Amber's Prep for a Healthy Pregnancy Journal

[Foxfiregrrl]

It is a new year so I figured it was time to start a new journal! :hippie:

I had a very good first three quarters of last year, but I slipped up pretty bad in the last quarter. This year will be different! I want to lose at least 20 more pounds before we begin the process of trying to conceive. Our plan has been to wait until at least March when I will have been at my job for a year. I am thinking we will most likely wait until more like April to start trying. That will give me more time at work and more time to get healthier.

Part of me does want to loose the weight for vain reasons, but mostly I want to be healthier before having children so that I can keep up with them once they start crawling, etc. :thumbsup2

I have lots of little mini goals that I want to work on as part of the get healthy/lose weight thing. I am going to list them and I think I will make myself a little template to help me make faster posts. Hopefully that will help me to post more often. I need to get back in the habit of at least every other day, because putting it out there for all of you to see is REALLY motivational. Ok, so here goes:

Goal 1: exercise 5 days a week - mostly walking, but I want to try some yoga for my mental health and relaxation. I may also try another class at the gym.
Goal 2: take a multivitamin EVERYDAY! (this is hard for me for some reason!)
Goal 3: try to get at least 25 grams of fiber daily
Goal 4: Go to the doctor for a full checkup by February 15th! ( I couldn't tell you the last time I went to the doctor :sad2: )
Goal 5: try to eat at least 2 servings of fruit and 3 servings of veggies daily
Goal 6: eat out MUCH less than in the past. We have set ourselves a budget for eating out of $60 for the month and then $10 each for work lunch eating out. :eek: I am a bit nervous about this one.
Goal 7: post my food, exercise, and general progress here at least every other day
Goal 8: Drink alcohol two or fewer days per week :scared: I need to find other ways to deal with my stress and plus it is a LOT of calories!

I am not planning to try to count calories right now. I am going to focus on getting in my fiber, fruits and veggies. I am hoping that if I am eating the right amounts of those that I will be in a good calorie zone without obsessing over counting them. I may go back to counting if need be.

Ok so 8 goals sounds like a lot but really it isn't that much. I just wanted to put them down here and try to push myself to do the best I can at reaching them. I will post my starting weight for the year tomorrow after I go to the gym.

Our plan was for me to come home and cook today, go to the gym, then come home and eat. BUT... I thought we had some ground turkey and alas we did not. We did not have anything that I could cook quickly or easily. DH came home and we ended up deciding to go grocery shopping and pick up some healthy essentials and just skip the gym tonight. We made chili and will have it again tomorrow night. We ABSOLUTELY are going to the gym tomorrow!!

Food today was average to bad
B - multi grain cheerios w/ milk
S - mini bag of M&Ms, mini milky way bar(the smallest) - I was stressing at work and asked a coworker for the chocolate w/out even thinking :headache: that shows how out of tune I have gotten w/ the whole diet plan
L- two slices of leftover pizza w/ garlic sauce for the crusts :rolleyes1
S - 1 piece of chewing gum so that I wouldn't go ask for more chocolates ;)
D - bowl of chili w/ oyster crackers, sweet tea, orange/banana/strawberry juice

I will begin counting the fiber tomorrow - I just decided on that tonight.

On the work front... I was seriously dreading having to go back to work today but it was not too bad. We did end up getting the help they have been promising us. We were able to get three people! :cool1: I went from having 40 cases to 15 cases in one day!! :woohoo: :cheer2: It still took it awhile to sink in and I'm not 100% sure that I believe it. Send some PD that nothing crazy happens causing me to get any of those cases back! I am very hopeful that this will be a very good month and I can prepare for my transfer w/out being stressed out in the process! :)

Well enough for one post and one night. Gonna try to get a decent nights sleep tonight (might shoulda made that a goal too :laughing: )

Have a great week!!

[lindalinda]

Wow great goals Amber! Good Luck with all of them.

I have an idea for the vitamins...try Viactiv multivitamins, there chocolate! Thats what I take every night! A tiny piece of guiltless chocolate!

All the extra help means you definitely get to transfer right? And your stress level will go down, and you'll have more time to relax, get your exercise and get moved into your new house! Yay!
:goodvibes

:hippie:

[Foxfiregrrl]

Hey, Linda! I might have to try those vitamins that sounds good! I mostly want to make sure I'm getting enough Folic Acid and Iron in preparing my body for pregnancy. I think Viactiv is for women right? So it probably has what I need.

