Ticker Facotry is Broken

Ticker Factory seems to be down today, but I just thought I would say, 206.4
Yup.  I haven't seen 206 in a while.  So there.

Tomorrow begins WW week 3.  I think I can do this.

Truckin' Along

So I am not doing as good as I could be on WW, however, I am doing better than I thought I would, and I am down about 2 lbs from last week!  I consider this a success.
I went grocery shopping on Sunday, and I got a ton of stuff that I can make and eat, not just for me, but the whole house.  I think they will be pretty happy with how things start to go from here on out.  I know the husband is okay with the food I have been giving him. 

I did a little treadmill work tonight, and I felt pretty good.

Oh, there is one thing I am not counting on my WW points.  I started taking Floradix again (liquid iron supplement), and I have to shoot it with a little juice to get past the taste.  It isn't much, maybe 4 oz after all is said and done, so I am not going to count it, (unless I sit down with a glass) because I see it as a necessary evil, and I don't want to NOT take the iron because of a point or two.  I picked some up last night because I just cannot seem to stay awake these days, and I know it is the anemia.

Well, on to something new.  Going to straighten up around here before bed, and try my hand at steel cut oats again tomorrow.

WW Day 1

Well, this may not be as hard as I thought it would be.  I mean, it will take some adjusting but I can handle this, I think.  Dinner was good.  I looked up some recipes online that gave the points plus total, so we ended up with shrimp, rice and brussel sprouts, making a meal of 9pp for me, and 12pp for hubby (due to serving sizes).  It was really good and filling. 
Dessert was a cake I have always wanted to make, but never did because I knew, in my mind, I would rationalize it as, "But it is so low calorie, I can have more!!"  It is the pineapple angel food cake.  You just mix a box of angel food cake mix and a can of crushed pineapple together and topped with coolwhip lite, it is not even 4pp per serving.  Nom nom.

I like teh maths

Well, I decided I should try the new Weight Watchers.  My sister and grandmother have both done it, and I never really liked it, but the newer Points Plus program I like a little more.  On the Points Plus program, most fruits and veggies count as 0 points, which will make it easy for me to snack.
I like math so the counting and math will be entertaining for me.

Best of all, I am not doing it alone.  My partner in crime, Mandy, is going to do it with me, (as long as I help her figure her points and such for a while).  Since Mandy is moving in with me in January, we will have a good solid shot of doing this together.

Another thing I like about the new WW PP is that I can "earn" extra points by exercising.  This means all of my time on the treadmill will be worth points, and I can have a more worthwhile snack.

The addition of the weekly "bonus points" that everyone gets means I can have a ladies night every so often and not feel bad about it!

Oh yes, the treadmill.  I am back in the groove slowly.  I was cleared to work as long as I don't have pain, but it took me 2 workouts to rill my LEFT ankle.  Luckily I was holding on and did not do much damage over a little swelling and soreness, so I now go everywhere in two full braces.  It is really hard to coordinate pinup wardrobe with two braces, but I will make it work. 

So here is to trying again.

Oh, also, you may notice that the runner at the top has changed.  I have decided to set myself a very short term goal, and that is to get back to  my pre-pregnancy weight of 185.  This will be goal number 1.
My ticker will reflect that until I reach 185.  Then I will set an additional goal. 

Bait-n-Switch

It looks like the dentists were just telling me what I wanted to hear in order to get me in there. 

I got a message yesterday saying that they could not give me a sedative before hand.  This is what it said:

"What you are asking for takes a special license that few doctors have. I know it's hard to imagine, but Dr. XXX and his team will treat you with respect and care to your individual needs so much that the IV sedation will be enough. Walking in may be tough, but after that, you will be sedated, treated, and relieved......"

It looks like they forgot I am afraid of NEEDLES.
READ THE FUCKING CHART! 
SERIOUSLY.  
I am sure the IV will be enough to knock my ass out, it is a matter of getting the IV in my body.

RTFC
RTFC
RTFC 

Super Phobic Self

So I found a great dentist out here that actually made me feel at ease with them, not completely terrified, and okay with getting work done.
It does not erase the fact that all of that work has to be done under IV sedation, starting with the removal of my wisdom teeth likely this week.
It look as though they can give me an oral sedative before trying to put the IV in, which, as long as I don't know a needle is involved, is good for me. 
So that is where I stand on that.

I also realized yesterday that I have less than 2 weeks until I get this damn boot off my foot and I can start walking again.  Getting excited to me a new me.

Damned if you do...

If it isn't one thing, it is another. 

Hubby finally relented a few months back and got my treadmill, despite the fact that my foot had been aching me for a few weeks.
After a couple of days, I decided I should go ahead and see a podiatrist and the news was not good.  I had done some damage to the tendons with all my incline training and was stuck in a boot for 4 weeks.  I figured this would be a minor setback, and 3.5 weeks in, took the boot off for a few hours to walk my first 5k.  We finished in just over an hour, but it was for a good cause and I am not upset at that time at all, since it can only get better.  It was for PCOS awareness.

