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Is this thing on?!

Hahaha!  Been crazy busy, which is both great and bad lol.  Busy means calories are burning away and bad because I've been neglectful of my blog!  Thought I would update tonight. 

I'm down 33 pounds now and a bunch of inches!  I'm quite the swimming goddess at the YMCA.  I go a couple hours every day.  I finally had to give in today and get a swim cap, the chlorine was destroying my hair.  The outside pool opened today so now I can just spend the day there lol.  I can pack a light lunch and snacks for the kids and I, get my swim in and finally get a little Sun on my pale vampire like skin lol.  The kids are gone the next two weeks, but I look forward to long days with them at the pool soon.  They love going with me to go swim! 

I know this was short but I'm worn out.  Including a pic from about a week ago, marking my ability to go buy clothes from regular stores again.  The particular shirt in the photo is an XL from Old Navy.  Woot!  Take care everyone!

Update!

Been having issues with my blog, hope to be back sooner than later!  Hope everyone is doing well!

On A Roll! Breakdown for May 3

I'm in the negatives for calories again.  Burned 1220 calories this morning at the YMCA.  Feeling great!  Scale wowed me this morning, showing a 4 pound loss in a day.  Busy, busy, busy!

Amazing Breakdown for May 2

Today I started going to the YMCA at 5 in the morning until 715 in the morning with an awesome group of serious workout queens.  Today, I burned 1,182 calories!  No that's not a typo either lol.  We are meeting Monday through Friday each morning, and alternate extreme cardio with shaping and weight conditioning.  I want to go on Saturday's and Sunday's too, but I guess I will have to see how I feel come Saturday.  My body might need the break.  I hope I can endure it though, because talk about melting the Hell out of some fat!  The scale will be interesting to watch, that's for sure!  Based on me doing this same schedule on weekends too, combined with my eating changes, I should lose about 6 pounds a week!  At first maybe more because you know how that goes, but still ... How awesome!  The workouts are very much like what you see onthe Biggest Loser show.  I still am in shock I burned that many calories today, HOLY COW!

So, I ate 1,117 calories and 138 carbs today.  But with my exercise, I am actually sitting at NEGATIVE 65 calories!  I finally took in more water, had to with all that activity and sweat lol.  I am at 144 ounces today :)

I am definitely a woman on a mission!  Let's see that weight go away fast!  And leave a true athlete in her place!  Amen!

Breakdown for May 1

990 calories, 100 carbs, 128 ounces water.

Measurement Check In!

Just thought to check my measurements because my pants are trying to literally fall down today!  Down 5.75 inches since last measurements on April 25th!

Breakdown for April 30

1,222 calories and 114 carbs.  And you guessed it, lol, 128 ounces of water.  Happy Monday!

Recipe Creation and Nutrition Info

Craving blueberry pancakes?  Did you know there is about 700 calories in a modest serving?  Yikes!  I created this recipe, concoction, whatever you want to call it, for a snack it breakfast when you have a craving hit.  It's quick, just a few ingredients, and really good.

BLUEBERRY PANCAKES IN A BOWL

1/4 CUP DANNON OIKOS VANILLA GREEK YOGURT

1/2 CUP MALT-O-MEAL SWEET PUFFED WHEAT CEREAL

1/4 CUP FRESH BLUEBERRIES

MIX INGREDIENTS AS MUCH AS YOU WISH.  SIMPLE RIGHT?  :)

NUTRITIONAL INFO

140.5 CALORIES

.1 GRAMS FAT

61.15 GRAMS SODIUM

77.9 GRAMS POTASSIUM

28.45 GRAMS CARBOHYDRATES

.85 GRAMS FIBER

20.4 GRAMS SUGAR

5.75 GRAMS PROTEIN

Breakdown for April 29

Here's today's information :  1258 calories, 154 carbs and 128 ounces of water.  All healthy carbs today, don't be alarmed lol!