Work was good again today and it sounds like we are keeping all three extra workers in our department! YAY! :woohoo: The way I understand it I definitely get to transfer at the end of January. The weird thing is that the extra helpers are "loans" from other counties and they will go back at the end of January also :confused3 So it helps for one month, but I'm not real sure what they will do come February. BUT... NOT MY PROBLEM!! :dance3:

So goals:

1 - did exercise today - walking for about 25 minutes. We went to our gym, but when we got there we realized that they have SHUT DOWN!! :eek: Actually I kind of expected it sooner than this. I knew back in Sept or Oct that they were having money problems and they even sent out letters to all the members asking us to pay an extra monthly fee to help them out.. NO! I didn't get them into this mess, they did by having poor management skills.
Anyway, so for now I guess we will walk outside and do videos. I planned to do at least 30 minutes but my shin started hurting pretty bad for some reason and I called it quits at 25. Not too bad... I'm just warming back up ;)

2 - Took my vitamin this morning. The ones I have are Weight Smart and you have to take them with food. That is why remembering has been so hard for me. IF I remember it is usually not when I have food on my stomach. I took it right before breakfast this morning and I ate slow. I started to feel really quesy (sp?) about midway through breakfast, but I ate quicker and felt better. That is the bad thing about those vitamins - they make me Really nauseated if I don't eat enough with them. I think I will get some regular multies or those Viactiv and use them as a back up if I don't remember to take the Weight Smart w/ my meal.

3- fiber - so far so good. I haven't had dinner yet, but I am on track so far. I will come back and post my total for the day once I figure it up.

4 - no doctor yet.... I will work on that

5 - 2 servings of fruit down !! Veggies - 0 so far I am having chili for dinner so I think that might add up to about 2 servings (beans count as veggies right?) but I'm not sure I'm gonna end up w/ the 3rd serving.

6 - no meals out today :)

7 - Posting :cool1:

8 - no alcohol since New Years.... but might have something tonight... haven't decided yet

B- Kashi Go lean, milk
L- whole wheat turkey sandwich w/ swiss (no lettuce-it was Yucky), apple
S- 1/4 cup of Fruit Bits mixed w/ 1/4 cup of mixed nuts. Yummy
D- will be Chili from last night.

K, that's it for now. GOOD NIGHT!

[CJK]

What FANTASTIC goals you have there! Your future little one will benefit in so many ways from all of your efforts. :hug: Your new year is off to a flying start. I was going to get going on this baby thing myself, but I'm still a little chicken! Hopefully I'll be able to follow your lead and get healthy. Keep up the great job!! :goodvibes

[lindalinda]

Hey, Amber! The viactiv has the folic acid but not the iron. Its the iron that makes you feel sick probably. I couldnt take the prenatal vitamins that the Dr. gave me, they have TONS of iron, made me totally sick. Guess what they had me take instead? Flintstones plus Iron! I kid you not. You might want to check that out and see how many you would need if the others keep making you sick. If I remember correctly I had to take several thru the day, but it didnt matter if I had food or not.

:hippie:

[Penguin23]

Hi Amber! I am also trying to lose weight before trying to conceive. We are also planning on March! I want to lose 15 pounds by then, but we'll see how that goes... You sound like you are on the track to success! I'd love to read more updates, so keep posting!

[Foxfiregrrl]

Hi, Penguin! :wave2: You, CJK, and I will take the journey together! I am getting so excited as it gets closer to the time we had set. I am nervous that I won’t be able to lose much before then, but with the help of everyone here I’m sure I can.

Linda – I have to go to the grocery store today so I will definitely look at getting some vitamins that won’t make me sick!

Ok, I have to admit that I am REALLY struggling to get started! :scared: It didn’t help that the gym was closed and then it was raining the last few days. But those are excuses! I am planning to get it back into gear for real this weekend and then try to keep that momentum. I was also having a really hard time sleeping this week which really wore me out. I hope to gain some energy from my exercise though and kick into gear. :cool1:

DH and I sat down last night and picked out recipes to make in the coming week. We picked out 5 different meals to cook which will translate into 10 to 15 actual meals because there are just the two of us and most recipes make at least 4 servings. I got a Rachel Ray 365 No Repeats cookbook for Christmas. I had wanted to just work my way through it, BUT she doesn’t put any nutritional info and most of her stuff is about being quick. That doesn’t always translate into being particularly healthy. We also bought the Grit cookbook from my favorite Athens restaurant, which is all vegetarian.:lovestruc DH (my Major carnivore) is really stoked about cooking from it! So we picked from those two and another vegetarian cookbook that I have had for awhile – Vegetable Heaven. We made a list of ingredients that we need and we will go shopping today and stock up. I am scared of that grocery bill, as we just spent $120 on groceries Tuesday.:eek: I take solace in the fact that our eating out bill won’t be $300 + this month! I can’t believe we ate out that much! :scared1: Oh, yeah, Linda, I saw how you busted me on your journal! What can I say, I’m lazy! :confused3