So 4 weeks came and went, and I was eager to get out of that stinky (literally) boot and into my sneakers to do some more training.  I was three steps, THREE STEPS from the door of my doctors office when down I went. 
Roll, strain, POP!!  And me screaming, "ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?!" the whole way down. 
I don't know if I have ever mentioned how weak my ankles are, or how often I sprain them, but I had made it almost a year!! 
I crawled into the building and a nice man helped me into a chair.  I let them know I had rolled my ankle in the parking lot, and I was in x-ray and on ice in less than 10 minutes. 

As usual it was not broken but I had done some damage.  My doctor walked in, looked at me and stated, "Well, you're just damned if you do and damned if you don't, aren't you?"
Indeed.  They put me in a soft cast for a few days, until the swelling went down, with instructions to stay off of it at least a week and then transition into the boot as soon as I was comfortable with it.

2 weeks later, I was back in the office for my follow up. Not only did my ankle still look evil, but my left foot was hurting once again from the extra use.  Not only did I get condemned to the boot for 4 more weeks, but I also got an annoying stabilizer brace for my left foot, also for the next 4 weeks.

Top that off with a horrible broken tooth this week, and a dentist appointment for my super phobic self tomorrow morning, and you can assume that I am not a happy girl.

Pout.

As a note- I will post a link below for anyone who wonders JUST HOW needle phobic I am.  This woman explains it so much better than I ever could. 
http://elizabethmcclung.blogspot.com/2007/01/trypanophobia-needle-phobia-fencing-and.html

Your wagon got stuck in the mud while crossing the river

and 3 of your ox drowned.

I love Oregon Trail, as a side note.

So I am back.  Again.  I managed to not completely undo what good I had done.  I gained a few pounds back.  I am listing my weight today as 206.2.  So really, I have only put about 2 pounds on from where I was- leaving me 8 pounds down or so.  I can live with that.
I still cut out full sugar sodas, which I think helped me a ton to not gain the weight back.

This morning I am having a nice breakfast of fruit and a homemade passion tea lemonade.

Yeah- you  might notice a lack of NutriSystem food.  Don't get me wrong, NutriSystem is AMAZING.  The food was pretty tasty, the price is pretty good, and I was seeing results, but I hit a bump in the road and I just cannot bear the extra $300 a month right now.  I have my plan on a delay until July, when I can make a final decision.

Things have been pretty tough the past few weeks.  I have some motivation though, and I am feeling pretty good about things.  I have some good friends coming to visit me from Canada in one weeks time, so it is time for me to find some energy to get the house nice and tidy.

I am hoping to set a new schedule for myself, to help me better get things done through the day.  As it stands, I would like my mornings to be:

Wake up (duh)
unload dishwasher from night before
make breakfast
enjoy breakfast at a leisurely pace while blogging and Sparking*
wake kids

*I made my return to SparkPeople today, since I cannot really do NutriSystem right now.  Feel free to find me- theSkinnySister

Husband will be home tonight.  He has been gone for about 4 days now.  Making a return to the gym tonight.  I did make it once this last week, which is good for me, considering my husband is never around.  I have been shaking my booty to a Dancing with the Stars DVD though.  That has been fun.

Until tomorrow people....

The Reality of it ALL

Well, I have not completely blown the diet thing.  I haven't gained any weight, but I have been losing VERY slowly.  I have not had a chance to get to the gym with the hubby's work schedule, and while I have not been on the diet strictly, I have not blown it up either.  I wish I could say I was doing better but I am not. 
I did snap back on track this week though, because I know I will be blowing it all to hell next week-- next week is my BIRTHDAY!!! 

I have never had a trip away from my children before- not since there were only two of them, so I am super excited to be spending 2 days in Galveston with my best friend at a ritzy resort.  I plan to be drinking my calories!

Last night I decided to go to the gym, as it had been a while, and boy was I pissed when I got there.  They are no longer an Anytime Fitness, and have a whole new keycard system, so I couldn't even get in!  I was SO MAD!  They didn't tell us any of this beforehand.  All there was was a sign by the door saying, "We are no longer Anytime Fitness. Please come in to get a new keycard.  Unfortunately, they are only open while hubby is at work, so I have to wait until next week to figure it all out.  Until then, I go on walks and such. 


Short update I know, but back to it!!

No free time

I have not posted in a few days and will be MIA for a few more. My grandmother passed away yesterday morning, so we are preparing for her final farewell. Be back with you all soon.

Ruth Ellen Osgood Ashworth

Back on the Wagon

To say I fell off the wagon would be wrong- but it is the only way I can put it. During my time at my mom's house, I was a little more relaxed on what I eat as far as Nutrisystem food goes, but I always tried to make it reasonable- like having a sushi roll for dinner, or a meal comparable in calories.

My downfall, however, was drinking. I had a few drinks a few nights with a friend. My weight spiked a little, but I think I can get it down with a lot of water lol.

I jumped back on my nutrisystem food today, after having a small binge last night. My grandmother is back in ICU and it does not look good. They are starting the funeral planning. Her lungs are completely white on xray and shes on oxygen and morphine. Her O2 stats will not go about about 40%. I needed food. It is my only source of comfort these days. :(

Back on it! Back to working out this week too. Cannot let all my hard earned progress slip away. I can smell 200.

