62 pounds down… 78 till goal!
Well I just wanted to stop in an dpost a quick update on my progress. I am doing amazingly well and as of this morning and down 62 pounds since June 3rd. I am almost halfway to my goal and I am looking pretty good and feeling great! I love eating this way. I never expected to love it so much but it has literally become second nature to me at this point and I no longer struggle with what to eat. I have also lost at least 50 inches but I suspect its probably more like 70 or so because I never measure certain areas like my calves but they are noticably smaller now. I feel smaller, healthier and more energetic than I have since I was in high school. I am down several sizes and am wearing a shirt today that was too small just a month ago and I look awesome! I am so happy that I found Atkins and wish I could tell every obese person I see about it. It is that good and that healthy and I am a lover of it and a believer in it for life!
Update…
I am doing really great. I am down to 259 pounds as of this morning so that’s 46 pounds total since June 3rd. I am feeling so much smaller and its wonderful. I have absolutely no clothes that fit anymore. I am swimming in everything. Even my “skinny” size 24 jeans are way too big for me now. I think I am probably a 20-22 but haven’t really tried any clothes on yet. I hate to buy anything new right now since I know it will have a very short closet life. So I think I have gone from a size 26 to a size 22 or maybe even a 20 *MEEP* That is so exciting! I have been a size 24 for years and years so to drop below that is thrilling to me. 89 more pounds to go until I reach my goal and for the first time in my life I actually know I will do it. I have adopted Atkins as my diet for life. I am throwing myself into learning healthy new meals for my family. I am done being fat! Ok here’s a recipe for you, I love this as a night time snack or for breakfast in the morning. Pumpkin has a little bit more carbs than some other veggies but it is a great source of fiber! You might want to wait until you move into the veggie rung of owl before trying this recipe.
Pumpkin Cheesecake Bowl
2 oz cream cheese (softened)
1/2 cup canned 100% pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie filling!)
pinch of pumpkin pie spice
2 tbsp sugar free davinci or torani syrup
Mix everything in a bowl and microwave for 30 seconds. Stir well and microwave for another 30 seconds. Eat 
It tastes a little like pumpkin cheesecake or pie filling. It is really a filling snack and highly recommended! One of my faves for sure!
38 pounds! Woot!
My husband bought me a scale yesterday and I have now lost 38 pounds! That averages out to 2.4 pounds a week! I think thats pretty darn good and I am super proud of myself. 10 pounds a month is way more than I expected and I just cant believe how easy it has been for me!
Last night I made such a delish meal! I made beef enchiladas but instead of using tortillas, I used anaheim peppers and it was such a hit! My 7 and 8 year old kids both had second helpings! I seriously suggest trying this recipe out! It is also super good using chicken instead of beef! Try it and let me know what you think
ground beef or diced chicken breast
Large can of enchilada sauce (read labels, some have sugar!)
cheese (any kind works, I have used cheddar, pepper jack and monterey jack before)
anaheim peppers (i used 10 of them for this and had leftovers)
onion
black olives
Cut off the top of the peppers, then cut peppers in half so that they lay flat. Clean out the seeds and membranes. Blanch peppers in boiling water for 2-3 minutes then drain. Sprinkle the inside of peppers with salt (optional). Brown meat and onion. I also dice up the pieces of pepper that were cut from the tops and throw those in to brown as well. When meat is cooked remove from heat and add half of the enchilada sauce to the meat mixture. Then add 1 cup cheese and 3/4 of a can of sliced olives. At this point you can season this mixture any way you like. Coat the bottom of a baking dish with a small amount of enchilada sauce, then simply spoon the mixture onto the halved peppers and place in the baking dish. Pour remaining enchila sauce over all the filled enchiladas, top with more cheese and the rest of the olives and bake in a 350 degree oven for 30-45 minutes. Serve with sour cream and salsa, Heaven!
Scentsy…
Hey everyone…
I just wanted to post a quick bulletin and let you know about a new business I am involved in. It is called Scentsy and it is the coolest “candle system” I have ever had the pleasure own owning. Scentsy is a business that is local to the Boise Idaho area and it is catching on like wildfire.
Nobody knew about Scentsy in Oregon but here in Boise it is everywhere!
