Amy's Kitchen Slogan Contest

Amy's Kitchen needs a slogan! Enter the slogan contest for a chance to win $500 worth of Amy’s products!

Tell Amy's Kitchen what phrase, word, jingle, or rhyme encapsulates Amy’s Kitchen for you (in 15 words or less).

The winner will receive $500 worth of Amy’s products!

To enter, just visit http://www.amyskitchen.com/ or search for "Amy's Go Organic" on http://www.facebook.com/.

Entries must be received by February 1, 2010.

Remember to tell Amy's Kitchen that you heard about the contest here at Gathering My Roses! :)

CONTEST WINNERS!!!

And the WINNERS are:

The winners of the LUNA BARS are Melissa of
Get Healthy with Melissa and
Leah of Leah's New Ending

The winner of the finished cross stitch sampler is...
MissyM of Fearless Missy!

Congratulations to all of you!

Please contact me at:
outofthemist@gmail.com
to claim your prizes!
I will need your FULL name and mailing address, please!

These giveaways are really fun and I am planning more!

Thank you to everyone who participated -- I wish you all success on your journey in life!

Terri

October Goal: MET!

Last weigh-in for October!

Starting Weight: 298 -- January 2009
Current Weight: 235 -- October 30, 2009
Weight Lost at Spark People: 33 pounds
Weight lost in total: 63 pounds!

An Article WELL WORTH Reading!

http://watrd.wordpress.com/2009/10/30/newsflash-obese-means-fat/

The "fat acceptance" folks are at it again. Harassing anyone who uses the term "Obese".

Get real, folks.

Obese = Fat = Overweight = Chunky = Fluffy = Rubenesque = portly = pudgy = and so on.

Accept that everyone uses different terminology. You don't have to accept staying that way.

BEFORE and... DURING!

These are my "BEFORE" photos.

I was at least 298 in these photos. The one on the left was actually taken without my permission by a

former "friend". Both she and the weight are now long gone!

These are my "DURING" photos.

At this point, I'd lost approx. 40 - 50 pounds.

These are my "NOW" photos -- with 62 pounds gone forever!

Big Changes for me!

DON'T FORGET TO ENTER MY TWO GIVEAWAYS! YOU HAVE UNTIL FRIDAY MIDNIGHT TO ENTER!

http://gatheringmyroses.blogspot.com/2009/10/luna-cy.html

http://gatheringmyroses.blogspot.com/2009/10/walking-with-purpose-and-giveaway.html

LUNA - CY!!! (GIVEAWAY!!!)

Several days ago, I ran across a blogger discussing her affection for LUNA Bars. I was at Wally-world the other night and decided to buy a couple to try…

OHMIGOSH!

I tried one and immediately went back for more!
LUNA Bars are utterly marvelous!

Aside from the very healthy 9 grams of protein and 3 grams of fiber, these bars taste fantastic!

I tried the Lemon Zest, White Chocolate Macadamia, Nutz over Chocolate, and the LUNA Sunrise Blueberry Bliss.

The bars are sweet, but not cloyingly sweet. There’s a slight crunch and a great mouth-feel.

I ate a bar about 15 minutes before embarking on my daily walk. I think the bars really helped keep my energy level high. I didn’t feel ‘weighed’ down or sluggish.

4 days – four marvelous bars. I’m hooked!

Each bar contains vitamins and minerals and up to 70% organic products!

Many of the LUNA Bars are also rated Low Glycemic.
Low Glycemic foods can mean a smaller rise in blood sugar (which can help control established diabetes), help for people trying to lose weight and lower blood lipids and can also improve the body's sensitivity to insulin.

Aside from the obvious benefits of great taste and healthy products, the price is also very nice!
They can be bought in small single serving bars or in multiple serving boxes.
I highly recommend that you give them a try.

In fact, I’m going to send a couple of bars each to two lucky readers!

To enter, leave a comment telling me about your favourite form of exercise.

Then link back to this blog post from your own blog.
For more entries, click on my FACEBOOK link above and join the Gathering Roses page!

Good luck! The contest closes on Friday, October 30 and winner will be chosen on Hallowe’en!

Busy day ahead... and another giveaway coming soon!

We've got a very busy day ahead of us: Morgan's 1st rehearsal for Nutcracker this afternoon and after that, a mad dash to Wilmington Island for the Coastal Scottish Heritage Society's annual Oyster Roast!

I love roasted oysters but also know to limit myself to about 1 cup -- maybe, 10 oysters? I can do that. Just have to remember to bring Texas Pete Hot Sauce with me!