Temporary Relocation

Well we are all settled in at my Mom's house to house sit with all of the animals. It should be a long and torturous week. LOL.

Husband played easter bunny for all of the kids this morning, and brought me a huge teddy bear (which he hasn't done since highschool when I collected them) and said it was because he knew I couldn't eat a ton of chocolate. Then I found two hidden bags of Reeses eggs which is likely going to kill me.

I get to spend this whole week at my mom's house, which means I will be really homesick when I get back to my house next week. It is going to be pure torture! I will be struggling to not gorge myself on everything because I am sad. Hubby is traveling a lot these days, which leaves me a lot of alone time. Luckily, as long as I do not shop and stock the house with junk, I stay away from it because I cannot just hop up and go to the store for it.

I have done good today. Because we are all alone, there is no big Easter Sunday meal for me to eat. This means my sad little lunch was NutriSystem chicken cacciatore. It was good, but it was no ham, mac and cheese and green beans. :(

On the up side, I TORE IT UP at the gym the other night. I finally tackled the stairmaster. I only did 10 flights of steps, but I still finally did it and it wasn't near as torturous as I thought it would be. I then rocked the tread, both front and backwards, on a high incline and spent some time on the elliptical. For once I did not want to die after that, which means I am getting more stamina. I also rotated all of the cardio with weights and machines, since I know I have been neglecting my upper body. I was SO SORE for the first time in a while. It was satisfying.

Taking a Break

Most diet methods do not advocate taking a whole day to eat whatever, but today I decided I needed a break. It was a rough few days with the kids, and I have done great for 3 weeks and am down 8 lbs, so I decided to have a nice dinner and a few drinks when the kids went to bed. Dammit I deserve it!!
I stayed on track through lunch, and then decided I wanted food. I made a cocktail and had some pizza. HOORAY. Now I no longer feel like I am going to binge on everything.

Back to the grind, and the gym, tomorrow, as hubby will be home.

Sabotage

Honestly, for a day or two, my husband was so supportive. Suggesting my fav mexican place for dinner, not so much. And last nights dinner, Applebees. And the night before... seriously, I am losing it.

Tonight I did okay. I had a half of a half order of fajita nachos, which was just chicken, beans, a little cheese and some chips.

Last night I DID give in to Applebees, but only because they have both weight watchers and under 550 calorie meals. I had a little sirloin steak with a spinach stuffed mushroom with a few roasted potato chunks. Pretty tasty.

I regretted it at about 6 am when I started having a gallbladder attack. Miserable as usual. I took some meds and went to sleep. When I woke up, thankfully it was done.

Such a long day

Back from the gym. BLAH. I REALLY did not want to go today. I also did not do as much as I wanted, but I DID get up and go, which is awesome.

I did a mile on the tread relatively quick for me, but still pretty slow. I was not running, just walking. I have shaved about 30 seconds off of my time from the last time I did a mile and then I was jogging. This time I was just walking.
I also did some incline work, and some backwards incline work which was trippy, hard, a little painful, and a lot fun/different. I will repeat that one!

I got new shoes tonight. They are Saucony brand... These. They feel pretty good. I will know tomorrow how much my foot hurts with them. I also picked up a pair of the Under Armour compression shorts. I noticed yesterday that my legs were rubbing hard and my flap of skin from the c-section was moving too much. They helped a LOT tonight. I think I will pick up a few more pairs over the next few weeks.


I also decided last night that I want to do a Color Run 5k. There is one in Austin next February. I know it is almost a year away, but I think we will do it. I am excited about it. If you haven't seen anything about The Color Run, you should.


Oh yeah- food was good today. Had a problem with my mac n cheese not cooking right, so I measured out a single serving of the regular kind that everyone else was eating and ate that. Have to adapt! The fact that I stuck to the single was good.

5K!!!

I decided to go after a 5k on the treadmill tonight. It is the first time I have done that distance at anything more than a leisurely stroll. My time was pretty crappy, BUT it is a start!!!! I am amazingly proud of myself, that I did not give up, but one thing is clear. I REALLY need new shoes.
I am tempted to take a break tomorrow- I think I deserve it- but I don't think I will. I might just stroll a 5k lol. Or I might go after it again. What do you think?

A day 2 woo-hoo!

Okay so Nutrisystem day 2 threw me for a loop. I had no caffeine in the house so the lack of caffeine and lack of sugar sent me into the worse migraine of my life. I did not let it win though!!

I popped some Excedrin, took a nap, and I was all better. Just in time for dinner.

The husband knew I felt bad so he asked if it would bother me if he ordered pizza. This is amazing because he does not often ask about these things, which usually kills my diets on the quick.

I asked that he order it from a place I don't care for much, and then I started fixing MY pizza. I took the frozen Nutrisystem Turkey pepperoni pizza, and then topped it with artichokes, bell peppers (both free foods), a string cheese (power fuel), some fake bacon (an extra- less than 30 cals) and some garlic. I baked it, and then left it under the broiler to brown and get crisp for a while. It was AMAZING... Even better than the real pizza in front of me. I was so pleased with my self.

