Project Melanie

It's officially been 1 full week since I embarked upon this journey to change my life and it's going great. Working the graveyard shift hasn't been a hindrance either. Where I used to snack on chips and popsicles during the night, I've switched to boiled eggs, fresh fruit and frozen applesauce cups. Earlier for Lunch/dinner I had a very good salad from McAllisters Deli while my husband chowed down on what used to be one of my favorites, a giant spud loaded with chipotle chicken, cheese and all of the fixings! The temptation hit when my husband showed me the carrot cake they threw in for free since they didn't have his order ready on time as promised. They gave him two slices at that! He turns and tries to give me a slice and I gave him the death glare. He sees I'm trying to stay on the right track, better stop with the shenanigans! I'm one of those people who likes to see that I'm burning fat so I purchased some Ketostix. They became popular when the Atk...

It's almost been a full week and I'm still going strong! Yesterday when I got off of work I ate a few boiled eggs and pork sausage patties. I'm starting to crave sweets more so I drank a little bit of the strawberry, banana smoothie I had made the day before. That satisfied my sweet tooth and I was good until lunch time. My husband woke me up saying he had a surprise from my favorite spot, The Jerk Shop! I cringed when I heard those words. He knows good and well how I love those Jerk egg-rolls and everything else they cook so why on Earth would he tempt me like this? He placed the bag near me and I got up and went to wash my hands and refill my thermos with ice water. When I got back, he was checking the orders to see which was his, which was a good sign because we usually would get the same meals before my lifestyle change. I opened my container and smiled from ear to ear at the jerk steak salad that was before me. They hooked me up! It had everything, onions, tomatoes, cu...

The issues I had leading up to my graduation two weeks ago lit a fire under me to get healthy and lose this weight. When I read the measurements for the graduation gown online, I knew I would need a special order. I called the school bookstore and explained this but the worker assured me I could just come on in and try some on and he's sure they have one that will fit. Against my better judgement and a nagging feeling that I should go as soon as possible to try one on, I waited an additional week. I arrived at the school bookstore to try on gowns exactly 3 weeks before graduation and none of the gowns fit. I was petrified! The associate took my name and number and assured me they would get in touch with the company that makes the gowns to put in a special order. Later that day I received a call that I needed to go back in to get measured immediately since it takes two and a half to three weeks to make the gown. The associate threw in her suggestion that I should look into buying a ...

 I feel great which is what I wanted to let everyone know. I am motivated to get this weight off and staying on track. I made a small store run looking for snacks and was disappointed to find the local stores in my area don't carry a-lot of the items I was looking for. However, I did grab some almond butter which I eat with celery or with apples. I also bought Wholly Guacamole, the spicy kind, to go with my pork rinds. I really wanted some So Delicious dairy free coconut milk unsweetened yogurt but of course my town doesn't carry it. This would have helped me switch up my breakfast routine a bit. I would like to have a variety of quick choices to grab in the morning. I would've just thrown some berries in the yogurt and been good until lunch time but oh well. I grabbed bananas, strawberries and coconut milk to make breakfast smoothies and enjoyed one this morning. I don't add any honey or sugar, the fruit provided the right amount of sweetness for me. A few hours afte...

A few weeks ago I graduated form WIU and received my Bachelors degree. While initially going to school with the intent of being a social worker, I had to make the difficult decision to switch majors. Having a difficult,unruly, unpredictable teenager at home along with mounting health issues took its toll. I needed to finish up A.S.A.P. and the social work program would have taken me another year to finish. The counselor was reassuring when I spoke to her about my decision and I'm pleased to know that this can be revisited at the Masters level when things have calmed down a bit in my life. Just looking back, I am happy that I have taken just about every social work class the college offers. My hard work and those classes will not go to waste. The internship is what I couldn't take on in addition to everything else going on in my life. While I was proud of myself for graduating, it was bittersweet. After my graduation in 2014 when I received my Associates degree, I told my family...