This past week, I've been trying the LUNA Bars. OHMIGOSH!!!
They are so good!
I rather imagined they'd taste like the protein bars of old -- you know, cardboard?
UH HUH.
I'll review them tomorrow and also offer a giveaway! Stay tuned!

I got out my trusty calculator yesterday and made a couple of interesting discoveries.
When I first began my weight loss / lifestyle journey, I weighed 298 pounds. To weigh 135, I needed to lose a total of 163 pounds!
HOLEY MOLEY!
I don't think I believed then that I could lose any of it.
But, as of today, I've lost 62 pounds.

Here's where my trusty calculator comes into play. Half of 163 pounds is 81.5 pounds. I need to lose just 19.5 to be halfway thru to my goal.

I'm already past the 54.4 pounds I needed to be at 1/3 of my goal.

I am really making very good (and very steady) progress! What an amazing feeling!

I listed my goals on the sidebar to your right. One must endeavour to be accountable!
;0

Since I didn't get to mow the lawn yesterday and won't get to do it today, tomorrow's the time to go for it. It'll be the last time until April.
I don't mind mowing the lawn -- it gets me outside, it's good exercise (I have a push mower -- I don't like riding lawnmowers!) and burns lots of calories!

Don't forget to get your entry into my Cross Stitch contest -- I'll announce a winner on Hallowe'en!

Walking with a purpose! And... A GIVEAWAY!

There is a reason why I'm walking 3 to 4 miles per day now. I want to walk in two upcoming events: The Talmadge Bridge Run, Walk, or Crawl in December and the Tybee 5K in February of 2010.

Yeah. I know. That's a huge leap from 1 mile a day... but... that's WHY I'm adding miles daily. I WANT to do this!

Will I finish the walk? I don't know. I will try! Either Mike or Morgan will walk with me, I'm sure. Maybe both!

Now, to the GIVEAWAY!

Today is National Love Your Body Day!

In honour of this day, I have a gift to give. I am cross stitching a design that I hope will motivate and inspire everyone on their weight loss journey! THE CONTEST IS FOR A FINISHED PIECE OF NEEDLEWORK -- NOT THE CHART! :)

If you'd like to enter, please leave a comment ( you may have to go to the Main Page of the blog and then scroll down to this post to leave the comment. Blogger just doesn't always co-operate with me!)

For extra entries, Link back to this page from your blog and post a link on Facebook and / or Twitter!

I'll pick a winner on Hallowe'en!

Have a wonderful day and LOVE yourself!

4 miles today!

I've walked 4 miles today -- walking 2 miles this morning and 2 miles along a different route this afternoon! GO ME! Of course, I don't think I'm finished... maybe one more loop around the neighbourhood before Biggest Loser comes on!

I'll tell you WHY tomorrow!

Go and check out Prior Fat Girl's blog today, it's all about the Potty Breaks! and she's got a great contest to go along with it!

Also, check out today's blog post from The Fab Fatties. It's all about FAT -- and Fat Acceptance.

The Fabs were responding to another blog -- which you can read here.

I don't "accept" the fact that I'm fat (overweight, obese, whatever you want to call it.)

I KNOW that I'm fat. What I don't accept is remaining fat. I wanted to change -- I am changing.

What is unacceptable is being unhealthy, unhappy, and uncomfortable. At 298 pounds, I was ALL of those things and more.

No, I'm not "skinny". I'm still obese, but working daily to CHANGE into a smaller, healthier me.

I will be successful because it's not acceptable to me to hide myself away, refuse to go out, refuse to have photos taken, wear clothes that are tent-like...

No, those days are over.

I accept the challenge to change.

More Non-Scale Victories!

I have a couple more NSV (Non-Scale Victories) to report today.

I keep a couple of pairs of shoes just for winter use -- and by golly -- they're too big!
Yes, too big as in too loose! I suppose I never thought that too much weight could / would fatten your feet. I thought I'd just grown another shoe size... nope... it was just fat padding my foot!
Cool.
Now, I get another couple pair of shoes. Also, I no longer have any winter shirts. 62 pounds ago (last January), I never really got cold. I stayed warm from my own padding.
Well, I'm getting cold now and found that the sweaters I had don't fit -- too big.
Same for the few long-sleeved shirts I owned. I'm going shopping on my birthday. I have GOT to get some new clothes! Otherwise, I will FREEZE this winter! (Yea, me!)