So the plan for today is to have leftover chili for lunch. Then we are going to a “starving artist’s art show” at a local hotel. Just to look. If the weather stays nice we are also going to go walking at the Riverwalk that they built a couple of years ago. DH and I have talked about going walking down there, but never get around to it. Then at some point we have to grocery shop. Then we are going to cook. Dinner will be Butternut Poblano Soup and Tofu Bacon Avocado Sandwiches. Sounds yummy! Both are from The Grit and I have not had anything from them that I didn’t like. And anyone who knows me knows that I am Picky! I am trying to get better and expand my horizons, but it is hard.

I am also considering using the extra mileage money that I am getting this month from work to put towards a nice treadmill for our new house. We have been wanting one, but keep putting it off. Well, we may still put it off for another month or so since the house isn’t finished. But I want to get one asap once the house is done.

Tomorrow I am determined to get some good exercise also and we will cook something yummy for dinner. Then during the week we will alternate eating leftovers and cooking depending on how work goes that day.

Oh, yeah, I have Jury Duty Tuesday. This is like my 3rd time! I don’t mind though. I just consider it a day off of work! :woohoo:

So here are my foods and goals for the past couple of days. I made a little template and I think it will help me on days that I don’t have much time. So here goes:

Wednesday’s Fiber count = 29! :woohoo: Yeah! I thought this would be really hard, but it isn’t so bad…. The hardest part is taking time to calculate the homemade stuff. But that is ok.

Thursday
B - kashi w/ milk – F = 10
L – whole wheat turkey sandwich w/ lettuce, fruit & nut snack mix (my apple was bad) F= 6
D – tortilla chips, salsa, chicken & cheese quesadilla, guacamole salad – F= 8 (I was overly hungry this evening since I didn’t have a snack, then I got home late. DH had a bad day. SO we decided on eating out)
S – 2 vanilla vodka and cokes

Goal 1: exercise – none
Goal 2: vitamin – yes, did better today, no nausea
Goal 3: fiber – 24 so not quite, but pretty good considering we ate out!
Goal 4: doctor – no
Goal 5: 2 fruits & 3 veggies – 1 fruit, 2 veggies – maybe 3 cause I had salsa, guacamole, and lettuce ?
Goal 6: less eating out – ate out $20 from our total ( I forgot DH said we could do $70 to give us some wiggle room) so $50 left
Goal 7: posting – no
Goal 8: less alcohol – 1 night so far


Friday
B - kashi w/ milk – F= 10
S – coffee w/ cream & sugar, 3 mini chocolate rice cakes ( I was really hungry right after getting to work for some reason)
S – 4 club crackers ( it was getting near lunch and a co-worker was munching…. Sometimes I have NO will power!):rolleyes1
L – HC cheesy chicken and rice, apple, 4 or 5 mini chocolate rice cakes ( I managed to turn down Real milk chocolate and just eat my rice cakes! ) – F= 7 (WOW! :cool1: I didn’t realize that a medium apple has 3 grams of fiber!! I am only going to count 2 cause I don’t eat it down to the core) (I was also impressed that my HC had 5 grams of fiber!)
S – fruit & nut mix – F= 4
D – Broccoli, rice, chicken, cheese mix ( modified to add cauliflower & carrots plus brown rice… this time I did add a little cheese whiz – usually it doesn’t actually have any cheese just cream of whatever soup) F= 4
S – ½ bag of popped 94% ff popcorn F= 5 !!

Goal 1: exercise – none
Goal 2: vitamin – forgot
Goal 3: fiber – 30 !!
Goal 4: doctor – no
Goal 5: 2 fruits & 3 veggies – 2 fruits & 2.5 veggies – those veggies are HARD
Goal 6: less eating out – still have $50 in the pot
Goal 7: posting – no
Goal 8: less alcohol – none!

Ok, I will try to post tomorrow about my weekend. Hope everybody is having a GREAT one!! :goodvibes

[CJK]

Is that a plan, or is that a plan!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Your recipes look fantastic and I think it's wonderful how your dh is on board to help with the planning.

All your healthy lifestyle changes will do wonders for your future child. I remember reading that just losing 10lbs reduces your health risks for many diseases. Sounds like you're well on your way and your attitude is fantastic!! Hopefully your enthusiasm will rub off on me and I can get going on this baby journey too! :goodvibes

Have a terrific weekend!

