Holding Steady

Weigh In Day - 201.5.  Exactly the same as last week.  I'm not surprised by this.  With Thanksgiving and my daughter's birthday, there were a lot of treats around and I know I ate more than my fair share of all of them.  There was also a lot of family drama over the weekend so fought the need to eat my feelings.  A lot of the family stuff is done but some is still lingering and I'm not quite sure how I'm going to handle it.  My daughter's birthday party was lovely though.  She was really excited about the extended family being in town for it and she loved her new "big girl" bike.  She took to it like a champ.  Will make sure to post pictures tomorrow.  Hope everyone had a great holiday and is geared up for the new week.  I'm absolutely exhausted but hoping as things get back to normal, I'll re-energize.  Happy Cyber Monday to all!

Stuffed? Not Very.

Well, post Thanksgiving lethargy has kicked in.  How did I do?  Not too bad actually.  I ate half a plate of food ( a little bit of everything) and indulged in 2 slices of pie.  That was it.  Too much?  Yes.  Way less than years past?  Definitely.  I also did not take part in the second Thanksgiving dinner that always seems to occur at about 7:00 pm when people start getting snacky again.  I'm very proud of that.  So overall, I think I did pretty good.  It's definitely an improvement and to be honest, I'm not worried about holidays.  I think if I make good choices 85% of the time, I'll be in good shape. 

Dinner went off without a hitch which is great.  Hardly any leftovers which is even better.  The day was full of family and laughter which is really all it's about for me.

So I have to work today which sucks.  It's not a matter of boredom really.  I have plenty of work to do and enough to keep me busy until I go home.  It's that it's so darn quiet in here.  Far too few people for my tastes and when it's quiet, the day drags on forever.  My hubby is off which doesn't help matters because I much rather be home with him and my rugrats than sitting in this cube wasting away like a veal, doing trivial data analysis. 

I have also slacked the last two weeks on exercise.  Recovering from the walk and just generally needing a break from it.  Back to the grind on Monday...going back to my gym and step classes.  Actually pretty excited about it.

So there you have it.  Nothing too exciting at this point.  My daughter's 3rd birthday is this Sunday so will hopefully post pics on Monday.  Enjoy your (long, for some) weekend everybody!  I leave you with a funny...

Thankful for NSV's!

So everyone is starting to get their Thanksgiving posts up and I figured since I'll be busy with preparations tomorrow...best to get this post out today.

First...I'm thankful for NSV's.  When the scale isn't moving, they keep us motivated but aside from that, aren't the Non Scale Victories really what this whole weight loss business is all about.  I know we obsess over numbers - onederland, BMI, Vanity Sizing, How fast we run a mile, etc.  But didn't we all do this for other reasons and even once we hit a milestone number, aren't we more grateful for what that number really represents?  For some, it's not needing that extender on the airplane, being able to fit in booths at restaurants or finally being able to ride roller coasters again.  For others, it's being able to walk 60 miles in 3 days without dying or being able to play with your kids and not be out of breath or finally feeling sexy again for your spouse.  It's these things that those of us who are losing weight are really longing for right?  So in the spirit of being grateful for these things, I had 4 NSV's this week that I thought I would share.

1. Some long time followers may remember this post.  My hubby bought me a bracelet last year for Christmas and I was frustrated because it barely fit around my wrist.  I wore this bracelet two weeks ago and it moves up and down my arm now.  Fits like a dream and it's beautiful
2. In that same post, I had bought a pair of Tinkerbell jammies, got home and found they didn't fit.  So sick of that happening.  I put these on last week and while they didn't look great...they fit.  I even used the pants for camping during my big walk.
3. Yesterday morning, I was walking into work and I held the door open for the person behind me.  Turns out she's a colleague who sits just kitty cornered behind me.  She kinda gasped and said "Good morning! I didn't recognize it was you."  I'm taking that to mean my butt didn't look as big...whether she meant it that way or not.  I'm taking it.
4. I have a white button down blouse that I stopped wearing last year because it was just too tight.  The buttons at the chest wanted to pop out and the shoulders looked like sausages stuffed into it.  I wore this shirt yesterday with room to spare.

