I Kinda Get It Now

I've struggled with my weight all my life even during "thin" times when it wasn't obvious. I would watch other people lose weight and maintain their weight loss and I always wondered how they did it. What were they doing that I wasn't? What piece of the puzzle was I missing?

I think I'm slowly beginning to understand what I was missing. Earlier this year, I began my weight loss program with a low calorie diet because it's what I knew; it's what I had done before. That was the problem. In the past I had focused entirely on losing the weight without trying to understand why I gained the weight in the first place. For me, the missing piece of the puzzle was admitting to myself that I was an emotional eater. Nothing earth shattering, but it was a revelation nonetheless. I had to admit to myself even though I said I was a Christian, I had been taking my problems to the refrigerator instead of to God. Ouch.

Admitting that I had a problem was only the beginning. However, once I admitted my problem and examined my past behavior, I became more open to the fact that I needed a new weight loss approach. Simply put, I had to stop dieting and start learning how to eat sensibly. Enter calorie shifting (also called zig zag dieting, ironically). It's working for me and more importantly, it's a plan that I can live with because I'm not on a diet - I'm making a permanent lifestyle change. Do I have days when I slip up? Yeah, I do. Like today, for example. But the beauty of it is tomorrow is another day...and best of all, it's a preplanned high calorie day!

Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:13-14

I Lost Two Turkeys

The scale says 168 this morning. Wow, that means I've lost 41lbs. (I updated the Weight Loss Journal with a new photo.) That's two Thanksgiving turkeys. That's alot of weight, folks. I could just pinch myself because I can hardly believe it. This means I only have 23lbs to lose. Onward and downward.

The Smartphone Plunge

I went ahead and finally did it - I took the smartphone plunge. It's not that I completely hated my dumbphone; I didn't. And it's not that I was completely enraptured by the smartphones; I wasn't. I like the new, shiny, sparkly electronic gadgets as much as the next person. I really do. However, while I do think iPhones and other smartphones are cool, I was simply unwilling to pay the extra money for data plans each month. In other words, I'm way too cheap to pay for stuff that I know I won't use.

The cheapest iPhone plan from AT&T would cost me $55 per month. That would include 450 rollover minutes, DataPlus 200MB, and $0.20 per text (sending and receiving) and $0.30 for video messaging. In other words, a bare bones plan with a 2 year contract. I hate contracts. Their pay-as-you-go smartphone plans using Android phones would end up costing me $60 per month. Compared to my $20 per month no contract, dumbphone plan with Virgin Mobile, I decided the extra $40 per month was not worth it.

When it came time to add more money to my Virgin Mobile phone, I took a second look at their website. Holy crap, where have I been the last couple of months? For $25 per month (no contract) their Beyond Talk plan includes 300 talk time minutes, and unlimited messaging, data, web and email. Say what? That's right, you heard me: unlimited messaging, data, web and email. If you need more talk time, there are other options. Since Virgin Mobile was acquired by Sprint, VM uses the Sprint network. Suddenly, the world of smartphones seemed affordable. Both hubby and I purchased the LG Optimus V Android phone. It has been alot of fun. Is it a high-end phone? No, it's a middle-of-the-road phone. But, it does everything I want it to do.

That's not to say that everything went off without a hitch. While my husband had no problem swapping phones, I wasn't so lucky. However, once I got a tech on the phone who was willing to take the time to solve my problem, I was up and running within 40 minutes. If you're considering upgrading your dumbphone for a smartphone, or you're tired of plans with a contract, just know that you have other affordable options.

Update 7/25/11: Virgin Mobile has since increased their prices for the Beyond Talk plans. The cheapest Beyond Talk plan is now $35 per month. Still a good deal in my opinion.

BFD - May '11

May's BFD was going to be last week, but hubby was out of town on a business trip. The only available night for this week just also happened to be Open House for the kids' schools. So, for this month, breakfast for dinner was a relatively light meal:

Bread Pudding with Apples and Cinnamon
Fresh Sliced Strawberries Topped with Vanilla Yogurt

Yeah, I know we had strawberries last month, but hey, it's strawberry season! Anyway, on to the bread pudding. Call me gauche, but in my mind a bread pudding is like a french toast casserole; or a dessert alternative to cornbread stuffing. Whatever the case, bread puddings are fairly simple to make: cubes of bread combined with an egg/milk batter, or custard. (As an added bonus - the above link to the bread pudding recipe contains a video from start to finish.)

Don't let the directions scare you - especially regarding the water bath. The video shows a fancy roasting pan that's used to put the 9x13 bread pudding pan in. I don't have a large roasting pan, so I had to use a pan that came with my old oven and it worked fine. Seriously, that is the hardest part to making this recipe, other than making bread cubes. I used one loaf of french bread. Normally, I make my own french bread (sounds kinda snotty doesn't it?), but I was pressed for time so I had hubby buy two loaves of el cheapo french bread.

I decided to forgo the raisins, but I did peel and dice two Granny Smith apples; then I mixed them with some cinnamon sugar and stirred them into the bread cubes. The next step is to pour the custard mixture on to the bread cube mixture and pat down the bread cubes. When it was baked and fresh out of the oven, I let it cool for 10 minutes and then I dusted it with some powdered sugar. Yum. If this is your main meal, then it will comfortably serve 6-8. If it is one of several dishes, then it could easily serve 12. Since this was such a hit, I will definitely make this again. Maybe next time I'll look for some sort of caramel and pecan custard. Or chocolate chips.