It is back to the gym for me again tonight. I saved my protein shake for then like I did last night, since it served me well, and for once I wasn't famished when I was done. I am going on the hunt for new shoes this weekend. My NB are a little older now, and I think breaking down because my left foot was killing me when I was done last night. I expect my right ankle to be sore from the major sprain last year, but my left foot hurt worse.
I think tonight I will soft wrap my right ankle for support and then just take it easy on my foot.

I know these are all mundane things, and I see I have a few new followers!!! YAY! Thanks to Runs for Cookies over there on the right side. I promise, I get wittier.

I found myself a little craving some chocolate today. Hooray for chocolate chip NS pudding. And cashews. In. The. Pudding. SCORE!

Can I Just Say...

I LOVE the NutriSystem food!!!
It is only day one, but I have had the ham and cheese omelet, the chicken tacos, and the cajun chicken and sausage, and it has all been REALLY good. Of course I am adding in the extras, like salad and veggies, but so far today I have stayed really full and satisfied.
I am so pleased already about how this tastes and is working out for me! I am full and I still have a protein shake for before the gym, and dessert to have!!!

Gym time later, where I shall do my best to be a BEAST!!!

Back to the real world

Well, we are finally home!!! It cost us quite a pretty penny but for now our sewer system works. There is a bad problem with a joint right where it meets the main, so that is a battle we will have to fight with the city. For now though, it works, and sadly I do not have a new tub. Boo.

I am home to start my nutrisystem though!!! I am excited. Our schedules are so messed up that we sleep half of the day, so I decided to eat breakfast as my fuel before I head to the gym this morning (2 am gym trip). Because I won't get my shelf-stable food until later today, I had a ham and cheese omlette and some grapes. The omelette was not too bad. The cheese was a little grainy feeling, as most low-cal cheese is, but with a little pepper, it was flavorful enough to be satisfying.

I can handle this, I think.

Off to the gym- BATMAN!!!

Poo-pocalypse 2012

So, honestly, real life KICKED MY ASS this week.

I was so geared up to start my NutriSystem today, but last night I had to haul butt right back to my moms house 2 hours away at 1 am because something catastrophic happened to my plumbing system. I thought it was my fat-butt breaking the seal, and that did not help matters, but as it turns out we either have a clog or rupture in our sewer line which was causing water to back up into mostly my bathroom any time water was run from any other source in the house. Flush the other toilet? My bathroom floods. Run the washer? My bathroom floods.

All of my food is at home right now, waiting for me. I guess it will be better for me to start at it when I have ALL my food. My 1 week weigh in is Monday. I doubt I have lost anything already, just from trying to curb the snacks, but we shall see.

Husband is at home, dealing with cleaning out all of the water and getting things drained in anticipation of the plumber coming out to fix it all. In talking to my husband over it, if it only costs a few hundred dollars to fix the line, he might even replace the big jacuzzi tub in my bathroom. When we bought the house it was a major selling point. It was not until paperwork was started that we were told that the power had never been run to the whole system, making it a big germ-pool because it could not be cleaned well. I have been dying to get a regular tub put in. Maybe we can strike a deal with the plumbers if they will take/haul off the perfectly good, never used jacuzzi tub/system and install a standard drop-in tub for us. I would be over the moon to soak all of the aches and pains away.

*crossing fingers*

What a week

Real life is taking its toll on me this week.

Got the frozen portion of my NutriSystem today. Hooray! This means I can start tomorrow. I will just go through some of my frozen before the other gets here. I am excited. I have never been so excited at the prospect of losing weight in my life because...

Apparently the seal on our toilet was so old that I sat on it and it busted, thus flooding my bathroom and closet. Mortifying....

Official Nutrisystem Before Shots

I know I have posted "before" pictures before-- that is how I got my banner image, but I am posting the official Nutrisystem before pics now.
I will also have an official candid shot from my sisters wedding last weekend.

Stats:

Start weight: 214 lbs
Arms: 13 inches
Chest: 41 inches
Waist: 48 inches
Hips: 49 inches
Thighs: 24 inches


I took a front facing shot and a side facing shot. (And one just to say BEEHHHHH! My face was the same color as my shirt- a sign of a good workout. You may notice that these are always taken at the gym. This is because I do not own a full length mirror. I have not owned a full length mirror for about 4 years now. This causes a problem some times when planning an outfit or making sure my shoes match, but I have never been eager to buy one. I vow to buy a full length mirror as soon as I drop back below 200 again.

Taking the Leap

I decided to go ahead and try Nutrisystem. The hubby is actually being supportive and has given me the money for it. I made my order (and I did the custom food choices because I wanted to leave out the cereal and the bar foods, because I would not want to eat them.

Because of this, I had to break my rule about staying away from the scale. Apparently, SUCK. I know it is that lovely time of the month right now, but I now weigh 214. Bummer. I am listing that as my official start weight and after I go to the gym tomorrow I will include my official BEFORE shot and all of my stats.

I am excited, and hopeful. I would love to be a lot smaller come Christmas....

Emotional Eating

Ugh.. Hubby was being a brat, and I was eating, and the next thing I know I have eaten an entire huge entree of pasta with shrimp and artichokes, a whole baguette with oil, and a huge chocolate tiramisu. I cannot keep doing this. I feel so sick.