And one more NSV -- I put my college ring away several years ago as it was WAY too small. A couple months ago, I tried it on and found it would fit my pinkie finger. Good start and I've been wearing it off and on. Today, on the way to Mass, I had to leave it in the truck -- it's way too big for my pinkie now.
Not quite big enough for my ring finger but definitely not far off. So... my day has started off well -- even if I am going to have to "make do" for winter clothes for another couple of weeks.
The drawback, of course, is that I really don't want to buy too many clothes right now as I'm still losing weight and inches.
*smile*

That's a sacrifice I am utterly delighted to make! I'm about to head out on my first walk of the day. I hope to get in a couple of miles today -- it's bright and sunny and cool right now. Later, however, it's going to get really cold with a low in the 30s.

I was born on a late October afternoon and Fall and Winter are when I really feel the most "alive" -- I tend to shut down and hibernate in the summer! I'm hoping my weight loss and new outlook will change that somewhat. I'd like to actually appreciate and enjoy the summertime. LOL!

I weigh in tomorrow -- again, I'm not sure what to expect from it. I know full well I had a couple of mis-spent meals. But I won't fret or stress.
I FEEL the changes -- I KNOW I can make this happen.
No worries.
Have a great Sunday afternoon and best of success to all who are weighing-in on Monday (and all this week)!

HOPPIN' JOHN

HOPPIN' JOHN! This is a very old, Southern Tradition -- it's served on New Year's Day with rice, greens, and cornbread. I love it and it's got LOTS of protein and fibre! Hope you'll enjoy it, too!

Ingredients

Hickory Smoked Ham Steak (4 oz = serving), 4 servings
(1 pound)
Black-eyed peas (cowpeas), immature seeds, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt, 16. oz uncooked = 3 1/4 cooked
Green Onions (Scallions) - 1/4 cup chopped
Water, tap, 6 to 8 cups (48 to 64 fl oz.)

Directions

Soak beans overnight in plenty of water.
Drain and place peas in crockpot.
Chop 1/4 cup scallions (green onions) and add to peas.
Chop the ham steak and add to the pot.
Cover with 6 to 8 cups of water and cook on HIGH for about 4 hours,
then turn to LOW until you're ready to serve.
Stir peas once an hour.

Serves 8.

Nutrition Facts

Servings Per Recipe: 8
Serving Size: 1 serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 176.2
Total Fat 8.9 g
Saturated Fat 2.5 g
Cholesterol 25.0 mg
Sodium 777.0 mg
Potassium 8.8 mg
Total Carbohydrate 15.6 g
Dietary Fiber 3.4 g
Sugars 2.7 g
Protein 9.5 g
Vitamin A 10.8 %
Vitamin C 3.4 %
Calcium 8.9 %
Copper 0.6 %
Iron 6.1 %
Magnesium 0.4 %

A cool giveaway at... Biggest Diabetic Loser!

Check it out!

http://biz319.wordpress.com/2009/10/16/happy-friday-awesome-giveaway/

She's giving away a set of weight scales! How cool is that?

How to eat Pizza... and not pig-out?

I picked up four helpful hints on Thursday about eating Pizza and thought I'd share with you.

This first tip came from my pint-sized 17 year old daughter (she's 5' 2" and 125 pounds) -- Mom, she said, eat an apple about 15 minutes before you go out for pizza. It'll fill you with fibre and you won't be so hungry.

You know... that's really NOT a bad idea. Besides, I like apples. :)

Second tip (read on-line, but can't recall where):
Get two slices of pizza on your plate and make a salad to go along (easy on the croutons, cheese, and dressing! No bacon bits!). For each bite of Pizza, take TWO bites of salad!
Eat slowly. Revel in the feel of the food in your mouth. Savour each and every bite.

You'll fill up faster... feel full sooner... and you'll have had fibre, fruit, veggies, protein, fats, and carbs...!

This makes sense to me. The problem with pigging out is we flat out IGNORE our inner voice (and out stomachs!) when it tells us it's time to stop.
It's easier to stop when you've started in the middle of the process.
Did that make sense?

Three: Use a couple of napkins to dab away excess oil on the pizza. It won't change the taste, but it will make for less calories and fat!

Four: Don't eat the pizza bones! Skip the doughy crust on the outside of the pizza and save a few dozen calories.

EDITED TO ADD: Eat your pizza with a knife and fork! Easier to control your bite sizes. And you have to put the fork down occassionally, so it takes you a bit longer to eat!

I don't know when we're going out for pizza again, but I will make sure that I have a nice, juicy Granny Smith before we go... and I'm going to try the salad trick, too. A bit of Pepperoni pizza, followed by two bites of salad... yes, I think this could work!