[Foxfiregrrl]

Thanks, CJK! DH is a HUGE help to me and SUPER supportive of anything that I want to do. I am looking forward to being more healthy for the future baby, but a bit worried about gaining back anything I lose now. I am trying not to focus on that now though and just think about going into the pregnancy with as little extra weight as possible.

Linda, Ok, I did look at vitamins at the grocery store, but alas I got swept up by the Prenatal vitamins. Then I got so excited about taking them to get a jumpstart on the healthy pregnancy idea that I lost my good sense (if I had any:confused3 ). SO, I bought what seemed like the best prenatal vitamins. Nevermind that you are supposed to take 4 a day w/ food! :scared1: Now, I am not sure what I was thinking considering that I can't remember to take 1 a day w/ food, but that is what I bought. I am not going to take those right away though. I am going to give the weight smart another week or two and HOPE that they actually help me to jump start my weight loss.

Ok, so here is what my weekend looked like:
Saturday
L – leftover chili – F=9.5
S – different fruit & nut mix – F=3
D – smoky turkey shepard’s pie recipe from Rachel Ray – F= 8
S – sliced apple w/ peanut butter – F= 3

Well, the day did not go as planned.:rolleyes: DH had forgotten that his brother’s birthday was the 3rd and his mother’s is the 10th, so we had to go buy their gifts and then go visit them and take their gifts. So, we grocery shopped, gift shopped, then visited. By dinner time we wanted something quicker than the soup we had planned for. So we went with one of the other recipes we had chosen. It was Really good!

Goal 1: exercise – none unless I count walking around doing the shopping
Goal 2: vitamin – forgot
Goal 3: fiber – 23, just a little bit short
Goal 4: doctor – no
Goal 5: 2 fruits & 3 veggies – 1.5 fruit, 3 veggies
Goal 6: less eating out – none!
Goal 7: posting – posted early in the day
Goal 8: less alcohol - none

Sunday
L – pork roast, potatoes, potato salad, crunchy coleslaw, biscuit, black eyed peas – F=9
S – coffee
D – Butternut squash poblano soup & tofu bacon avocado sandwiches. – F=14
Ok, so this meal didn’t turn out too well. I think I put a tad too much cinnamon in the soup and it was just SUPER rich anyway. The “tofu bacon” was EXTREMELY salty! The sandwich was just the tofu and sliced avocado on bread. Anyway the combination of the Super salty tofu and the Super rich soup was just too much. I ate a little over half of my dinner and was like Ok that is all I can eat.

Well, within half an hour my stomach Revolted! I had a Very upset stomach for the rest of the night! :sick: I did sleep some, but woke up this morning and my stomach was still “talking” to me. It was literally making weird noises. DH woke up and heard it and said, “is that your stomach?”. :scared: Anyway, needless to say, I opted not to go into work today for fear of further issues. I have been really tired, pretty hungry, and my stomach has not felt right all day, but I have managed to stay out of the bathroom at least! I think that it is something about really rich creamy food items. :confused3 I have been having this problem over the last year or so where the really rich foods set my stomach off.

Goal 1: exercise – Walked for 35 minutes with DH before lunch, Walked for 30 minutes with mom about 4:30. It was a beautiful day and I was determined to take advantage of it!:cool1:
Goal 2: vitamin – took with lunch.
Goal 3: fiber – 23, So close… yet so far.
Goal 4: doctor – no
Goal 5: 2 fruits & 3 veggies – no fruit, but pretty sure I got at least three veggies
Goal 6: less eating out – none
Goal 7: posting – none
Goal 8: less alcohol - none

Today
B - kashi w/ milk – F=10
S – oatmeal w/ peanut butter, sugar, pat of butter, and dash of syrup ( I used my grandma’s quick cook, but it is just SO flavorless) had a little milk w/ that too –F=5
L – whole wheat turkey sandwich – F=4
S – fruit & nut mix – F=4
D – not sure yet if I will cook or we will have leftovers

Goal 1: exercise – about 10 minutes walk w/ my grandma at a Very slow pace
Goal 2: vitamin – No way, I was afraid to risk irritating my stomach
Goal 3: fiber – almost there and haven’t had dinner yet:yay:
Goal 4: doctor – no
Goal 5: 2 fruits & 3 veggies – 1 fruit so far
Goal 6: less eating out – not today
Goal 7: posting – yes!
Goal 8: less alcohol – no way

Oh, yeah, I weighed in on my parent’s scale yesterday evening while mom and I were walking. :sad2: I am not happy at all with the weight, but I guess I have to start somewhere. So, my start weight for the year is 192. I am so disappointed!!:sad1: I had gotten to like 182 at one point last year. I could really kick myself for letting the stress get to me and allowing myself to regain 10 pounds!