I was debating doing nutrisystem last night. Maybe it would be more likely to help with my portion control issues.

Real life and a WOOHOO!!

First we start with the heavy stuff. :( I have not written much because life has gotten very heavy. We have some very important and hard family drama we are focusing on, which is keeping me busy, but I am still watching what I eat and making it to the gym.

I DID binge on some candy yesterday. I gave in and bought a few of those cream easter eggs, you know, the flavored ones like maple and raspberry. I have a few of those and over two days managed to consume 4 of the three musketeer coconut bars. As far as a candy bar goes, at less than 200 calories, they aren't awful, but not when you eat 4 of them. In my defense, I did share one with the kids... so make that 3 of them.

Better stuff: Chandlers birthday was yesterday! My big boy is 7. When he was born, he was a whopping 9 lbs 11 ounces. He is still so tall but very thin as the autism causes him his own eating issues. We are working on it though. His birthday party is on Saturday. Baby Mandy is coming over to help us make Angry Birds cupcakes. As long as I ice all of them I will be fine. Unfrosted white cake is far more dangerous to me than frosted white cake.

Now on to the good!!! I tossed the scale this month (it was on the fritz anyway) so I do not have a weight but I know that the gym work is paying off. Last month I made myself a skirt for the pinup class I did with Mandy. Because of this I know my waist was 47 inches. (ouch)

Tonight I was thinking about making another skirt for my sisters wedding this weekend, and I measured my waist at a lovely 45 inches. That is a loss of two whole inches!!! I am also down one inch under my bust around my ribs!! This makes me so happy. Even if I am working my butt off, something is happening and it is starting to show its self. This is GREAT motivation for me. When I think I cannot do it, I realize I AM!!!

Ugh!

Sometimes I think this blog should not be called "The Skinny Sister" but instead, it should be called, "Confessions of a Binge Eater".

Damn you Pillsbury Pink Lemonade frosting.

Damn me. Damn my willpower. SIGH.

Planting Seeds

As a childbirth educator, often times I will talk about sowing seeds in the mind, to encourage growth and ideas. Today I speak literally about planting seeds.

The girls have been begging me for a while to plant a garden. Apparently there is a clip on one of the kids channels- Disney I think- that shows an 11 year old girl talking about the garden she got to plant. Kay, being the crunchy, save the Earth flower child that she is, decided she must have a garden as well. Just my luck, my mother has decided to plant a garden this year as well, so I am taking many of my cues from her.

I asked the husband for a little extra cash and went to the store to start gathering supplies tonight. I got some seed starters, some seeds, a watering can, and a big pot for my "Three Sisters" plant. More on that in a few.

When I got home the girls were REALLY excited. They helped me pick out which seeds we were going to start in the little starter tray (it holds 72 seedlings) and we went to work. We started 6 seedlings of each vegetable. Among out choices were 3 kinds of spinach and 2 kinds of green beans. Can you tell what foods are big in our house?

Tomorrow I will be asking my husband to pick me up some good soil so that I can start my "Three Sisters" pot. It will be the center piece of my container garden this year. For those that don't know, this giant pot consists of a squash plant in the middle surrounded by 5 corn plants. Each corn plant has 2 bean plants next to it. The three types of plants coexist in one large pot- at least 18 inches across and 18 inches deep. The bean plants vine up the corn. It is a wonderful thing and I hope we can make it work for us this year.

I am trying to avoid planting a lot of the veggies that we get with out CSA. I just joined our CSA again and we get our food from HomeSweetFarm, which is local to us here in Texas. They have some of the BEST food I have ever tasted, and it is a treat for the kids to go pick it up each week.

I am hoping that focusing more on produce will help us all eat a little better this year. Summer usually brings a lot of fast food for us. I am hopeful that this year it will bring a lot of outside grilling with fresh, healthy food instead.

Breakfast Smoothie and Gym Time

This morning we had a nice little breakfast drink! No picture because I drank it way too fast. It was the fresh juice of 3 pineapple spears, a tomato, a carrot and an apple, mixed with the greek honey yogurt, a banana, half an avocado and some ice. It was pretty good. I might do that combo again.

I hit the gym again last night. I am starting to really enjoy it. I did a nice slow pace on the treadmill for a while and then did some weights for my arms and shoulders. I did a quick sprint on one of the bikes and then went back to the treadmill for some incline time. I did the minute percent increase, but this time I only went up to 10% and brought it back down by 1% every minute. My plan is to increase by a minute every few times until I can do all 15% up and back.

I know all of my updates are short. I really need to work on extending my content for all 3 of my readers!! :)

Dessert/Snack Smoothie

I needed something sweet. So I made a drink for myself- It needs a name. Any suggestions?

Juice:
1 green apple
1 large orange
6 pineapple spears

Add juice to blender with:
single serve honey flavored greek yogurt
frozen banana
half an avocado
2 cups ice

SUPER YUM

Sweat is Fat Crying

I TORE IT UP in the gym tonight. I thought I was going to drop. I spent a long time on the treadmill doing intervals of walking fast and running, and then I rode the bike for 3 miles, at a much more rapid pace than any fat girl should. Then I created my own personal challenge.