MyFitnessPal - Free Calorie Counter

Breakdown for April 28

910 calories and 82 grams of carbs.  Still at 128 ounces of water.  Down 20 pounds as of this morning!  Weight loss slowing down now, as to be expected.  Got several exercise DVD'S from the library to check out.  Gonna vamp up my daily aerobic routines.  Hoping I live through it lol.  I will let you know my reviews on them!

Off day :(

Nothing to post for today's breakdown.  Been sick to my tummy all day and haven't eaten today.  Hoping I feel better tomorrow.

Breakdown for April 26

1046 calories, 39 carbs and 128 ounces water today ... I had a Boston Market rotisserie chicken Caesar salad today, split between lunch and dinner.  Yummy!

Breakdown for April 25

Calories were at 1048 after exercise, carbs at 64 grams and water at 128 ounces.  And I had to eat out twice today due to our schedule!  Not too shabby.   ;)

OMG! A Must Have Item Discovered!

I am in loooooove with a gadget ... No funny business intended lol.  I gotta get one of these, they are just amazing.  Anybody have one and use it out there, readers?  Inquiring minds want to know! :)

Fit Bit amazing weight loss tool!

Pictures of Progress Thus Far

Background on these - 2 weeks ago, this outfit was very fitted to my body.  Shirt was taut on my tummy and pants were snug.  Did my best to show the changes lol.  I wasn't holding my stomach in while taking the pictures either.  It was really hard to hold my shirt up to show the waist band difference!  Sorry for picture quality lol I tried!  I couldn't figure out how to take a picture of the change in the seat of my pants *blush* but it is roomy now too lol.

Breakdown for April 24

Good evening!  Here's today's stats: 1081 calories, and 106 carbs.  Also, another 128 ounces of water.  Still working up to my sweet spot of 152 ounces a day.  It's a few ounces more than I should take in based on the half your weight in ounces theory, but it is a good round number for me at 19 cups.  I figure it won't hurt me having a few ounces more right now since I'm staying pretty active during the day.  Hope everyone is having some good results and help with the information I'm posting ... My blog so far is getting about 150 hits a day give or take from all around the globe, so that makes me feel great to be able to reach out to so many others with real support and help in this journey of losing weight!  God knows I definitely understand the power of knowledge based on real facts and results, and support! 

I bought a tape measure finally to start gauging inches lost as well as pounds, because now even though I don't see my own body changes in the mirror, my clothes falling off me tell me there's definitely inches lost!  ;)

It's always frustrating how we don't see our own weight loss very quickly, isn't it?!  That's why tracking the numbers is so important.  It shows us the payoff for our efforts when our eyes don't show us results as fast as we would like! 

Also, someone messaged me an inquiry about why I vary my caloric and carb intake, so I wanted to share that answer here as well.  I do that because the variances make our bodies burn calories better because it isn't getting a steady stream of the same numbers which can cause metabolisms to plateau.  It's like when you exercise using the muscle confusion theory for faster results, and it really does work!  I learned about doing the variances from Jillian Michaels' research. 

Well, that's it for today.  See you all again tomorrow!      ;)

Real Facts About Daily Water Consumption

After looking through multiple reliable sources, I realized something this morning that I was incredibly misinformed about. Water intake guidelines!  Most of us are taught to be sure to drink our 64 ounces a day for good health.  However, the truth actually is this: 64 ounces is minimal to what our bodies need daily of water.  It is like saying, "You need 20 grams of fiber a day" when your body would work much more efficiently on 30 or 35.  Let me break it down to everyone the way it was broken down to me ... It really shocked me how much I was lacking in water my body needed but I wasn't giving it!