While these are all good things...albeit small, they're not what I'm truly grateful for.  I'm grateful for husband, without whom I never could've done that walk or gotten the band or felt any amount of confidence in anything at all.  I'm grateful for my children.  Despite being royal pains some of the time, they're really good kids and they make my world go around.  I'm grateful for my family...despite not being the most supportive bunch, they have their moments...like when my sister walked the first five miles of the walk with me in spirit 9 states away.  I'm grateful I have a job in this turbulent economy and that we can feed our kids and put gas in the car and not worry about where we're going to sleep at night.  I'm grateful for this blogging community that allows me to vent, cry, laugh and get support 24/7. 

So...remember what Thanksgiving is all about.  While it is an American holiday, I encourage all those blogsters from around the world to take a minute and reflect on what you're thankful for on Thursday.  Not a bad practice to get into...

100...

Followers, that is.  Wahoo!  I couldn't imagine 5 people who would listen to me babble on about weight loss efforts in "real life" much less 100 in the virtual world.  Thanks to each and every one of you for tagging along on my journey and lending much needed support.  Y'all rock!

Overall, it was a productive weekend.  My hubby and I got the house ready for Turkey Day.  This included vacuuming and shampooing the carpet, cleaning the upholstery, scrubbing down the kitchen, cleaning out the pantry and grocery shopping.  I have Wednesday off in order to prepare more so it should all go off without a hitch.  Makes the weekend go by too quickly though.  Back at work today and not uberexcited about it.

I am now down to 201.5.  That's only a half pound down from last week but I think I know what's contributing to the slow loss so I'm OK with it.  Time of the month has come and is lingering so I'm sure that's not helping.  What makes that even weirder is that I'm on birth control and this isn't when it was supposed to come.  Will have to talk to the doc about this at my annual appointment.  I've been sick ever since my walk (and a little before actually) so I know my body is holding on to whatever fluid it can get.  So this week is all about hydrating and getting better.  My cold has moved into my ears and now I can't hear out of one of them and my throat is killing me.  I'm considering seeing a doctor but I don't think there's much he can do.  Unfortunately, I'm not one of those people that just can't seem to muster the energy to eat when I'm sick.  I crave comfort food so part of the challenge has been resisting the urge to "feed a cold."  Isn't that how it goes?  "Feed a cold.  Starve a fever."  Ugh.  Can't wait to feel better.  Seriously sick of being sick. 

So as I was saying...that puts me at 1.6 lbs from Onederland.  I can't wait to see that 199 on the scale but I'll be patient.  It's been 3 months since surgery and I've lost almost 28 lbs.  Couldn't be happier with these results.  That second fill has had some effect.  I'm having a harder time with certain breads and I can certainly eat less.  My next appointment is December 9th which I may push back due to insurance reasons.  We'll see.  Hope all of you had a fantastic weekend and enjoy your holiday week here in the U.S!

I Did It! And Lived To Talk About It

Happy Thursday to one and all!  I apologize for not posting sooner.  Came back to a crazy time at work. 

I survived the 3 Day!  It was an amazing experience...grueling...touching...painful...cold...all rolled into one extraordinary weekend.  Opening ceremonies on Friday morning got the ball rolling.  Susan G Komen is really into the symbolism and try their hardest to get everyone crying at one of their events.  They raised a flag that was a row of white ribbons with the names of people the walkers had lost to breast cancer.  My aunt was on the ribbon as well as my teammate's (and BFF) mother.  It was nice that we could honor them like that.  My friend kicked this walk's butt!  She was the 177th walker to cross the finish line Sunday afternoon and that's including the ones who had to the catch the bus to the finish line earlier in the day.  I was not given a number.  LOL.  I earned myself a little nickname while on the walk.  I had no less than 6 people call me "The Tortoise" from The Tortoise and the Hare.  Honestly, my pace was pretty slow but I didn't linger long at pit stops or lunch so the same people would pass me 3 or 4 times a day.  With my pink hair, they'd remember me and wonder how I got ahead of them.  I wear this nickname like a badge of honor.  No hurt feelings here. 