I must admit, I'm proud of myself for not giving in to temptation! This morning I came in from work, threw a few pork sausage patties into the air-fryer, I already had boiled eggs ready and waiting and that was breakfast. You know I had to have my water too! I used to frequent McDonald's after work to grab an iced coffee with caramel and I really wanted  one but thought about my long term goals. For lunch I had left over rotisserie chicken from the other day along with steamed broccoli. One of my sons was a blessing and brought me  about 6 bags of steam-able frozen vegetables since I still have not been shopping for myself. Just know along with every meal I have water. I have a great stainless steel double insulated thermos that keeps my water cold for 24 hours and I love it! It holds 64 oz and I drink 2 per day. I've been known to not be very pleasant in times past when I didn't have icy cold water available. In order to keep my husband from 2 a.m. trips to the store...

Day 2 of my lifestyle change went great. I have the mindset that I must get it right this time around. There is so much I am missing out on due to my weight and it's not a good feeling. As I explained in day 1, my meal schedule is weird because I work night shift and sleep during normal dinner hours. While at work I am allowed to eat with the clients if I choose to so I had 2 slices of bacon to hold me until I got home. I keep the individual cups of Granny Smith apple sauce on hand for something quick to eat and I freeze them, they're delicious and a great alternative to many other frozen treats. I also buy cans of pineapple chunks by the case  from Aldi and freeze 1 can a day. This is also a great snack for me. Once off of work I really wasn't that hungry and grabbed an applesauce from the freezer, drank 32 oz. of water and was done.  Once Lunchtime rolled around I woke up hungry. I had air-fried boneless skinless chicken breasts and a bag of steamed green beans and of cou...

For as long as I can remember, dreams of owning and running a home for pregnant and teen mothers has been a passion of mine. Having it all mapped out, there would be many resources available such as, job training, GED classes on site, group therapy and a food and clothing pantry, just to name a few. While this has been my dream, I have to ask myself what has kept me from pursuing it. Looking deeper within, the realization came that while I dreamed of doing this, I didn't fully believe that I was capable of achieving it. Having a dream has to be equipped with the mindset that you can achieve it. After years of taking short cuts there's no more doubt that my dream can be achieved. Speaking of shortcuts, I'm referring to  the many jobs I've  held over the years. From being a Certified nurses assistant, to driving for Chicago Transit Authority, I've done some of everything. Knowing deep down, none  of these jobs were fulfilling, I continued on out of convenience or in...

Today I embarked upon a lifestyle change. I chose to say lifestyle change over diet because I don't plan to change my way of eating once the weight is loss, a diet is temporary. I've been down this road many times having success with the weight-loss, all to gain the weight back plus extra! I used to find comfort in food, I was a stress eater and oh boy did I have have more stress than the average person! If all was going wrong around me, the aroma of good soul food would transform me to another dimension. If the smell transformed me, you can imagine the enjoyment that came from eating the finished product.  I had to be real with myself and say that's it, it's time to stop and handle stress a different way. Why should I continue to abuse myself because of the stress others bring to my doorstep? I shouldn't and I'm not. Right now I have no problem cutting people out of my life that are toxic and stress bringers. Everyday will present its own challenges, but as fo...

I've taken the role of putting out fires. What kind of fires you may be thinking, not the ones that immediately crossed your mind. I've been putting out fires in other peoples lives, cleaning up their messes, being the sound advice,voice of reason, supportive friend/relative when nothing else around them made sense. All the while, the fire in my soul to follow my dreams was burning a little less year after year. I have come to the realization that people will suck the life out of you. I can give advice all day long, bail people out of jail, be Johnny on the spot whenever there's an emergency and guess what? People will continue to pull on me to function in that capacity! Whats even worse is when the individuals who take up my time, which is valuable, continue doing the exact thing which caused the initial fire in their lives. This is where I say ENOUGH! I'm done neglecting myself, I'm done overextending myself, I'm done involving myself in other peoples fires....