Scentsy is a very different kind of candle. It actually plugs in to the wall socket and uses a 15 watt lightbulb to warm highly fragranced bars of wax. Each bar of wax has 80 hours of scent time and there are over 100 varieties of scents to choose from.
Within one month of signing up to be a Scentsy Consultant, I already had my first check in hand.
Not only am I making money but I just really believe in this product! I am enthusiastic about it because I haven’t met a single person yet who didn’t absolutely LOVE their Scentsy! I would like to invite you to check out my Scentsy website at http://www. scentsy. com/crystalj
If you want to order from the website then please feel free to do so. If you order before the first you will get a 10% discount. Additionally, the prices are going up $5 for each warmer starting on September 1st so you will be saving even more by ordering before then.
If you would like to recieve the brand new Fall/Winter print catalog all you have to do is send me an email and include your name and address and I will mail one off to you.
There are some very cool new warmer styles coming out as well as lots of yummy new scents and the smaller plug in warmer that is so awesome in bathrooms and smaller spaces! We got one of those early and it is the bees knees but isnt officially for sale until the 1st 
If you are interested in fundraisers, Scentsy has just started doing fundraisers with 30% of the profits going toward your school, church or other organization of your choice. I am happy to send those materials to you as well, just drop me an email and include your mailing address. If you have ANY questions about anything then please let me know. If you would prefer to order over the phone or with a check then just email me and I can help you do that as well.
If you want to schedule a Scentsy party in your home, I would be happy to help you do that. I bring my warmers and scent testers and its just a really great way to share what Scentsy is all about.
When you host a party you also get great hostess rewards including free and half priced Scentsy! They are also really fun and can be whatever kind of party YOU want!
If you are interested in more information about becoming a Scentsy Consultant like myself then please email me and I will tell you all about it.
Ok I am back…
Hello again
Well I am sorry for dropping off the face of the eath for the last month. I went through a viscious state to state move and it just about killed me! I have stayed on plan for the most part but did have a corn dog at the fair, lol I am still losing weight although I havent weighed myself since the 11th, my clothes are falling off me. I am resisting the whole buying new clothes thing because I know it will be a waste of money at this point so I am just tryng to sneak by for as long as possible
Thanks to all of you who read this blog and are getting inspired by my journey so far. It really means a lot to me and helps keep me accountable. I may not always post my days menu anymore because basically it is more of the same. I am still on induction and eating induction foods. I do think I have probably added in more veggies though so technically I could be on owl rung one. The garden here is just full of yummy produce so its easier to get those veggie carbs in I actually feel like my weight loss is progressing well so I may just keep eating a few extra veggie carbs a day from now on. I have really learned how to calculate my daily needs without writing it down all the time but I firmly believe that it was immensely helpful in the first 2 months to do that. When I last weighed I had lost 31 pounds. I would imagine that I have passed the 35 pound lost mark and that it so exciting. I need to buy myself a scale now that I am not afraid of it anymore.
Ok thats all I have for now… I have been trying so many good recipes and cant wait to post some of those here for you so check back for that!
Induction day 48…
Just a quick note to clarify that when I list my carb counts in this blog, they are always the total carbs minus any fiber carbs. So for example, frozen green beans say on the package that 2/3 cup is 5 carbs. It also lists that there is 2 grams of fiber per serving, ie 2/3 cup. So when doing Atkins, you take the total carbs, minus the fiber carbs which would leave 2/3 cup green beans at around 3 carbs. Make sense? Hope so because having only 20 grams of total carbs for the day would suck but being able to minus those fiber carbs really allows more wiggle room
Breakfast – 2 eggs cooked in butter (1.2 carbs), 1/2 cup green beans (3 carbs), 1/4 cup red pepper (1.2 carbs)
Total – 5.4 carbs
Snack – 1 oz colby cheese (1 carb)
Total – 1 carb
Lunch – 1 cup mixed salad (1 carb), 1/4 cup cucumber (0.5 carbs), 1/8 cup mushrooms (0.3 carbs), sprinkle of bacon, olive oil and vinegar dressing
Total -1.8 carbs
Dinner – 8 oz turkey breast, 3 brussels sprouts (2.5 carbs), 1 cup salad greens (1 carb), 1/4 cup sweet pepper (1.2 carbs), 1/8th cup cucumber (0.3 carbs), sprinkle of bacon, olive oil dressing
Total – 5 carbs
Daily total – 13.1 carbs