I already dab the pizza to get rid of the oil and never eat the crusts. That's been a big help already, I think.

If you try it, please let me know how it worked (or didn't work) for you, please!

Random Wednesday Ramblings...

First of all, the Mad Scientists at Fab Fatties are sponsoring a... giveaway... of sorts! ;0 You could win one of Dr. Shannon's creations!
Check it out here on the TREADMILL post!

I can't wait to what magical invention is coming out of their laboratory now!

BIGGEST LOSER: II am not impressed by what I've seen so far. In fact, I'm thisclose to just switching back to NCIS and leaving BL behind.
I am also wondering if the producers haven't rigged this season's shows.
Seriously.
Not every reality show needs an "evil" persona to drive it. The damn show is supposed to be about weight loss -- not the damn stupid drama and "good vs. bad" contestants.

Tracey shouldn't be there -- they sent home someone who needed help and kept a whiny, seemingly oblivious game-player?

Sickening. *rant off*

It's raining. Pouring, actually, and my arthritis is making the day unpleasant physically. Cold weather is also approaching, but I love the winter so I'm happy about that!

I've stayed on track -- off and on -- this week! ;)

I've had a couple of off meals. It happens and I'm not going to stress over it.

I'm off to stitch -- I started back stitching a few days ago and am almost finished with "No Hearth" a Celtic pattern I found last year.
I have really missed stitching, but needed to focus on getting healthy and losing weight. I think I can fit the needlework back into my life now.

So, have a lovely day, see you soon!

Turkey Kielbasa and Fresh Veggie Stew!

This is a wonderfully healthy recipe! All of the veggies are Fresh! Not frozen... not canned!
If you like, you can substitute a low-sodium broth for the gravy mix. Add a tsp. of cornstarch to thicken the broth if you do.

Also, if you want to make it a vegetarian dish, leave out the kielbasa (and also remove 585 calories!).

Check the crockpot after two hours -- some folks like their veggies cooked longer than others. Cook to your own taste!

Ingredients
Green Beans (snap), 40 beans (approx. 4" long)
Green Giant Fresh Baby Cut Carrots, 6 oz
Green Onions, 1/4 cup
White Potato, medium, 3 potatoes, diced
Great Value Brown Gravy Mix, 4 tbsp = 1 package
Water, tap, 3 cups (24 fl oz)
Hillshire Farm Turkey Kielbasa, 13 oz package

Directions
Wash all the vegetables first!
Place dry gravy mix in bottom of crockpot and add 3 cups of water,
stir well.
Place all veggies into crockpot and cook on high for three hours. (Vegetables often take a long time to cook!)
Cook kielbasa in oven for 20 minutes until hot.
Drain on paper towels to remove any excess fat.
Slice Turkey Kielbasa into 4 pieces (or eight smaller pieces if you prefer). Add to the vegetable stew and serve!

Number of Servings: 4

Nutrition Facts
Servings Per Recipe: 4
Serving Size: 1 serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories 328.0
Total Fat 8.9 g
Saturated Fat 3.3 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.1 g
Monounsaturated Fat 0.0 g
Cholesterol 56.9 mg
Sodium 868.4 mg
Potassium 267.4 mg
Total Carbohydrate 42.6 g
Dietary Fiber 5.8 g
Sugars 7.8 g
Protein 17.2 g

Vitamin A 152.3 %
Vitamin B-6 2.1 %
Vitamin C 46.9 %
Vitamin E 1.1 %
Calcium 4.9 %
Copper 2.6 %
Folate 5.1 %
Iron 7.7 %
Magnesium 3.9 %
Manganese 5.9 %
Niacin 2.1 %
Pantothenic Acid 0.5 %
Phosphorus 2.1 %
Riboflavin 3.4 %
Selenium 0.5 %
Thiamin 3.0 %
Zinc 0.9 %

Giveaway at PRIOR FAT GIRL!

Prior Fat Girl is giving away some marvelous new Peanut Butters from Naturally Nutty! Check out her website to enter for a chance to win an 8 oz. jar!

Naturally Nutty Peanut Butter Giveaway!

Oh, gosh... I had a tablespoon of Jif a few days ago. No toast, no jam. Just stick-to-the-roof-of-your-mouth Peanut Butter! But a flavoured, organic peanut butter? Ohhh... yummy!

I think the Butter Toffee flavour sounds delish!
Actually, so does the Cinnamon Cherry!