Isn't he hot?  Part of the "Pink Army" - one of the crew teams




Day 2




My BFF




Pit Stop 1

 Camp was pretty good.  Showers were better than expected and the place was fairly organized.  We never had to wait for food or to refill our water bottles.  It was, however, very COLD.  This is Arizona...I'm not used to cold.  It got down to about 40 degrees Friday night.   Meanwhile, I'm in this little 2 person tent with a sleeping back that supposedly only good down to 45 degrees.  Froze my butt off.  Needless to say, my friend nor I got a very good night's sleep that night.  It was so cold, she decided to not camp the second night (as did the people in the 5 tents surrounding us).  Wusses!  So the second night, the camp gave out Mylar blankets (they look like tin foil and are given to people in emergency situations to prevent hypothermia...go figure).  My friend gave me her spare blanket since I refused to use her guestroom and the lady across the way who opted for a hotel left her sleeping bag in our tent while we were at dinner.  Needless to say that between all that and the 2 pairs of pants I wore to bed that night, I was nice and toasty. 



Stuff to keep me warm


The one thing that really touched my heart was the outpouring of support from the community and crew.  The volunteer crew that works this event are quite possibly the best people. ever.  They keep you going and aside from lying to you about how far away your next pit stop is, they're really pretty helpful.  I was taken back by the number of cars that honked in support of us as we walked along big streets and people who gave us thumbs up on their way to work.  The people who came out to the cheering stations were probably the coolest people ever.  I guess it just really drove the idea home of what we were doing.  I knew I was raising money for a good cause and knew I was bringing awareness to the cause by walking this but I didn't realize how genuinely GRATEFUL people were for what we were doing out there.  I really feel like we touched these people's lives in some way and I don't even know them and they don't know me but they appreciate my effort anyway.  It's hard to put into words how that feels.

The whole weekend was probably one of the most memorable events of my life.  I'm so glad I did it.  I'm proud of my efforts.  And while I was sore for a few days after (feeling much better now, thank you), it was totally worth it.  Am I one of those people that will go back and do this walk year after year?  Probably not.  I don't think I want to do the walk again.  However, I think I'd like to stay involved and possibly be part of that amazing crew or cheering station each year.  I highly recommend it to anyone who is considering doing the 3 Day.  You won't regret it.




My poor sick baby at closing ceremonies




Can you feel the excitement?




The "No More Cancer" Flag at closing ceremonies


In other news, I got my second fill on Monday.  At first, Doc didn't want to give me one because I lost 7.5 lbs since my last appointment and he was all happy with that.  "Don't fix it if it ain't broke."  I explained to him that it's impossible to walk 60 miles in 3 days just before an appointment and not lose weight.  He gave me my fill.  Not a big difference so far but I can definitely feel it's there.  Anything else?  I'm sick...again.  My youngest daughter gave me her cold again.  It was either that  or that whole camping in 40 degree weather without proper equipment thing.  I host Thanksgiving at my house so will be getting my house in order this weekend.  I also have my youngest daughter's birthday party the weekend after Thanksgiving so a busy couple weeks here.

Hope everyone is having a fantastic week!  I'll get caught up and start commenting again soon.

3 Day Starts Tomorrow

It's finally here.  I registered for this walk back in January.  Seemed like a good idea at the time.  Motivation to work out and get in shape, banded or not.  I'm lucky enough to have a friend crazy enough to sign up with me.  60 miles in 3 days.  I'll do my best to post once while I'm "at camp" but I'm not sure how feasible that will be.  Just one thought right now...

What the hell did I get myself into?

If you don't hear from me by Tuesday (I'm taking Monday off to recuperate), check the AZ news for a woman with pink hair being carted away in an ambulance.

