Tag Archives: weight loss

Uncategorized

The day I got annoyed with the fashion industry

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As Always you can find me on social media mostly @KellyNDodds or Facebook: kelly.dodds.33 ❤

Funny thing about the “fashion” industry- it seems there is no set standard in sizing any longer. I remember as an early teenager I could go into a store, by the same number jean and no matter what brand it would fit because they were all made in the same measurements. Once I got to my later teen years spandex started being incorporated into denim far more frequently and all of a sudden sizing got crazy different. When I got to plus sizes it was super impossible. Every single pair of pants I put on is different. You HAVE no choice but to try on clothes.

At my largest, I wore a size 22. It’s hard to even type that. I can’t believe it ever happened. I lived in stretchy jeggings and leggings. They were easy, plus seeing TC or XXL on pants was easier that number. Many jeans in that size were super big in the legs. They however fit in the waist. They looked hideous on. Quickly in my journey I lost some weight which knocked me down to a 20. New Size, Same problem- most fit in the waist, some didn’t and the legs all too baggy. I found myself living in high waist/skinny leg denim because it was easier to get to fit without trying on. I lost even more weight and had the same problem in size 18. Some fit, some just were too tight still in the waist. That’s when someone introduced me to junior plus.

I wish I could give you more insight – I’m 5’5”, and have no clue what ‘shape’ I am bodywise. I’m super bad at looking at that chart and making what I see into a fruit. I also do not own a tape measure so I have no clue inches of anything – best blogger award here folks! I feel like I have no torso because of my chest and I have more legs than torso however I’m still short.

The world of Junior plus is fascinating. I learned about different fits- boyfriend, mom, high rise skinny, mid-rise skinny, and in this realm low rise doesn’t exist currently. I also found it easier to find than I thought. Some shopping locations I have found:

  1. Forever 21
  2. Rue 21
  3. Torrid
  4. Maurices
  5. Target
  6. Charlotte Russe
  7. Simply Be
  8. Dia & Co
  9. Cato
  10. H&M

Other things I noticed about Junior Plus:

  • Less expensive (on average, Torrid/Maurices outliers)
  • Trendier (in comparison to Catherines/Avenue/Lane Bryant)
  • Not as focused on Quality (on average, Torrid/Maurices outliers)

As of this week I am a size 16. I’m sure I’ll continue to have the same issues with denim for the rest of my weight loss journey.

What they do not tell you about a weight loss journey or a “healthy you” journey I should say is that sometimes all the emotions come out. In my case I punish AND also would reward myself with unhealthy foods. Bad day- eat the bad stuff it’ll make it better. Good day- eat the cupcake you deserve it. When it should have been bad day- do some self care. Good day- hang out with your friends.

Moral? We all get frustrated with these numbers. You aren’t alone. /RANT.

Life, travel, Uncategorized

The month after vacation

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As always if you want to connect with me you can do it here:

Twitter, IG, YouTube, Snapchat, WW Connect: @KellyNDodds

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Kelly.dodds.33

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STRUGGLE BUS. Those are the only words that can fully describe getting back on the Weight Watchers wagon after a vacation.

I first must apologize for the month long hiatus from the blog. You are all about to find out why it has been a struggle for me to write a Weight Watchers post.

On July 15th I flew from Columbus, Ohio to Anaheim, California. Since I would not be home nor in a location where I could cook for myself I knew this week would be a difficult week to maintain Weight Watchers. I opted to not track from the second we stepped off the airplane until the second I hit the airport July 22nd. Yes a full 7 days not logging, counting points, thinking about what I was putting into my body. I also knew I’d be walking at least 10k steps per day. In my head I figured I’d come back gaining a few pounds. Between Leadership events, Convention events, presenting, and my team members being there meal prep would be too much of a time hog.

One of the things I did well in California was small amounts of food. For instance I took bites of cakes or higher pointed foods and consumed the lower foods first and in entirety. I did eat some bread- which is something I typically shy away from. I drank a flight of margaritas as well! When I vacation food is something I look forward to as much as seeing the sights. I wasn’t disappointed at Roscoe’s Chicken & Waffles or Marri’s Pizza. The last night I had a Short Rib Grilled Cheese that was AMAZING and right in our hotel. These are all things I don’t get to eat on Weight Watchers due to point values.

