The torture of fried foods...

So I haven't eaten any fried foods since I started this blog.  Last night for supper I was having a craving for beer battered chicken and home-made french fries.  Since I have now lost 35lbs (woot, woot) I decided I could go for it this once.  This morning I woke up and I am sooooooooo paying for it!  My stomach feels like it's completely twisted into knots and I feel so sluggish and tired it isn't even funny.  I think I have learned my lesson.  The diet I was on before made me fat and was torture to my body.  Now that I have been changing my habits, eating only whole grains with no fried foods and limited intake of sugars, eating any of my forbidden foods show me what kind of damage I was doing to my body all those years.  I hope this feeling passes fairly soon though.  I have definitely learned my lesson. I am still trying to figure out how to get my photos uploaded on here so bear with me... we will show progress!

Lets make an October Challenge!

Ok, I am now 230lbs.  Lets challenge ourselves this month.  Can we do another 10lbs off this month?  I think we can. 26 more days left in this month and today will be the day.  I want to be 220 by November 1st.  The last two days I have been slacking on my exercising.  That won't work to meet this goal.  Work, work, work.  That's the only way.  I also went into my closet of clothes that I had brought with me from my move over 2 years ago now.  Most of the clothes are too baggy on my now, but in the back of the closet I found a black dress.  I have always wanted a classy black dress and I had found a clearance dress one year at Lane Bryant.  I bought it and said I would save it until I could fit into it.  (I have done this several times over the years and ended up giving the piece of clothing to charity because I was never able to fit into it.)  I tried that dress on last night.... It fit like a glove!  It's absolutely perfect on me now.  I couldn't believe it.  I am so proud of where I came from to where I am now.  I also decided I will included some pictures to post when I can add some to this new computer tonight so we can do a visual transformation.  I don't see the changes in myself yet, but everyone is telling me I'm doing something right.  Keep going strong!

Do you know how to rebuild a face with wax?

The moulding wax that is used in mortuaries is not like the wax you find elsewhere.  There is a particularly enjoyable floral scent to it.  There are different consistencies of it, but we used a soft form and a firm for most of our work.  One case we had in the mortuary was a man who had been murdered.  Shot in the face he was missing his nose and the bones in his face were shattered.  With out the expertise of some of the amazing embalmers we had there would have been no way to rebuild something like that.  Although the family is always warned that their loved one will not look like they did while they were alive it's every persons need to say goodbye to their loved one and we do everything we can to make sure they have that last chance.  In the embalming room the process is much the same, it's after the embalming fluids are injected that the real work begins.  A secret of the trade is that embalmers can use dental floss to suture wounds to leave little damage to what is left.  The wax coated dental floss works the best.  It's strong and yet thick enough to hold onto the skin that is now so prone to tearing when sewn.  Working from the underside of the skin layers the embalmer weaves their needle through the flesh to hide the presence of the floss.  When pulled tight at the end just enough pressure is needed to pull the skin together like corset lacing does without puckering the skin and making it appear as if there is something pulling it tight.  After all the open wounds are carefully closed the embalmer takes a small amount of superglue to seal the area, this stops any residual fluid left in the tissues from seeping out the holes.  When the embalmer has done all they can do, I would do my magic.  Most families are asked to bring in the most recent picture of their family member to be used to do their cosmetics.  To truly have a talent for the restorative arts you have have to be able to see what was and how to make it that way again with what you have access to.  The firm wax worked perfectly for rebuilding a nose.  I always use a hairdryer to warm the wax and make it a little more pliable while I build a feature.  When you place it on the face the cool skin, from refrigeration, begins to harden the wax.  It sticks to the embalmed skin perfectly and hold tight so your fingers can maneuver the lump of wax into a defined object.  After the feature is build a cosmetic sponge, a cream foundation and a knack for color blending makes the false nose blend in perfectly to the rest of the face.  Blush adds color to the cheeks and makes the face appear as if it has warm blood flow.  Lip color is applied and finally any excess make-up left in the eyelashes or eyebrows is cleaned away to leave a pale body turn into the appearance of a sleeping person.  There is no greater feeling I have experienced to this date than seeing a family have the closure of seeing their son/father/husband or wife/sister/grandma etc. one last time when they were told they wouldn't be viewable to them.  With tragedy for one comes accomplishment for another.

