Hi again

Amazing how when weight loss bloggers are gone for a while it's because they gained weight.  I had gained back about 14lbs not handling some stressful things but I have relost it again and some more.  I'm down 42lbs!!!  I have also chosen to stop eating animals in any form.  It's been about 6 weeks and I feel fantastic! 

Here's my little sister and I on her wedding day last weekend. 

I was so happy that day.  Not only was my sister marrying her "Man Friend" finally, my husband was going to come home from spending two nights in the hospital for blood clots in both lungs! 

I wanted to share my new favorite fall recipe, Lentil and beefy crumble Shepards pie with sweet potato top!! Here's what's in tonight dinner.  I love making this to use up veggies from my fridge. 

2c cooked brown lentles

1c beefy crumbles 

1.5 small onions diced

2T minced garlic

3 small carrots cut on the bias 

1 small bell pepper diced

2 celery ribs

1.5-2c sliced mushrooms

1T mushroom stock base

2c cubed sweet potatoes 

Veggie stock

Corn starch 

Light olive oil

Salt

Pepper

Smoked paprika 

Italian seasoning 

1. Preheat oven to 375f.  Boil sweet potatoes in a pot of water

2. Add a small amount of oil to pan with straight sides and cook onion till transparent and then add garlic.  

3. Add carrots celery  and Bell pepper season with salt, pepper, paprika. If anything begins to stick add a splash of veggie stock. 

4. After a few minutes add mushrooms and beefy crumbles stir ass it cooks then add lentils. 

5. In a glass mix cold water and corn starch add that and mushroom stock base to the pan along with some Italian seasoning. 

6. While gravy thickens drain cooked sweet potatoes and mash with a dash of oil and pepper and salt. 

7. Pour veggie mix in 8x8 and top with mashed sweet potatoes and bake for 20mins or till potatoes reach your desired doneness. 

8. Rest 5mins and serve warm. 

Idiot Scale

Amazing how a couple little numbers can make you feel so defeated.  It's been a year since I started Zumba and I'd lost 26lbs and gained by 14lbs.  I don't want to be one of those people to crash/fad diets and bounce back and forth with my weight.  I just want to be healthy, physically and mentally.

I've started taking supplements for my PCOS to help with the physical and emotional issues.  I suffer from acne, male location hair growth, thinning hair on my head, extreme fatigue and depression related to PMS/PMDD.  I swear the more hair I lose on my head it grows on my face and chest.  I've taking 2 amino acids, lots of vitamin D, krill oil since fish oil makes me burp like crazy, green tea.  I'm finding I have more energy but I will report back in a month.

Boating Season

Time to get my tan on!  Celebrating 34lbs GONE with a high waist bikini!!  Spent Sunday afternoon on the lake.  Forecast said it was going to be CLOUDY but the sunshine followed everywhere we went.

Spent a bit of time in the marina putting our new prop on the boat. (or as I explained it to my sister as a "propeller")

I'm 24lbs lighter than last season and couldn't be more excited.  Certainly feels funny to have the cold lake water hit a bare stomach!!


I'm still keeping up on my minimum 3 days per week of Zumba but I need to eat more veg!!

Here's an amazing shot from this weekend.

32 pounds destoyed

Just wanted to update.  I've been doing Zumba about 4 days a week and weight lifting (body pump) once or twice a week since February.  I have switched to a mostly vegan diet for the last 6+ weeks after my husband had a cancer scare (he's fine).

I feel so much better with cutting out meat and dairy except maybe once a week.  It actually felt kind of gross to eat chicken wings today... It's very strange going from eating cheese daily.

I'm down 32 pounds and in a size 16!  Still a 2x top since I carry watermelons on my chest....

Here's a side by side comparison.  On the left is current (230lbs and on the right is 252lbs in December with my foster cavalier king charles spaniel Trudy) 

On my way to my boat/anti diabetic body.

Looking Forward 2015 Goals

Home Life:
- find balance in cleaning and laundry (even if I have to hire someone to scrub my floors)
-Purchase a 2nd income property (duples, triplex, or storefront with rental)

Fitness:
- Lift weights 3x per week
- swim or run 1-2x per week

Nutrition:
- Continue with my Isa shakes and increase them for lunches
- add Primrose and Biotin suppliments
- drink more wanter

Work:
- Quit my day job!
- Help DH build his IT company

Dog Rescue:
- Learn more about training
- Help find more dogs homes

Every Day Battle

I haven't been doing much of anything expect for work lately, and eating out.  Working 10+hours some days.  Still happily stuck around 240lbs even with eating like crap.

I've always had skin that hasn't been clear.  I've never had the issues that some people have but I have a few blemishes at a time and they always leave dark marks behind of my fair skin.  I finally gave in after trying a million different products from the drug stores (natural ingredients and not) and bought Proactive.  After the 1st week I'm impressed, I had tried the original formula many years ago and that just made my skin mad, red, dry, gross.  Tried their new system and very happy with how moisturizing my skin feels along with the slow changes I see in my skin.  I've seen a lot of change with my black heads and minor fading of my dark marks on my cheeks.

I keep going back and forth on eating "south beach" style or just sticking with whole foods.  Working towards whole foods and leaning on the low carb south beach background.

Took this photo with my phone camera today, really can't tell how different my skin is but I love my new hair color.

Moving on down (in sizes)

Yippy I can fit into a pair of Old Navy 16's!  I may have a hugest muffin top but I can get them on and breath.  I stomach fat is very... smooshy... I wounder is some sort of belly band or tank would help with the look...  I also have some Levi's 18th that I can fit in pretty well, can't wait to lose another 10lbs or so so they look nicer.  I was really hoping that I'd lose the weight before my thighs wore though my last jeans.

I spent the day hunting for a mustard yellow cardigan but I had no luck.  I tired TJ Maxx, Target, Kohls, Boston Store... none, nada.  Going to hit the mall and try Old Navy and maybe some of the plus size stores if I get desperate..