Somehow- Someway, I ended up coming home weighing 10 POUNDS less than I left at. It makes 0 sense (even if I did walk a 5k and walk over 15k steps a day for 7 days). It was an amazing feeling that didn’t last long. By the next week I had gained some back. Why? That next week was a struggle bus. Since I didn’t track and I lost- my brain went rogue. It decided I didn’t need to put what went in my mouth in that app. It also wanted richer foods that it was fueled with in California- and that meant more carbohydrates than I normally would eat. Uggggggh and the time zone differences! It took me over a week to get readjusted to Ohio time. My body was hungry at 10pm since that is 7pm Cali time. Meaning I would eat something right before bed.

So for almost exactly a month- I’ve been working on getting back to “normal”. Pointing, meal prep, recipe manipulation, going back to the gym, and getting back into the community pages on Facebook and Connect.

Life, Uncategorized

The day I shared my food finds with you

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As always if you want to connect with me you can do it here:

Twitter, IG, YouTube, Snapchat, WW Connect: @KellyNDodds

Facebook: facebook.com/Kelly.dodds.33

Shop Scentsy: www.kellydodds.com

I’m down 37 pounds since February 5th with Weight Watchers. I really took a week to ease into my journey- with my initial start date being 1/27. I had an event the weekend of February 3rd that I knew would be tricky so I allowed myself grace and really went hard starting the 5th. On June 27th it will be 5 months of counting points, learning portion sizes, measuring everything out, and doing cardio. Here are some of the foods that got me down 37 pounds (and hopefully 40 soon!). This is not NEARLY everything but what comes to mind

 

Morning Foods or as some call them “Breakfast”

Starbucks Blonde Roast Coffee:  0 points up to 3 cups. This is great for a coffee addict like me!

Torani Sugar Free Syrups : 0 points forever. As much as you want or need. My preference is Smores or French Vanilla currently. If you need creamer you can find sugar free ones which typically are 0-1 points per tablespoon. I personally do not point creamer since I use a splash and that’s it.

Aldi Fit & Active Turkey Polish Kielbasa: This brand is only 2 points for 2 oz. or 4 for 3 oz. It’s the lowest I’ve found but adding a little to egg cups goes a long way flavor wise and adds a protein.

Ore Ida Potatoes O’Brien: Again- Brand matters here. ¾ a cup is only 2 points. Serve with two eggs (0 points) and you have a super low breakkie.

Aldi Fit & Active Whole Grain Waffles: 2 waffles for 4pts or 1 for 2pts. These are a great way to get a carb in and feel good about it!

Canadian Bacon: 3 slices, 1 point. Great for omelets, pizzas, by itself!

Jimmy Dean Fully Cooked Turkey Sausage Crumbles: ¼ cup 1 point, ½ cup 2 points.

 

 

Anytimers

Kraft Fat Free Shredded Cheddar/Mozzarella: 0 points for ¼ cup. Cheese and Weight Watchers are not the best of friends so to find something 0 points is a godsend.

Trader Joe’s Lite Shredded Cheeses: 1-2 points per ¼ cup or 0-1 for 1/8th . Mozzarella is lower than the other two blends (Mexican & 3 cheese) but we will mix these with the fat free to stretch and get more meltiness.

Frigo Cheese Heads Light String Mozzarella Cheese Sticks– 1pt per stick.

Opadipity Creamy Ranch Greek Yogurt Dip: 2 points per serving (2tbs) THIS is my replacement for ranch which has anywhere from 5-7 points per serving. They have other flavors as well. A little goes a long way for salads since it’s thicker like a dip. It’s super great to dip veggies in as well.

Laughing Cow Cheese Wedges: 1 pt per wedge, Pepper jack is our favorite but you can find 3-4 varieties of these in our fridge at all times. Spread them on wraps, add them to toast, dip chips and veggies in them. Love these.

