Stalled Out

I took a peek at the scale today, as I always do mid-week, and it says the same dang thing it said last Fri, 231.0.  Of course, I know exactly why.  I've been eating too many calories this week.  I haven't had any binges...I've just noticed weirdo cravings that aren't my norm, like wanting something salty...so I had a few chips and some cashews.  Then wanting something sweet, so I ate a big chocolate chip cookie....the whole time wondering what's up with that?  I NEVER eat chips or nuts.....they're just not my thing.  And I've never had a big sweet tooth.  Usually, if I have a chocolate craving, one little piece of chocolate takes care of it and I'm fine.  The one exception to the sweet rule is brownies.  They're my kryptonite, so I don't keep them in my house.  You might remember that I encountered a pan of homemade brownies at my sister's house last week and ate 2 of them on the spot. 

So anyway, I've been snacking and picking at things like this all week, confused and irritated, and then they hit me.  Cramps.  Ahhhhh....finally!!!  Now I know what's up....Mother Nature is preparing for a visit.  But here's the REALLY stupid thing.  I do this every month.  Every single month.....and I FORGET every single month, until I get hit with a wave of cramps.  Unfortunately, thanks to my PCOS, cramps are a lot more like pregnancy contractions...more fun than the law allows....but that's just one of my curses in life.  But that's always what it takes to remind me of why one of my weeks is always a "snacking on weird stuff" week.

As soon as the "fun" is over and M.N. has gone on to torture some other poor girl, I forget all about it.  I have a fabulous weight loss one week (if I'm doing things right and on track, that is), get all excited, tell myself, "Hey!!  I'm gonna' lose 20 lbs this month!!  I'm feelin' great....YEAH BABY!!!  But that's just not the case.  I have a couple of decent weeks, and a couple of not-so-hot weeks.  Such is life.  The important thing is to keep the positive mindset to continue downward on the scale.  And my mind is still in a good place.  Well, mostly.  I'll tell you one thing.  I'm sick to dang death of this weather.  I'm so over it.  I hate it with a passion, really, and I crave sunshine more than any brownie I've EVER craved.  I want warmth, and sunny days, and outside hikes, and new green leaves on the trees, and pretty, colorful flowers popping out of the ground.

I'm still unemployed from my last job layoff.  I really cannot believe it's been this long.  Feb. 20th will make one solid year with no work.  Unbelievable.  Baffling.  Mind-blowing.  But I'm still applying for jobs every single week, and ONE of these days, someone's gonna' HAVE to call me for an interview and let me charm my way into another job.  :)  Until then, I'm trying to stay positive, keep an upbeat attitude, focus on the weight loss, and not let the other factors in my life pull me down.....especially the things I can't control, like the weather and the unemployment.  Oh, and Mother Nature.  How do I hate thee?  Let me count the ways....ah, forget it....I don't have enough fingers and toes. ;)

So anyhoo, this is where I'm at this week.  I'm waiting to hear back from the publisher to see if he's willing to mail any copies out of the country.  When I find out tomorrow, I'll let you know who the winners are....I might have to re-draw the names!

I'm leaving you with a couple of pics of some chicken soft tacos I've made over the last couple of days.  One is my version of Mexican when I want something a little spicy.  I sauteed some chicken breast that I cut into strips and then added a can of Rotel tomatoes and green chiles to it and let it simmer until all the liquid cooked out of it.  Added some reduced-fat sour cream (1 Tbsp...20 cals), and some shredded lettuce.  The other version is to satisfy my Greek cravings.  I sautee chicken breast with fresh spinach and chopped up artichoke hearts, then sprinke with a little Romano cheese and 1 Tbsp of reduced-fat sour cream.  Both of them were eaten on wraps that are only 50 calories!!  Enjoy!!

Quote For the Day:

"Big shots are only little shots who keep shooting."  -Christopher Morley