enchilada and I loved it so much that I'm substituting it for the lasagna I was going to make next week.  I'm an Italian girl, so that definitely says something!

I am desperately hoping that I'm strong enough to stick with my plans for next week because this extra fluff needs to go.  With that, I leave you with a joke I heard on Facebook today:

I figured out why I'm so fat! The shampoo I use in the shower that runs down my body says "for extra volume and body". I'm going to start using Dawn dish washing soap. It says "dissolves fat that is otherwise difficult to remove."