Good Thins Corn Thins: 3 points for 41 chips and the closest low point tortilla substitute I’ve found. They are thin, crispy, and corny. Great for soup and salad toppers, or just eating with a cheese wedge.

 

Lunch

Aunt Millie’s Healthy Goodness Fiber for Life Breads: 1 point per slice. We love the Potato Bread. It’s soft and you don’t miss regular bread with this.

Joseph’s Pitas & Lavish Bread:  ½ lavish or 1 pita 1 point. We make pizza from the lavish and stuff the pitas with chicken, hummus, and veggies.

Ole Extreme Wellness High Fiber Low Carb Tortilla wrap 8in: 1 point. They change your taco/enchilada game sweetie. I’ve seen people make pizzas out of these as well.

Boar’s Head Chicken/Turkey deli meats: 0-1 point depending on seasoning per 2-3oz and worth the price.

Perdue Simply Smart Gluten Free Breaded Chicken Tenders: If you have an air fryer these are your new best friends. 4 pieces are 6 points. We actually use these for a chicken parm recipe! Cut them up for salads or a wrap too!

G Hughes Sugar Free BBQ sauces: 0 points for 3 tbsp. go to 4 and you hit a point.

 

 

Dinner

Trader Joe’s Shepard’s Pie: 4 points for the whole frozen meal. It’s great to pop into the microwave on a busy night. We serve it with a piece of Aunt Millie’s bread (above). You can split it in half for 2 points.

Creamette 150 calorie Thin Spaghetti or Penne: 3-4 points for ½ a cup this is so far the lowest full sized pasta we’ve found AND it tastes like REAL pasta and not a substitute! We’ve only found both options at Kroger.

Classico Light Asiago Romano Alfredo Sauce: Sauces can be tricky. 1/3 cup is 3 points but I don’t think I even use that for a serving. Add some peppers and turkey kielbasa your tummy will thank me.

Trader Joe’s Salsa Verde: 0 points forever. We pour this in the instant pot with Chicken breasts, squeeze in some lime juice, add seasonings and make shredded chicken for tacos, quesadillas, salads and more.

Trader Joe’s Vegetable Birds’ Nests: 1 for 2 points. We use lite soy sauce on ours. They make for an easy side.

Rotisserie Chicken: We rip off the breast meat, skin it, and cut it up and add it to soups, salads, tacos, and more.

 

Have on Hand

Spices: The lower in salt the better. Seasoning makes the dish let me tell you. We like Ms. Dash No Salt Table Seasoning on our eggs. We love Trader Joe’s 21 Seasoning Salute as well as Tony Chachere’s Cajun Seasoning and Chef Paul Prudhommes Pizza & Pasta Magic.

Fat Free Greek Yogurt: You can do SO much with this stuff. 2 ingredient dough, PB2 dessert, Flummery, Thicken like Sour Cream, Dips, Dressings- too many things. It’s a STAPLE.

Eggs: If you aren’t allergic- get you some. We eat these so we can have some treats. 0 points, delish, and filling.

Fruits & Veggies: Lower sugar fruits and any non-starchy veggie is fair game!

Fat Free Refried Beans: Throw them in a 1 point tortilla, eat them as a side- 0 points!

Chicken Breasts/Tenders: Grill Em, Bake Em, Air Fry Em, Delish.

96% Fat Free Ground Beef: Lower fat alternative for anything you’d do with hamburger!

99% Fat Free Ground Turkey: 0 points. It is the lowest fat alternative for hamburger. We love it in Enchiladas.

 

Gadgets:

Instant Pot: We make SO many soups that help us stay on track using our fancy pressure cooker!

Air Fryer: Great for Chicken Nuggest/Tenders, Potatoes, anything that would be “fried” really!

Weight Watchers App: Specifically the bar code scanner because you can compare every brand to see which has the lowest points.

Apple Watch: Your friends can keep you accountable. You can see their activity and cheer them as well! Its’ so much easier to do this with friends!

 

I hope this helps. Again we shop around: Meijers (Midwest), Kroger (Also Fred Meyers), Walmart, Giant Eagle, and Aldi’s . ❤