The truth in numbers is simply this equation:  We should consume half our body weight in ounces of water spread out over the day, for our bodies to function at their best.  So, in other words, if a man weighs 180 pounds, he should be consuming 90 ounces of water over the course of a day.  And if he is doing strenuous activity during the day he should add even more to that number to compensate.  Note please that I'm not saying, "Hey!  Drink 40 or 60 ounces of water in an hour until you reach your goal!" ... That is dangerous!!!  Instead, your water consumption needs to be spread out evenly over the day.  Take the ounces you need and divide it out by how much you should drink per hour or even every two hours.  Consistency and not chugging huge quantities at a time are two totally different things.  An easy way I do my water intake is by using my trusty Styrofoam McDonald's large size cup for my ice water ... And make sure to drink ICE water because it actually helps burn calories if you do!  Anyways, I fill up my cup, which is 32 ounces.  That is four cups of water right there!  Think of how fast we all can drink a large soda lol.  Drinking the same size amount of water isn't really a big deal.  Don't get caught up in how much more you have to drink to reach your ideal intake.  Instead, jot down how many times you've emptied that cup and feel good about it!  Getting to our goal isn't something you can just jump out and do either.  You have to step up to it.  Going too much too fast will make you feel sickly and spend all day in the bathroom lol.  But I guarantee you that when you get closer to your ideal intake, your hunger almost diminishes!  That's because people so commonly mistake thirst for hunger.  They actually can stimulate our brains the same way.  Weird, I know, but it is true!  And to be totally honest, my body felt about a zillion times better having had a much higher than typical water intake.  Please trust me here ... I promise I will never feed you promises that don't help or are unreasonable.  I've been on the receiving end of that many times and it just makes you more frustrated!  Right?  Right.   So give this a serious chance friends.  I bet you will be thanking me soon enough for the information ... I hope!

That's all for tonight ... See you all tomorrow!

Breakdown for April 23

As promised:

After exercise, it calculated that I took in - 820 calories, 51 carbs, and I also drank 128 ounces of water today. 

More info forthcoming in the following post about what I discovered today about water intake!

Change of Pace

I approached today differently than thus far in my journey.  I started using my new favorite site this morning, and it really helps me keep what I'm eating in check.  Beforehand, I would just be conscious of the carbs I was taking in and attempt to keep track best as I could mentally - Don't attempt it that way! Trust me they sneak up on you faster than you realize! - and I wasn't adding up calories at all.  I actually thought my caloric intake was much lower than it actually was, which was partly why I had only lost less than a pound since my last weight check in.  Like most everyone anymore, I carry my cell phone with me at all times, so logging what I ate right when I ate it on the application for my Android was easy.  And incredibly helpful!  So, I really highly suggest using the web site and  smart phone application - and this is coming from me and I'm not even getting paid to say that so you can rest assured it's the truth!  LOL!

I think that what I will do is try to post here on my blog my daily intakes before going to bed.  In a basic sense for now.  You can add me on the site as a friend for more facts about my daily plan.  As far as I can see for now, I can't make my profile there public ... But if I can, I will.  I can also post what I specifically eat through the day, if that will help anyone.  Just let me know!  Don't be shy lol.  Comment and let me know what I can best do to help you.  That's my goal with writing this blog.

Gotta go for now, but I will post my intakes later.  Have a great evening everyone!

Awesome site! FREE! Join me?

I stumbled across a site that I also use on my cell.  Beat part is it is FREE!  Great tools!  Check out the site www.myfitnesspal.com.   You can find me directly there @ www.myfitnesspal.com/soulsistasarah.  I log everything I eat and drink and any exercise I do there, and will be referring to it often.  Hope to buddy up with my readers there!

A slip ... And I feel soooooooo guilty!

We have been doing so well with all of this ... And then my brother-in-law wants to get a couple Pizza Hut P'Zones ... Hubby was all for it and I was really hesitant.  Rationale around here was look how good you've been doing allow yourself a treat.  Peer pressure to the extreme!  I caved and ate one, then as I already felt sick physically for doing so, I looked up the nutritional data.  OMG! 1200 some odd calories, 50 some odd grams of fat and the kicker was 144 carbs!  That's not counting the marinara dip I used.  I feel so upset with myself. This wasn't a treat but more like something that will set me back for days :(   I'm scared to see the scale tomorrow, but I'm not giving up so don't even think that.  I'm just praying the scale tomorrow will be merciful.  See, I make mistakes too! 

1 AM Side Note: My body obviously wasn't happy with my splurge either. Although it was probably nerves and anxiety, it made me literally get sick so ... Maybe I lucked out this time.  Won't be doing this again, that's for sure!