I hopped back on the treadmill, and then I did 1 minute at 0% incline, only at 2 mph. I stayed at 2 mph the whole time. Then at the one minute mark, I went up to 1% incline. I increased the incline 1% every minute. I got all the way up to 15% and back down to 13% before I realized my heart was beating funny, and my face was REALLY red. I started dropping it a few % every 30 seconds or so to slow down slowly. Instead of going all the way back down, and taking 30 minutes, I only did 20 minutes, but I think I did pretty good. I climbed 260 vertical feet. I was WASTED when I was done.

This is the end result. I am EXTREMELY proud of how today went, in regards to my diet and exercise. I am really planning on giving March my all. I really am more determined than ever to do this. I will be spending more time at the gym, because my husband, (oh ye of little faith) decided that I will not use the treadmill enough, and does not even want to get the low end cheap model now. He does not think I will keep at it.

Nothing motivates you more than trying to prove someone wrong.

After the gym I went to the store and loaded up on good, whole foods. The only thing I bought that was not "real" food, was bread, tortillas, and 2 bags of chips. One for the kids, and one bag of baked lays to go with the crock pot bbq beef I am making this weekend. I loaded up on fruits and veggies since I am juicing and making smoothies again for breakfast. I was also able to get a lot of shrimp on the cheap because it is lent. I love this time of year.

Quick Note

Just a quick note after shower and before bed-- I actually made it to the gym tonight. Tomorrow I will post some new pics. I worked HARD tonight. I did intervals on the treadmill- a 2.5 mph pace set on 15% incline and a 3.3 mph pace on 6%. After 30 minutes of that, I took a few minutes to breathe, and then did 10 minutes on 15/10s-- that is 1.8 mph at 15% and 2.2 mph at 10%. Slow, yes, but oh so hard-- a real hike.

Early morning tomorrow. Out the door at 6 am.

Juicer Smoothie Breakfast

{--- Awesome Beatles Glass!

This morning I was feeling froggy and needed a pick me up. My gall bladder had been on the verge of revolt again. The past few days, my food has just been sitting at the top of my stomach. Luckily, I have no been in pain, but I am afraid it is coming. This morning, I decided to do away with the solid foods, and made a nice breakfast in a glass.

I broke out the trusty juicer, that I love so much, and juiced 3 oranges and 3 carrots. (I am actually glad I was out of bottled juice today. This way was so much healthier)
In the ninja I threw the juice from the juicer (it was about 2 cups) and a bit of my frozen fruit mix. Today's fruit was a mix of mangoes, pineapples, peaches and strawberries (about 2 good handfulls- I would estimate it to be about a cup and a half) Then I topped it off with some ice to make it thick and yummy. It made about 8 cups- enough for me and the two girls. Everyone is loving it, and this carrot hater is getting some in.

Best of all, it was an awesome orange color. Orange is my favorite color, and everyone knows that when your food looks good, it tastes better. :)

I got my new awesome sports bra in yesterday. I have dubbed it, "Bra of STEEL". It is amazing for someone with a big chest. (I am a 40G) These babies don't BUDGE. The husband hates it already. I got it in the pretty pink called "Hope". 10% of the $64 price goes to FORCE, an organization that helps women with hereditary breast and ovarian cancer.


If I could just get these babies settled I could get on with my day. They did not sleep very well last night and now I need to make them nap a while or else it will be a super long day. In fact, no one slept very well last night. I think I might need a nap before today is over.

On my agenda today:
Finish breakfast
Nap?
Zumba break (I throw in a song or two when I can for the extra)
Lunch
Laundry
Sewing
Dinner
More Laundry

Ahhhh tales of the desperate housewife.

Fav Youtube Videos

I thought I would share some of my favorite youtube exercise videos. The gym I go to is small and there are no fancy classes or group things, so I do what most fat girls so, and work out with 50,000 of my closest friends on Youtube! I am posting up a few of my favorite Zumba routines, and some of my other favorite clips.
Zumba- I'm Sexy and I Know It

Zumba- Waka Waka

Zumba- Footloose

Zumba- Moves Like Jagger

Resistance Band Squats

Resistance Band Outer Thighs

Yoga Booty Ballet- Cardio Cabaret

March Madness

I am issuing myself a personal challenge. I am calling it March Madness-Pin-up Pump. I am challenging myself to lose as much as I can in 31 days. This is a challenge to MYSELF and only MYSELF. If I lose, I fail MYSELF. I am not setting an amount, I am just going to focus on doing what I can, as much as I can, as best I can.

No weighing, no measuring, no reporting. March 1 I am THROWING AWAY my scale. I repeat the best quote from Runs for Cookies- Don't do anything you aren't prepared to do for the rest of your life. I HATE counting. I HATE weighing. I HATE measuring. If I can change the WAY I eat, and the WAY I exercise, and the WAY I think about food, then I cannot fail.

Represent!