I'm off to walk...a lot.

Pink Hair & Goals

Good morning all!  Thank you so much for all the comments on my last weigh in.  I've gotten the question "What size are you in?" a couple times now so I guess it's time to fess up.  Honestly, I'm in the same size I have been in for the last 2 years with minor modifications.  I'm still in an 18.  Truth be told, once I hit a certain weight I loathed shopping (I know many of you can relate).  I hated going to normal stores, unable to find ANYTHING and I loathed the options at the Fattie stores like Lane Bryant.  I've never looked good in florals regardless of what Laney thought.  So I stopped shopping unless I really had to.  That being said, I think most of my current 18's are pretty stretched out so they're closer to a 20/22.  Now, are my clothes fitting better?  Yes and No.  Some of my "smaller" 18's (women know what I'm talking about here) fit MUCH better and look nicer (see previous post about my old new shirt).  My "bigger" 18's are looking baggy and a little sloppy.  My 18W jeans are literally falling off me but I'm holding out until January to buy new ones because that's when stuff goes on sale.  OK so enough about my nonprogress on the clothes front.

Ask and ye shall receive...the PINK hair.  (disclaimer: I had no photographer so I took them myself so the angles are a little off.  Incidentally I have VERY short arms.  LOL)

I'm kinda digging the pink hair.  Very Kat Von D of me (anyone watch LA Ink?).  Anyhoo... I've been thinking a lot about goals lately.  I thought about joining the Holiday Challenge but I chickened out.  I know what my "I would be so stoked to be at this weight" goal is and I know what my "OMG! Can you believe I'm this freakin' skinny goal" is.  But I'm having a hard time picking milestones.  25 was a big one for me because it's been YEARS since I've lost more than 20 lbs.  The main issue I'm having is with deadlines.  I don't really like using the word "deadline" in relation to the weight loss because even if you don't hit your goal by a certain date doesn't mean that you're done and the task is over.  I guess what I'm trying to think of is what weight should I shoot for by, say, New Year's or my girls' cruise in January.  Truth is I have no idea.  The surgeon's office throws out that you should lose between 1-2 lbs a week. Hmmmmmkay.  At 2 lbs, that would put me at about 14 lbs by New Year's.  But it's the holidays and let's be perfectly honest, I've never not GAINED weight on the holidays much less lost it.  But I don't want to take a pass at losing weight during the holidays so I'm thinking maybe between 10-12 lbs by New Year's.  I don't know.  That sounds wishy washy.  Then I think, do I have to set mini goals?  Isn't every pound toward my ultimate goal an achievement?  As long as I'm making better choices and decisions and being more active each day attaining a goal in and of itself?  Patrick had an interesting goal setting post awhile back and basically it questions the validity of making goals.  How useful is it?  I think the general consensus (while there was definitely debate) was that setting goals is helpful as long as you actually work towards them.  Well, that was kinda the "duh" answer but I start thinking if I keep my eye on the big goal, then maybe it's not necessary to set little ones since I already know where I want to go.  I realize I'm babbling about this but hang with me for just one more thing.  I've also been thinking that maybe I'm better off thinking in terms of challenges.  This year's health challenge was to get banded (check!) and complete the Susan G Komen 3 Day for the Cure (almost there!).  Training for the walk has jump started my weight loss and has made me a little more fit.  So I'm thinking if I give myself another challenge for next year then perhaps that will be motivation enough. 

OK...I know I've rambled on and I appreciate you sticking with me.  To reward you for your efforts, I leave you with a joke...