Anytime I find something that makes dinner easier and healthy to boot, I like to share the knowledge!  Kroger's has several different varieties of their signature Prime Selection frozen Angus patties, which are $8.99 for six frozen patties and you can take them from freezer to grill to perfection :)  We looooove them!  Look for the black boxes, here is one example:

We really adore the Porterhouse ones the best, but they are all very good!

Dinner for tonight:  3 Cheese Italian smoked chicken sausage, Porterhouse burger with a thin slice of Havarti cheese, and a salad.  Yum!

Weight Loss Tracking

We have joined the YMCA locally, but have not started going just yet.  This is something that we hope to start by the weekend.  So the weight loss that we have so far is totally by dietary changes only.  Exercise is of course important and we assume the numbers will continue to shoot up in weight loss when added to our lifestyle.

My starting weight as of April 13, 2012  was 312 pounds.
My current weight as of April 18, 2012  was 296 pounds.
Total weight loss to date:  16 pounds and 5.13% weight loss!



Hubby's starting weight as of April 13, 2012  was 316 pounds.
Hubby's current weight as of April 18, 2012  was 301 pounds.
Total weight loss to date:  15 pounds and 4.75% weight loss!

No Excuses! Part Two

Just because you are eating low carb foods, it doesn't mean that you have to over indulge in high fat protein rich foods.  I make chicken, fish, and pork and save red meats for twice a week at most.  Also, I use my grill almost every day!  It cooks the meat in a healthy way, and it has such a good flavor.  I add seasonings to my meats, but you have to be sure and check that your seasoning is not a secret carb hoarder lol.  Look for sugar in the seasoning ingredients.  If you see it, don't use it.  Remember, sugar equals carbs.  Also, I really limit our salt intakes.  So use salt sparingly, because too much sodium is bad for the heart and also will cause water retention!  I know that I am spilling a lot of information and fast, but take your time when you read it, and make notes!  That is how I learned :)  I had to do a lot of research to set us up for all of this, and it makes me happy to offer you all a one stop shop for information about this lifestyle change. 

Something that I think helped us is that we don't really "count calories" ...  We keep them in mind, and try to be conscious of them, but we keep our focus on sugars and carbs.  When you eat that way, your body will eat lower calories on it's own, without you having to stress about that as well.  I don't know about you but I need all the stress relief that I can get lol!  My rule of thumb right now is to make sure that we do not eat more than 100 carbs a day, and usually we eat much less.  I know that it sounds overwhelming, but it is easier than you think.  The only carbs that we get are complex carbs, from things like our veggies and fruit.  Make sure that you keep track of what you eat during the day.  That is VERY important.  I also recommend using a free online program called Fit Day to help you track and manage your eating.  Fit Day is also great with tracking exercise and it shows you how many calories your body burns during rest and activities.  It also helps you keep track of your weight loss progress.  :)

Another thing that is important is to make sure that you are getting dairy in your diet.  Your body needs calcium!  Get those three servings in each day and you will see some carb content come from that but it is minimal.  Also make sure that you are taking a daily vitamin to ensure that you are getting all the vitamins and nutrients that you need.  Remember that water is your friend! Try to get those 64 ounces in there.  My husband and I have a water bottle with us all the time.  If you don't like the taste of plain water, add lemon to it.  We find that makes it taste better and not so bland.  Also, if you feel hungry, drink a glass of water first.  Most times when we feel hunger it is actually thirst. If after drinking eight ounces of water, and waiting a few minutes see if your hunger goes away.  More often than not it does.  Also, another helpful hint: drink ice water.  It helps hydrate you PLUS it helps burn calories!  I will admit that a guilty pleasure of mine is a fountain pop.  There is just something about them that I crave.  I will allow myself one per day (diet of course) and it makes me not feel like I am so deprived of everything.  But I always make sure to drink my water first, and never drink more than one soda a day.  Diet soda is better than regular soda for many reasons, but ideally you don't want to drink them either, as they are hard on your body.  My ultimate goal is to get off the fountain pop addiction sooner than later lol.