Hot damn! 230!

That's right!  I am officially 230lbs!  Yesterday I ended up walking another 10miles on my FitBit and today I made sure I ate very well.  2 eggs and 1 piece of toast for breakfast, carrot with ranch and a yogurt for lunch, tuna and pretzels for dinner.  Top all of that off with a delish Skinny Cow ice cream bar and I am there.  I now weigh less than I did when I graduated high school.  I am so proud of my accomplishments.  I can't believe I got here.  My next goal is 50 lbs off.  When I reach that goal I will post some before and after images.  There is no excuse for not making the changes today.  If I can do it any one can.  I was a food fanatic.  Now, I know that what I put into my body not only needs to be good for it but has to make it run at top performance.  Dieting is not a fad but an everyday way of life.  Each little change you make will make a huge difference in your body.  First I gave up soda pop.  Next it was the fried foods.  Now I am trying to read nutrition labels and make sure the calorie intake matches its health content.  Whole grains and low in fats.  If anyone out there is thinking about making the changes.  Join me!

Computer died... I didn't.... lol

Well, my old computer finally kicked the bucket so I ordered a new Macbook.  Pretty sweet set up so far.  I am still trying to make the adjustments from PC to Mac though.  I haven't given up on my healthy eating yet.  I am starting to get more focused in it though.  I have been trying to exercise at least 6 days a week.  Overall I have kept up with it.  The Alli is definitely doing its job.  I had a bad day one day and went over the recommended 15g of fat per meal a day and I had a greasy accident the next day.  I WILL NEVER DO THAT AGAIN!  One sneak toot that equals a pants change is not fun!  I bought a FitBit Ultra to monitor my daily activity.  I really enjoy that it tells me how far I have walked a day and that gives me motivation to try and do better each day.  I am, as of this morning, 231lbs!  Woot, woot!  One more pound to reach my 30lb goal and then at 50lbs I am treating myself to getting my hair done for reward.  I have been letting it grow but I think a spoil day at the hair salon is just the type of reward I deserve.  I will try to keep up on here a little better now that I have a new computer.  Have a lovely day all and remember, hard work doesn't start by sitting on your butt!

Below the 240s and flying high!

As of yesterday I was 239.8!  That's right.  I wasn't in the 240s long enough to realize they flew by.  The daily diet planning I do on myfitnesspal.com really help.  As long as I stay below my calorie intake and then keep up on my exercising (which I have been walking on my treadmill for 30min a day again) the 230s will fly by too.  I know the journey isn't easy but if I can do it anyone can.  I have always been a life long foodie.  Whatever is in front of me I eat.  Now, if I eat slowly and start feeling myself get full without finishing my plate it's no big deal.  I set it aside and stop when I am satisfied.  I do eat a lot of spinach salads though.  Lol.  At least one meal a day is a spinach salad.  If anyone wants to join me out there on myfitnesspal.... my name is morguejunkie on there too.  Find me!  Lets shed the pounds together!

Changing your life takes time.

Well, I am officially 240lbs!!! Woot, woot! I haven't weighed this much since high school. Thus far with the Alli I haven't had any of the negative side-effects. I always watch my calorie count as well as fat grams for a meal. With the Alli Program you are suppose to stay under 15 grams of fat per meal. I am doing my best to keep under that. I got a treadmill workout done yesterday, but today got away from me and I didn't get a walk in on the treadmill. Tomorrow is a new day and we will plug along again. I can't believe how great the weight is coming off, but now that I am getting the scale results and people are noticing my weight-loss it fuels my motivation to keep up with the progress. Let's see what tomorrow holds.