Two boys, ages 8 & 10, were always getting into trouble. Their mother heard that a clergyman in town had been successful in disciplining children, so she asked if he would speak with the boys. The clergyman agreed, but asked to see them individually. So the mother sent her 8 year old to see him the following
morning, intending to send the older boy in the afternoon. The clergyman, a huge man with a booming voice, sat the younger boy down and sternly asked,“Where is God?” The boy’s mouth dropped open, but he made no response. The clergyman repeated the question in a even sterner tone,“Where is God?” When the boy made no attempt to answer, the clergyman got to his feet and bellowed,“WHERE IS GOD?” The boy screamed and bolted from the room. When his older brother found him hiding in his closet, he asked,“What happened?” The younger brother, gasping for breath replied,“We’re in BIG TROUBLE this time, dude. God is missing–and they think we did it!”

 

25!

25 lbs gone!!  I weighed in this morning at 203.5.  That is a 2.5 lb losss from last week and 25.5 lbs overall.  I am one very excited girl this morning.  Only 4 days until my big walk.  Starting to get pretty nervous about it.  I did dye my hair pink over the weekend so will post a picture of that tomorrow, hopefully.  My girls don't quite know what to make of it but I'll only have it for a couple weeks so not a biggie.  Now, in true bandster style, I will show you what 25 lbs looks like by way of sealife.  Have a great Monday!

Are Styrofoam Cups the Devil?

**********WARNING**************

This post is has nothing to do with weight loss and isn't all that positive...but I need to vent so that's that.

Alrighty...we'll start with the title.  Let me preface this by saying that I'm all for taking care of the environment.  I understand we only have one Earth and so we must protect it.  I recycle, I reuse plastic bags, I turn lights off when I leave the room and I turn the water off while I brush my teeth.  That being said, in an effort to "go green" (anyone else entirely sick of that phrase?) my office has decided to do away with Styrofoam cups.  I don't have an issue with this if they replaced them with paper cups, reusable cups or something else equally recyclable.  Nope.  Nothing.  They took the cups and that was it.  We had a "Bring Your Favorite Mug Day" and they called it good.  Now...I always use my own coffee mug because it's just beyond cute.  However, I prefer using their cups for random cups of hot chocolate or water.  We have a water/ice machine that has pretty good water so I would use the cups for that...easy to count and measure and ice won't fit in my water bottle.  After the initial annoyance of the mere fact that they took away the cups wore off, I now have to deal with the unintended consequences of this action.  The kitchenette has 3 refrigerators, a 3 pot coffee maker and the needed accessories (sweeteners, stirrers, etc.), 3 microwaves and 1 sink.  This is supposed to accommodate over 250 people.  Yes...1 sink.  If you're using a cup for all your coffee, tea, water, soda, etc...you're going to have to rinse out your cup.  So there's a backlog of people in there ALL THE TIME waiting to use the sink...causing people to not be able to open refrigerators to get lunches, causing a backup at the microwaves...it's chaos I tell you!  On top of all this, they have no dish soap.  They have hand soap which is what people are using to clean their dishes.  Now I don't claim to be a soap expert but why make hand soap and dish soap separate things if they're not meant to be used as such???  Disgusting!  We all know that the real reason they've done away with the cups has nothing to do with "going green" but with the costs.  In the little flyer they gave us talking about how many cups are thrown out each year, they just happen to mention how much it costs our site to purchase said cups for a year.  Anything to save a buck.  So that's my Styrofoam vent for the day.

Still going with blasting my office for stuff.  They did a "reduction in force" yesterday.  For anyone who hasn't worked in the corporate world, it means they fired people.  They're "job eliminations" and they're making getting the severance pay difficult.  First off, you'd think with all the money they're saving on Styrofoam cups, they could afford to keep a few of these jobs.  But I digress...luckily, my job has been spared.  I work for a bank (not a branch) and overall it's a good bank.  If someone were looking for financial services, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend my company to anyone.  But sometimes it feels like I work for the devil.  So many of our jobs have been shipped overseas since I started working here.  I know eventually they'll send me to Manila or Mumbai to train my replacement.  I'm prepared for it and know I'll land on my feet one way or another but it's so frustrating.  They talk about how consumers aren't spending right now and how that's affecting our bottom line but what they don't see is how they exacerbate the problem.  Banks have owned up to (didn't have much choice) the role they played in the housing market bubble bursting and the hedge fund issues but this is something no one is crucifying them for but should be.  You lay off hundreds of people every year and send those jobs offshore.  Then you wonder why these same people aren't spending money???  Who do you think your customers are???  Then of course, when raise time comes around and we get something (if we're lucky) that doesn't even cover the rate of inflation, I'm told to just "feel grateful I have a job."  Yeah...working for the devil.

