Asian Chicken Salad & Update

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups thinly sliced Chinese cabbage (3 greens)

1 1/2 cups shredded iceberg lettuce (1 1/2 greens)

108 grams or 1 1/2 cup lettuce leave (1 1/2 greens)

1 TBSP reduced sodium soy sauce (3 condiments)

12 oz chicken breasts, cooked and shredded (2 leans)

6 TBSP walden farm sesame ginger dressing (3 condiments)

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine Chinese cabbage, shredded lettuce, salad dressing, and soy sauce. Toss together, mixing well. Once mixed, add in shredded chicken and continue mixing. Place mixture evenly in the center of the lettuce leaves.

2 servings of 1 lean, 3 greens, and 3 condiments

So, recently, I haven't been posting much because of school and my new job. It's been fun working at PDQ, just a little hectic to not want to snack on the food. But this past Friday, I graduated from University of South Florida with my Bachelor's in Creative Writing and a minor in Psychology. It's such a big difference to realize that I can tell people that I've graduated and not attending. It's such a higher stigma to be a college graduate than to be just a student. Now I'm ready to continue on with my weight loss and succeed in the life I want. And I complete one of my 21 things that I want to do before I turn 22. I purchased a new dress for graduation, along with new heels. It's a big deal to me because the last time I purchased a dress was my senior year prom in 2008.

Falling into Place.

So, this morning started out as a regular day of me waking up and checking my phone. I have three email addresses linked to my phone so I get a lot of emails at once. While checking my email, I noticed I had an email from The Writing Disorder. I had sent in a recent short story to them to try and get published. The email officially congratulated me on being PUBLISHED IN THE SUMMER 2012 ISSUE. I literally have been grinning like a loon because of how excited I am. It's hard for an undergraduate student to get published. This is an amazing thing to happen.

And at the same time, I started training for my new job yesterday. I'm now working at PDQ, a fresh chicken restaurant that's officially opening on Sunday, October 30, 2011. I will be working as a cashier and this will allow me to save up for graduate school even more.

Life is pretty much falling into place right now. I'm getting published, I have a new job, now I just need to get accepted into graduate school. Then everything will be perfect.

So Close But Still So Far Away & Thai Coconut Curry Chicken

So, my weigh-in yesterday but me at 240 lbs. Which means I'm now .4 lbs away from having lost 50 lbs total. And I'm 5.4 lbs away from my next goal. SO FREAKING CLOSE. But I'll get there, hopefully by the end of this week.

But this past weekend I was working at Tropicana Field for the Tampa Bay Rays. It was a little difficult to stay on plan because someone I work with brought in two pans of white chicken lasagna. Trust me, it was hard. I love pasta and this lasagna is made with an alfredo sauce and artichoke hearts. But I prevailed and didn't eat any of it.

I'm actually planning to go to the second home football game for my college. It's this upcoming Saturday so I have to plan what I'm bringing with me and what I'll be doing for my lean and green.

Ingredients:

1 TSP besame oil (1 healthy fat)

1/4 cup scallions (1/2 greens)

2 TSP Thai Kitchen Red Curry Pate (2 condiments)

1/8 TSP garlic powder (1/2 condiment)

1/3 cup Thai Kitchen Lite Coconut Milk (1 healthy fat)

2 TBSP chopped cilantro (.12 condiment)

18 oz boneless, skinless, chicken breasts - should yield 12 oz cooked and cubed (2 lean)

2 3/4 cup cooked grated cauliflower (5 1/2 greens)

Serving: 2 serving of 1 lean, 3 greens, 1.5 condiments, and 1 healthy fat

Directions:

In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil on medium high heat. Add scallions and red curry paste and saute one minute. Add cubed chicken and garlic powder and cook until almost done. Add coconut milk and mix well. Simmer about 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat. Mix in cilantro. Serve over cauliflower rice.

Birthday Dinner and Skeletons.

Sunday was my 21st birthday, so I made the decision that my birthday dinner would be at

P. F. Chang's. I chose the Buddha's Feast as my dinner, just steamed and instead of rice, extra tofu. I love oriental food. Especially RICE AND NOODLES. So for me to not get rice or noodles, it was a big deal. Most of my oriental meals before MF had either rice or noodles. P. F. Chang's, like most restaurants, gives a free dessert if you're there for your birthday. Yes, I did order the dessert...

BUT I DIDN'T EAT IT! I instead gave it to my uncle. I even chose a flavor he likes. I resisted the temptation of free dessert and kept focusing on the overall goal of weight loss. But I did have to deal with the embarrassment of my family singing Happy Birthday in the middle of the restaurant.

So, tonight, I got the urge to begin to sort through my clothes. I'vebeen putting it off for some time now. I guess it has to do with the fact that by getting rid of the clothes, I'll have to admit that I'm losing weight. Weight is a skeleton that has always been creeping in my closet. By getting rid of the old clothes, I'm letting go of the skeletons.

Update. Rewards. One Year Older.