I know that I have posted several "don't do this" posts, and so now I am going to get into what we eat every day so you see the plan in action.  I will also update periodically on our weight loss progress.  And by all means, if you have any questions, please ask!  I will do my best to answer them and if I can't myself, then I will find the answer out from a reliable source for you!  :)

No Excuses! Part One

The morning of my husband's doctors appointment marked a new birthday of sorts for our family. He went in the morning, so we began our life change immediately.  I got rid of all the bad foods in our house.  Sodas were a huge hurdle for him, and we both were addicted to carbs.  We weighed ourselves that morning.  I was at 312 and he was at 316.  Honestly, I wasn't as focused on weight loss as much as eating healthier and as we should for our health issues.  Weightloss would be an added benefit.

I went to the grocery store, and loaded up on lean proteins and vegetables that were low in starch.  The key to eating in the way that we are is to stay along the outside perimeter of the grocery store.  The middle aisles are full of processed foods, full of carbohydrates and additives, which are a big problem!  And, all vegetables are NOT created equal.  Let me help you out with how to find the best options :)

When you are categorizing vegetables between starch and non-starchy versions, you may find yourself surprised at the veggies that fall in each category. For instance, potatoes and yams are not the only vegetables considered starchy. Additional vegetables high in starch include beans, corn, peas and lentils. However, since many beans and lentils contain a lot of protein and fiber, people that wish to limit their starch intake begin by eliminating the unhealthier white potatoes. To help you get rid of some of the starch veggies in your diet, you should know the non-starch vegetables you can enjoy instead. Your selections include onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, mushrooms and turnips. If your taste buds aren't satisfied by these alternatives, use spices or toppings to improve the taste of the non-starch vegetables.  When you want to limit starch vegetables in your diet, you should use the "Rule of One" to guide you through the process. This guideline requires you to cut down your starchy vegetable servings to one serving per day. Measure out this serving size and make sure it does not surpass one cup. If you're trying to limit your starches, you should only have one baked potato, sweet potato or piece of corn on the cob each day. If you find that you crave starches more than just once a day, try to split the serving size in half and eat the starch vegetable at two separate meals. Replace the starchy vegetables with healthier alternatives, like green leafy vegetables. If you're following a low-carb diet, you'll need to familiarize yourself with the starchy vegetables in order to avoid consuming them. If a vegetable has a lot of starch, then it's high in carbs as well. Luckily, you'll find that only a small number of vegetables contain a lot of starch. Start by first limiting the number of potatoes, any variety, you eat a day. Then move onto winter squashes, like pumpkin and butternut. Finally, you'll want to limit or eliminate any green beans, peas, corn and parsnips from your diet. You can safely eat many other vegetables considered low carb. Rely on healthy green veggies, cauliflower, avocado, eggplant, carrots, artichokes and more to get your daily vegetable requirement.

Fruits are another food choice where all are NOT created equal!  Let me help you find the best options with fruits also!  :)

There’s no doubt that fruit is sugary. The type of sugar in fruits is called fructose. On a diet like ours, fruits are surprisingly NOT off limits. There are low-sugar i.e. low-carb fruits. You just have to make wise decisions regarding which fruits to eat while low carbing. As a rule, berries are good – strawberries, blackberries, raspberries and so on. Strawberries are only 6 net grams of carbohydrate per 100 grams. That means that if you take a 50 gram serving and slice those strawberries up into some cream, you’ll only be consuming 3 grams of carbohydrate! (Net carbs means total carbohydrate minus fiber as fiber cannot be digested by the body. Net carbs are the only carbs you need to count).

Here’s a list of great low carb fruits: (all under 10 grams of carbs per 100 )

So be wise and consume the right type of fruits for your lifestyle. As a side note, DO NOT consume dried fruits as they are much higher in carbohydrate (sugar) content.

That sums up the fruits and veggies that you should choose and the ones you should stay away from.  I am going to break down "the rules" of how we eat into parts, so it is easier to find later if you are looking for something specific food wise.

And so it begins ...