Since we're talking about things that bug me today...politics.  Now I'm involved in politics as much as anybody else.  I keep up with the issues and I vote in every election.  That being said, this year just absolutely killed politics for me.  What's sad is that it wasn't the politicians that did it.  It was the people.  The left wing/right wing...can't have a conversation without them blaming the other party for something...can't have a conversation without it turning into a political debate...can't have a political debate without it being reduced to childish name calling and irrational arguments...people.  I'm all for debate...it's how ideas are exchanged.  And you can debate with someone whom you know you're not going to convince them of anything and still enjoy it and be productive.  But not this year.  Everyone is so polarized and out to get the other people.  It's really quite sad that it's all come down to this.  Democrats are "heartbroken" by the results and republicans are smug about their "win" (getting the feeling I'm an Independent?).  Give me a break.  They act as if there's some HUGE difference in political parties.  Politicians are politicians.  They are in it for themselves...not US...and anyone who honestly believes that one party is truly representing the needs/wants of the country as a whole over another party is just naive.  Now I could go off on a tirade about how this is always going to happen as long as we have a two party system and how until you elect a true MODERATE into office, you're going to have these same issues.  But I won't.  I won't because I am sick to death of politics and all the word implies.  Nuff said.

I think that's all the griping I'm doing today.  I had my first parent/teacher conference ever for my oldest daughter.  Academically, she's doing fantastic.  Too smart for her own good.  They tested her for an advanced reading group and while she's not quite ready for that, they are going to make sure she's challenged a little bit more in her current reading group.  She loves to write letters and is one of the best writers in her class (kindergarten so we're talking being able to tell what the letters ARE. LOL) and she's excelling at Math and numbers problems.  All good stuff.  Then the teacher mentioned that normally Maddie is bubbly and happy and is one of her easiest students but in the past week or two, she's become a bit of a handful and is showing some attitude.  Since it was such a drastic change for her, the teacher wanted to bring it up to see if we could provide some insight into what might be wrong or if something happened at home.  We told the teacher we had noticed it too but couldn't pinpoint anything that's happened that would cause a shift in attitude.  This has me a little concerned but her teacher said if there hasn't been any big changes, then it's probably just a phase.  I hope so. 

Weekend should be pretty laid back.  Taking this weekend off as far as walks go in order to rest up a bit for the big event.  I gotta get all my packing stuff in order.  Sunday, I'm dying my hair pink.  That's right...PINK.  Not my whole head...just putting some chunks of pink in but it's going to be freakin' awesome.  I checked with my boss and there's nothing in the dress code against it so I won't get in trouble...good thing.  I'll only have the pink in for a couple weeks...just over the walk and a little while after until I get around to taking it out.  I'm pretty excited about it!  I'm also going to try to get some housework done this weekend.  November is a busy, busy month this year with the 3 Day, Thanksgiving (I host) and my youngest daughter's birthday the weekend after Thanksgiving.  Lots to do, lots to clean and lots to cook.  Still haven't hopped on the scale.  I don't think I will until Monday.  I have my next fill appointment November 15th...the day after my walk.  I was thinking about rescheduling it because it'd be nice to not have to do liquids that day.  But then I thought...nope.  This is what lifestyle changes are all about.  Stick to your schedule.  So I am.  Thinking I may go see a movie that day.  Anyhoo...that's all I got today.  Hope y'all have a fantastic weekend!  I'll leave you with this (a Family Guy reference of all things meaning "What bugs you?"): 

What grinds your gears?