Monday Weigh-in!

*237*!!! I'm down a pound this week! YAHOOOOOOO!

I've lost a total of 61 pounds since January! I can't even begin to tell you how good I feel about this!

I think, to celebrate, I'll stitch for a while after I fold the clothes and walk on the treadmill.

Our week has started off with fog and rain -- but we've got the promise of daytime temps in the low 70s by the middle of the week and I am tickled pink!

I hope everyone has a great weigh-in this week!

NSVs!

I have a few NSVs (Non-Scale Victories) to share:

1. My beloved silver Thistle and Claddagh rings that Mike bought for me... are too big. I can't wear them anymore.

2. My Wedding Band fits again!

3. The Thistle bracelet that Mike bought me in 2008 was once so tight, it almost hurt to wear it. Now, there is a good inch of 'extra' space between my wrist and the bracelet!

4. Tonight, we were sitting at the motel where Mike's Uncle Kevin was staying and as we were talking, I crossed my legs and... darn near fell out of the chair. I CROSSED MY LEGS!!! I haven't had the ability to really do that in several years. And tonight, I did it without even thinking.

I think these NSVs are even better than smaller measurements and scale losses! I can SEE these... reach out and touch them!

And I am celebrating them -- without food!

Have a great weekend!

Great Motivational article from Dineen (Eat without Guilt)

http://www.eatwithoutguilt.com/powerful-tool-motivated/

Read this article -- it's great and extremely helpful!

A Book Review / Giveaway at Prior Fat Girl!

Stop by the blog of Prior Fat Girl and check out her new Book Review and Giveaway!

She is giving away a copy of the book 101 Things to do before you diet! by Mimi Spencer.

Just follow the instructions for your chance to win this fantastic book!

Trying out the treadmill / October Goals!

If you LOVE Salsa, head over to Run to the Finish for a SALSA giveaway!
She's giving away 4 jars of Pepperdog Brand salsa.

I've been walking on the treadmill -- WOW! -- that's not as easy as it looks but it's a great workout!

Since yesterday was so rainy -- the treadmill allowed me to get my mile in. I think this is going to work out just fabulously!

I just have to keep my cats off of it!

I realized today that I never posted any October goals.

So... without further ado...

OCTOBER GOALS:

Treadmill: 3X per week / 15 minutes per session
Walking: 7X per week / mile
Rebounder: 3X per week / 15 minutes per session
Veggies / fruits: 3X per day
Strength Training: 3X per week

***60***

Today is another milestone for me -- I've lost 60 pounds since January!

I am just so excited -- I've worked so hard to lose this weight and I can see so many changes.

I wanted to share this with you and thank you all for your kind words on this blog. It means a lot to me!

See y'all tonight!

Treadmill!

I got a treadmill last night! It's used but in great shape and I love it already.

It doesn't take the place of walking outside, of course, but it'll be great for really cold, rainy days this winter (or really, really hot summer days next year!).

It's got an incline, too... boy, oy boy, that's a workout!

Even Mike likes it!

My dining room is becoming a home gym. LOL!

Biker Chick... Uhm... nope!

But I did take a ride on Daddy's Goldwing Trike yesterday. He rode me around the neighbourhood -- first time I've ridden with him!

It was fun!

Morgan and Daddy have been running buddies since the day she was born, practically. They've been to NC, Tennessee, Virginia, and this summre's trip across the US to California and back. Next summer, they plan on going to Canada and Niagra Falls.

But I'm not so brave.

Yesterday, I decided to try it and I just loved it!

Another exciting adventure on my journey to a healthier, slimmer me.

***239***

So, I've left the 240s... FINALLY!

This is me wearing a shirt that was considerably tighter last summer and the new size 16 pants! The very last holdout size 20 pants are safely washed, folded, and awaiting transport to the thrift store.
I think I got those just about mid-June, too!

I am up late tonight because it's been a harried week -- and I've little time for the internet.

I mowed half of my front lawn this evening and I'll finish it off tomorrow while Mike's in the field. It's so gorgeous in South Georgia right now -- our high today topped off at 79 delicious degrees! Tomorrow promises to be equally lovely.

I've got my fingers crossed for this weekend -- Mike and I may go up to Atlanta for a Braves game (they lost tonight -- I am SO mad!). I've been wanting to see Turner Field but just never got the chance.
Hopefully, we'll go.

I really have to try to go and get some sleep. As it is, I'm supposed to be up and moving at 7:00 a.m. Somehow... I don't see that happening!

Night, y'all!