I was in the middle of a life altering change, trying to save both my husband's life and my own.  I had been posting weight loss numbers on my Facebook page, and kept being sent multiple questions about how I was doing it ... and could I help another do it too?  I decided after several people suggested a blog would most definitely help them make this life change as well, to create "Confessions of a Carb Addict" - a place where you will always find honesty, real help for real people (no outlandish steps or plans here!) and friendship along the way of creating a new life for yourself and your family.  Life changes are scary, I will be the first to admit that.  No matter what the life change you are making might be.  In my case, it was my family's diet.


Everyone has a story of how their life got to the point where it is, good or bad.  Let me briefly tell you mine.  I had always had weight issues, from my youth onward.  I developed PCOS (Learn about PCOS here) in my early teens, and became extremely insulin resistant (Learn about insulin resistance here).  I was borderline diabetic and my weight was skyrocketing.  The very things that I knew I should NOT eat were the things that I craved the most. Carbs!  I had been through infertility treatments in 2009 and knew that I needed to eat low carb to get my PCOS in check, not only to help with fertility but to assure I didn't go from being just insulin resistant to full blown Type 2 diabetic.  I followed the eating plan, lost about 100 pounds, and then went through a horribly painful divorce and landed right back where I was, and then some.  Over eaters will agree with me that when crisis hits, we like to go for the most unhealthy carb ridden foods to help comfort us.  Isn't emotional eating great?  I say that incredibly sarcastically!  Of course it isn't great.  And the further I reached for foods to comfort me, the more my self esteem plummeted and the fatter I became.  I pledged to myself after losing the 100 pounds in 2009 that I would never let myself get to the weight that I was when I started.  This blog is about honesty, and so I'm going to spill my beans. In 2009, at the start of my first weight loss journey I began at a whopping 310 pounds.  The next few years, weight crept back on. I got over my divorce and fell in love again.  But my love and I also had a love for food.  I love to cook, and he loved it too.  And I was raised in a family where "cooking" included mostly southern style fare - AKA straight to heart attack and morbid obesity city.  My husband was a big guy, and so I felt more inclined to be a bigger woman without feeling too low in my self esteem.  But that changed.

Now, I jump to a few weeks ago ... After feeling incredibly exhausted one morning, and just really in a brain fog, I decided to check the scales.  I hadn't in a LONG time.  And for good reason ... I knew my weight was back up there because I had been pulling out my "really fat clothes" from before, out of boxes, so that I had something I could wear for a few months.  I stepped on the scale and looked down and felt like an absolute failure.  Again, brutal honesty is all you will get from me.  The scale glared at me - 312 pounds.  Not only had I reached the weight that I swore I would never reach again, but I had added 2 more pounds to it.  I felt indescribable ... and like an idiot, I comforted my pain in food again, because I felt like I was hopeless.  I also have Fibromyalgia (Learn about Fibromyalgia here) and with all the added weight, I felt like I almost couldn't move.  I was just miserable.  I couldn't figure out what to do with myself and I just wanted to give up.  I was blinded by my depression.  Then, interestingly enough on Friday the 13th, my husband went to see his doctor because of feeling lousy and bad headaches.  He is a type 2 diabetic, diagnosed several years ago.  Of course, one of the first things the doctor checked was his blood sugar.  It was 398!  They gave him insulin immediately and started him on insulin at home.  And that blood sugar was a fasting blood sugar.  That night was so terrifying to us both.  His blood sugar ultimately got up around 420 and had no end in sight.  That is when I realized that I had to be the strong one to make the changes we HAD to have in our lives.  The way that we were eating was literally killing us.  I made my husband promise me that he would follow how I planned our meals exactly and not cheat with foods and drinks that were not allowed.  And then, I set out on my mission to change our lives once and for all.  No excuses!

I am going to attempt to post daily or at least every other day with our food diaries, weight loss tracking, and help for anybody stuck in the same place we are in.  I really believe in emotional support and I hope that I can give that to you!  Please subscribe to my blog and join me in a realistic way of changing your life for the better!  Hope to see you around here often :)