Halloween Pics

Week is going pretty well so far.  Been cooking at home a lot more and haven't bought lunch all week.  This is a big accomplishment.  To be honest, I don't think it's so much the healthful side of cooking at home that motivates me right now so much as the $$ factor.  Money is very very tight and with the holidays coming, it's just going to be worse so we're trying to batten down the hatches and reign in some of the spending.  So far, so good.  I haven't been on the scale since Monday.  No, I'm not avoiding it...just haven't thought to do it in the morning.  My thought is to only weigh once a week so I don't go crazy with the daily fluctuations.  That seems to be working pretty well so far.  I've gotten 2 compliments on "new" shirts from a lady at work in the past couple weeks.  I find this funny since neither shirt was new.  One I had stopped wearing about a year ago because it didn't cover my GINORMOUS belly.  It feels more comfortable now and I admit it has a slimming effect.  The second shirt, however, I wear at least once a month.  It's a staple in my wardrobe so it cracks me up that I got a compliment on it from a lady who sits right next to me every. single. day.  Alright...so without further ado...Halloween pics.  No...don't have any of me.  I was the camera lady.  No, I'm not hiding from the camera but I didn't dress up this year and I was so busy getting the kids lookin' good that I just didn't think to take one of myself.  Will get one of those posted soon.  So time to brag about my kiddos and how cute they are. 

So there they are.  My crew.  I'm very proud to say I haven't partook (is that a word?) in any of the Halloween candy.  Honestly, not even tempted by it.  I did have a full size crunch bar the other day but that's just because I wanted one..wasn't part of the Halloween stash.  I have our first parent/teacher conference at Maddie's school tonight.  Hope they tell me wonderful things.  Otherwise, not a whole not new around here.  My big walk is now just one week from tomorrow!  Getting really nervous as to if I'll be able to do it but I know it'll be a great experience and painful all at the same time.  On the heel front, it's feeling much better, thank goodness, so hopefully that won't play into the equation at all.

Alrighty...that's all I got today.  Tomorrow I'll vent about the removal of Styrofoam cups from my office.  Stay tuned...

Tuscany Stuffed Chicken

Not my chicken - stole from another website but it looked very similar

Down 2 more lbs this week - 23 total so very happy about that.  This recipe was a big hit in our house.  I found Fontina cheese to be a bit expensive so I substituted fresh mozzarella and it was still delish!  I'm not a big fan of peppers but it really added some nice flavor.  Also, don't be intimidated by the whole "rolling meat" thing.  Just make sure you gently pound the chicken out pretty thin and it rolls up pretty well.  Enjoy!

4 skinless boneless chicken breast halves
Black pepper
2 to 3 oz fontina cheese, crumbled or sliced
1/2 c canned roasted red sweet peppers
12 fresh sage leaves (I used ground sage)
1/4 c all purpose flour
1 tbsp olive oil
2 c dry white wine

1. Place each chicken breast half, boned side up, between 2 pieces of plastic wrap.  Working from the center to the edges, pound lightly with flat side of meat mallet to 1/4 inch thickness. Remove from plastic wrap.  Sprinkle chicken lightly with black pepper.  Layer cheese, sweet pepper strips and sage in center of each breast.  Fold in sides; roll up into a spiral, pressing the edges to seal.  Roll in flour.
2. In a medium nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium heat.  Cook chicken about 5 minutes, turning to brown on all sides.  Remove chicken from skillet.  Drain off any fat.
3. In same skillet, bring wine to boiling; reduce heat.  Simmer, uncovered until 1 cup of liquid remains (about 5 minutes).  Return chicken to skillet.  Cover and simmer 7-8 minutes until done.
4. Transfer chicken to a serving plate; cover to keep warm.  Strain remaining cooking liquid; return to skillet.  Bring to boiling; reduce heat.  Simmer, uncovered until 1/2 liquid remains.  Serve over chicken.

359 cal, 19 g total fat (4 g sat fat), 98 mg cholesterol,
196 mg sodium, 8 g carb, 38 g protein