Update:

So, I'm a bit behind on updating about me. I'm officially at 244.8 lbs, meaning I've lost 44.8 lbs in 11 weeks. School started on the 22nd which signals the beginning of my last semester of senior year of college. I'll be graduating this December, a semester earlier than when I'm supposed to be. I hope to have lost at least 80+ lbs by graduation.

Rewards:

I have set goals in 10% loss increments. I reached my first goal on 7/26 of losing 10% of my original weight. My reward was to get my helix pierced with one of the hole required for an industrial piercing. My sister and I took a trip out to Brandon Westfield Town Center to visit the Atomic Tattoo inside the mall. After going through the paperwork, the piercer, TJ, took me back. After an almost nose piercing, he pierced one of the holes needed and told me "well, I might as well do the other." And it was done. Now I have both of the holes needed for the industrial and just need for it to heal so I can put it in.

Afterwards, I went to Piercing Pagoda to go ahead and select the industrial bars I wanted. I couldn't decide between two industrial bars and a set of three barbells, so I went ahead and purchased all three. They were my gift to myself.

Recently, I also completed two specialty goals and a challenge I had been participating in. On 8/18, I reached 250 lbs and completed the Memorial Day to Labor Day challenge. Two days later on 8/20, I fit into a pair of size 20 shorts that I had to purchase for work. I still haven't decided what to do for a reward for those.

I like to call reaching my rewards my "Hell Yeah" moments. The goal is reached and you just want to say "Hell Yeah, I did it!"

One Year Older:

And today, I am one year older. August 28 2011, is my 21st birthday. And I'm not going to fall off plan simply to have cake or dessert. I've worked too hard to throw an entire week of loss away for one dessert. My family and I will be going to P. F. Chang's for dinner tonight and I'll be staying on plan. I've also come up with a list of 21 things I want to complete before I turn 22.

1. Go to Splitsville.
2. Get a manicure.
3. Be out after 12 AM.
4. Visit New York.
5. Get a bicycle.
6. Go to Cinebistro.
7. Shop for new clothes.
8. Visit Seattle.
9. 21 18 drinks.
10. Go ice skating.
11. Paintball.
12. 21 places in one night.
13. Eat sushi.
14. New ID.
15. Ride in a limo.
16. Go to Disney.
17. Go to a concert.
18. Get a new dress.
19. Visit the outlet mall.
20. 21 20 free things.
21. Be a college kid for once.

Blog For Everyone to Check Out

So, my sister, Rachel, runs a blog as well. She's 6 yearsolder than me and chose a different path to lose weight and become healthier. She uses running, yoga, and kettlebell workouts to improve her lifestyle. She posts her workouts and she'll be starting a new segment on Sundays called A Few of My Favorite Things. Rachel will be discussing books, recipes, and other topics that relate to her new lifestyle. Check her out here: The Life and Tales of a Runner.

An Amazing Non-Scale Victory.

My British Literature of 1780-1900 class was cancelled on Wednesday so I stayed in the apartment all day. In between working on my paper for my Film & Culture class and watching A Clockwork Orange, I decided to try something on that I haven't worn since May of 2008. My senior prom dress... When I wore my prom dress for the first time for prom, it was very tight fitting around my stomach and hips. It was flattering but at the same time it wasn't. It is a spaghetti strap dress and anyone who knows me in real life knows that I don't wear spaghetti straps.

So when I tried it on. I laughed. The dress no longer fits at all. It isn't tight around my stomach or hips and pretty much hangs off my shoulders. I literally did nothing but laugh for about 10 minutes while wearing my dress. But it inspired my to try on my junior prom dress as well. The dress, once again, didn't fit at all. It wasn't tight and the halter top looked strange. So, I decided to be a bit adventurous and try on my freshman homecoming dance dress (which I wore October of 2004). While I can actually fit into it now, it's still very tight and short. But the fact that I can actually put it on is amazing. The dress doesn't stretch at all and there are no zippers. The way it is made is the way it will be worn.

The fact that both my prom dresses are too big now and I can almost fit into my freshman homecoming dress is the best thing ever so far. I'm hoping that by the end of August or mid-September, I can fit into my homecoming dress correctly.

Welcome!

Welcome to my blog about my progress on the Medifast diet. I'll be posting recipes, thoughts, and just words in general. If there's anything you want to see, just let me know.

I started out by going with my father, mewfla, and meeting with a TSFL Health Coach. We worked through my four week menu and any questions I had. After waiting for my package to come in, my official week one began on June 12th.

I weighed in at 289.6 lbs, while not my highest weight, is still more than I ever wanted to be. It was a little difficult to follow the plan when I work at a baseball stadium in the food area but I managed. I stayed OP the entire week, no snacking and no cheating. I'm proud of myself.

Right now, I am 20 years old and currently attending college. I graduate this December with my B.A. and hope to get into graduate school. I want to be able to fly across the country without needing a seatbelt extender or to buy a second seat. I want to be able to fit on amusement park rides (which I didn't fit because I have wide hips and not because of my weight). I want to be able to go up three flights of stairs without needing to catch my breath. I don't want to go through life as the biggest girl in class anymore.