This is actually a REALLY bright blue. My flash wasn't working because my battery was about to die. "SUCK IT UP! TheSkinnySister.blogspot.com"



I embroidered a few workout shirts for me. Just to remind me. I am a little sad because one messed up pretty bad- my "t" in sister is all jacked cause it jammed and ate it, but it is just for me and it ain't a fashion show... :P

I learned a few tricks while doing these (new machine and first time working embroidery) and my next few will be awesome. Any suggestions as to what I should put on them?

Woohoo!

A few things to note!
Tax return is in! This means I get to shop for my treadmill/incline, new shoes, some compression shorts to keep my legs from rubbing and the super sports bra of steel-- All the good things I have been looking forward to. I think I am going to end up with a regular treadmill, and I am okay with that. I think I will be fine and in a year or two I can always sell it and get the better one.

Also, I have lost a few pounds!! My ticker doesn't reflect it, but for a while it hit 212. That SUCKED. I don't EVER want to see that number again. I have been making an effort to get up and do more, cut back on the soda, and eat better, and so far, so good. I know these streaks for me are usually short lived, but I am trying hard. I am down to 201.
I first noticed it not on the scale, but how my body shaper fit. I usually have to fight and jump and contort to get into it-- I mean major cussing, blood, sweat, tears, more cussing, a break... fight some more--, and last weekend I just pulled it on fresh from the dryer like it was nothing. I hopped on the scale and it said 199.9. WOOT.

Small triumphs.

Hubby is still not being supportive, but what can you do. He has heard me talk about doing it so much and I never do, that I am sure he just rolls his eyes inside now, and keeps ignoring me.

I will show him.

Failing miserably

I am failing miserably at the no fast food thing.
But the good news is that I have lost about 3 lbs. Lets just see if I keep it off. I have started going to the gym again, while we have membership. It will expire this month if we don't renew the credit card on the account, and I don't think we will, since Doug will be getting me my incline trainer in about 2 weeks. Between that and the weights I already have, I am not missing much at the gym except for no kids, and it is so hard to actually get AWAY to go to the gym, this will be far beneficial.
I found out that while most of the treadmills in my gym only have a 7% incline, the two closest to the door go up to 15%. I have had the best time hiking up them. It is a better workout to me. This is why I am looking forward to the incline trainer.

Well I f#cked that all up.

Forgot it was February. Dammit.

Challenging myself for February

I was reading Runs for Cookies (link on the side) and there, the owner is doing a February challenge to herself to only eat real food. Well I know I cannot accomplish that, but I am feeling somewhat inspired. I think for the month of February, I will avoid the drive thru. This means no Sonic, no McDonalds, etc. The only exception I will make is a drink, and it MUST be unsweet tea only. (not like that is a problem, I don't drink sweet tea)
I think I will feel better over all if I can do it, and after all, February is a short month. :)
This does ONLY apply to drive thru, because if hubby and I have a chance to go to a sit down dinner, I am taking it!!

Weight gain, eating and skipping

I had the greatest breakfast. It was a smoothie made of ice, low fat pina colada yogurt, pineapple, bananas and an avocado with some pineapple orange juice. It was pretty tasty. I think I will add some fresh carrot juice to the next one I make. That will add some veggies to it.

My weight is up. New all time high. I don't feel like I have been eating more than normal, so I don't know what to blame other than no exercise. Some days I feel like I am fighting a losing battle.

My foot hurts worse. I still think I have a stress fracture. No doubt it is from my weight. The other ankle kills, too.

I tried to teach Amelia to skip. I couldn't do it. I couldn't seem to hop... at all. :(

Pity party. I know I need to just change the way I do things, but I am not, and I should be.

Nice long weekend

Bad decision. Bad Decision. BAD DECISION!!!!
LOL
This weekend, we had Amelia's birthday party. I proceeded to make myself sick on food. By 10 am I had eaten my weight in sandwiches, I had 3 cupcakes, and 2 pieces of pizza. I had a ton of food while watching the game yesterday- and I have already had a big breakfast today, though in my defense, in my eggs are mushrooms and spinach.

GAH. On to better days. Headed back to Beaumont in a bit. The van threw a CEL yesterday so I have to get Doug to his car which is at my moms, and then get the spark plugs replaced in the van tomorrow. Good times.

Birthday Parties

I went to my moms yesterday to get ready for Amelia's 4th birthday party today. This means I spent the day baking cupcakes, which means I was not hungry at all by the end of the day. If I cook a lot, I find that all food grosses me out and I never want to eat.

This morning I have finished icing the cupcakes- blue icing on chocolate and vanilla cakes with Toy Story Squeaky sprinkles. :) I had a lick of icing, but I didn't want any more. That said, I was starving from not eating dinner last night, and I DID devour a pastrami and turkey sandwich loaded with pepperjack cheese. In my defense, I don't anticipate getting much of a chance to eat today, so it is okay I think.
I am so tired and it is going to be such a long, but fun day.

Friday Weigh-In

Well, yesterday finished out okay. For dinner we had a pasta that was essentially the exact same as my pizza, except on noodles instead- garden rotini actually.
I did have a nice dessert- a milkshake- but it was 3 small scoops of ice cream and 2% milk, and only filled a smaller solo cup.

So Friday is my weigh in day. And today was... drumroll please......


204.4

It's a start.

I am a little upset. I was so proud of getting out and running yesterday, and then hubby laughed at how long it took me to run a mile. I am sorry if I cannot run a 7 minute mile like he can... I NEVER could run a mile that fast, and I never will be able to run a mile that fast. (I'd settle for anything under 10) But aside from once or two short bursts on the treadmill, I have not run in a LONG time. It took a lot for me to get off my ass and do it, but I did!! And he laughed.
:(

Running

I decided I wanted to go for a run. I happen to know that from my door, heading south on my road, to the stoplight, across the street, back up north on my road, to the next stop light and back to my front door, is exactly a mile. I decided there was no time like the present, so I started the couch to 5 k app on my phone and took off. Walk 5 minutes, jog 60 seconds, walk 90 seconds, jog 60... rinse repeat. Not a bad plan. Except it is 45 degrees outside. My lungs hurt. And I did not do a full run/walk the whole way. BUT I did a mile in 17:25. My last mile time was 18:23. That is almost a minute less. HOORAY!

Lunch Pizza

This pizza is only around 450 calories. I have never thought shrimp on a pizza sounded good before but this was AMAZING. I topped an 8 inch Boboli crust with a little pizza quick, and sauteed some shrimp, mushrooms, artichokes and spinach in a tiny bit of olive oil. Topped it on the crust with a little part skim mozzarella and there you have it!! It was SOOOOOOOO good!!!

Breakfast Milkshake

And it is a literal milkshake. In the medium canister of my ninja, I put some ice, a frozen banana and a few handfuls of frozen strawberries. I added 2% milk until it would blend smooth, and it came out like a milkshake. It made enough for me, Kay and Mimi.

The cool part is that I am REALLY full from it.

Well, it could have been worse.

Well, yesterday, I took the kids to get a birthday lunch for Amelia, who turned 4.
We went to Sonic, and instead of getting my usual double cheeseburger and a large fry and extra large coke, I got a hot dog meal (which is two small hot dogs, (though one was chili and cheese, in my defense, the other was onions and saurkraut, so it wasn't as bad fat and calorie wise) and I did not make it a larger combo, which means I had a medium fry and a medium coke. I did not even finish the soda though because half way through driving around, Chandler started trying to steal Kays, so I gave him the rest of mine.

After we got home, I crashed because I had been up since 9 pm the night before. I slept straight through until about 330 this am, and so here I sit. I had to run to the store to grab garbage bags, and I must admit I bought and tried one of the new coconut 3 musketeer bars. I MIGHT have chased it with a regular one too, and then came home and ate one of those little packs of the two sausage biscuits. SIGH. Now I feel gross and REALLY wish I had my incline trainer already.

At this point I am begging hubby to just do it already.

Pasta Lunch

Garden rotini with scallops, spinach and mushrooms in a light tomato sauce.

This makes me feel guilty, but I made one bowl of it, so I couldn't over eat, and that was IT. It was so amazingly good.

Breakfast Smoothie

This has a lot of fruit and juice in it, so I am sure there are a good bit of calories, and a LOT of sugar, BUT at least there is no fat in it!!!

It is just ice, mango-passionfruit juice, strawberries and pineapple. Stuck it in my trusty ninja my mom got me and TA-DA!!

Yum.

Pioneer Trail Style

I didn't just fall off the wagon this time. The wheels broke while crossing the river, the horses drowned, and I barely managed to paddle to the other side.

I gorged myself through the holidays. That was fun. Not so much now, but while it lasted. I started going to the diner again while hubby is home. Bad decision. Mmmm french toast.

I started back on soda. I was doing so good without it, but I needed the caffeine one day, and just fell for it. Bad decision.

I started snacking on things more. Bad decision.

I quit going to the gym again, mostly because hubby is never here for me to go, but even when he is, I go maybe 2 times a month. Bad decision.

As you can see, I am not really making excuses. I am owning up to the fact that every one of these is a bad decision.

Last week, I was at my moms for a few days. Thursday, after I got there, we had a delightful meal of tamales and baked potatoes covered in taco meat and tons of cheese (bad decision). That night, I had one of my stomach upsets that left me wondering if I had consumed artificial sweetener, which is what usually causes it.
Friday, I went to lunch with a friend. We had Cheddars, and I had a great New Orleans pasta covered in a spicy alfredo sauce (bad decision). That night, it started again, and it was CLEARLY my gallbladder. I was in so much pain, I nearly went to the hospital. Just as that decision was being made, it finally quit, and I was able to sleep.

After the two days I spent in pain, I decided it might be a good idea to chop a few trees and rebuild that wagon. I cannot live in pain, and I am in no place to have surgery to remove my gallbladder. So step one is cutting out fatty extras. No fried meats, less butter, less processed fat filled foods. Maybe I will realize that losing it is more than just vanity. (good decision)

I am after hubby to buy me a NordicTrack incline trainer. Most people, it would go by the wayside, but I am a treadmill junkie, and I think that I need it, since he is never around long enough for me to go to the gym. Here is to hoping he will agree. (good decision)

Also, I really have to write in this more, even if it is just to say, "Hey, today SUCKED!!" (good decision)