Oh, well… hope I have a GREAT week this week and maybe I can post a 4 or 5 pound loss like Marie & Linda! :cheer2: Hope we all have an excellent week! :wizard:

[Foxfiregrrl]

ok, quickie question... I finally updated my signature and that got me to thinking.

My start weight last year was 205. I had made a good bit of progress as I stated earlier, but I have gained back. Now I am starting 2007 at 192. So at this point from starting weight to now I have only lost 13 pounds.

So my question is do I go back to the 10 pounds WISH flag or do I just leave my 15 pound flag and push to get back to a 15 pound loss ASAP?

All opinions are welcome. Thanks!

[Foxfiregrrl]

here goes:

Tuesday
B - kashi w/ milk
L – whole wheat turkey sandwich, guacamole salad
S – fruit & nut mix
D – Scramblewiches (Rachel Ray) & zucchini (sauted & then broiled w/ parmesan on top)
S – 1 Ferrer Roche chocolate
Goal 1: exercise – 1 hour walking = 3.25 miles
Goal 2: vitamin – forgot
Goal 3: fiber – 18 that I’m sure of, but not sure about dinner?
Goal 4: doctor – no
Goal 5: 2 fruits & 3 veggies – 1 fruit, 3 veggies
Goal 6: less eating out – none!
Goal 7: posting – no
Goal 8: less alcohol – none!

Today
B - kashi w/ milk
S – fruit & nut mix
L – whole wheat turkey sandwich, apple
D – Scramblewich, 1 potato in gravy (leftover from Sun.), English peas
Goal 1: exercise – none
Goal 2: vitamin – yes
Goal 3: fiber – 20 before dinner ( not in the mood to figure dinner)
Goal 4: doctor – no
Goal 5: 2 fruits & 3 veggies – 2 fruits, 2 veggies
Goal 6: less eating out – none!
Goal 7: posting – yes
Goal 8: less alcohol – not sure yet.

So, I had Jury Duty yesterday, but ended up not having to serve. Spent the rest of the day doing some work from home and goofing off. Today I suffered for having been out two days in a row. I managed to get it together, but the morning was rough!

The scramblewiches from Rachel Ray were REALLY tasty and Very filling! I am sure they are not the healthiest, but shouldn’t be too bad. It was basically scrambled eggs w/ turkey scrambled in – put into a ¼ of a French loaf (hollowed out) then covered with a slice of cheese and broiled. Anyway, we will definitely make that again!

Tonight I got home late and DH & I just decided to eat and take it easy. I would have pushed to exercise if it weren’t so Cold out there! I really need to come up with some good indoor exercise!

Have a good night!

[Foxfiregrrl]

Ok, haven't been here since Wednesday... so here are Thursday and Friday's notes... sort of backwards. I will post today's stuff tomorrow probably.
I am STRUGGLING on my food will power! I need help!!:eek:

Friday

On Thursday I did not go out with the girls at work because I had lunch intake (which means I have to stay in the office). Well, Friday they said they were going to Applebee’s. I wanted to go out, didn’t Really want Applebee’s, but went anyway. Well, Applebee’s would be good cause they have the WW menu. BUT the Bruschetta Burger caught my eye and it looked SO good. So I decided to splurge and get it. :sad2: Well, it was AWESOME. :cloud9: Probably really unhealthy, but Yummy. The fries that come with it have a garlic sauce drizzled on them. They were delish too! Needless to say I ate and Savored all of it! THEN, my coworker got the black tie brownie and wanted to share with the other 4 of us. Well, one other girl got her own desert and the other two girls decided that they didn’t want any. Well, you know I can’t turn down chocolate so I said I would take Some. It came with 2 brownies and 2 scoops of Ice Cream!! So she gave me a whole slice and a whole scoop! :sad2: I know I should have shown some constraint and not eaten the whole thing, but I didn’t. I ate the WHOLE brownie and some of the Ice Cream. It was SO good too!! I was FULL the rest of the afternoon!

When I got home DH wanted to go out to dinner cause he had a bad day at work. I was still pretty satisfied from lunch and didn’t really want to waste one of my dinner’s out. But I didn’t want to make him eat in just because I splurged on lunch. We compromised. He got Krystals (which he was craving) and counted it against his lunch allotment for the month (he almost never eats lunch out). I had leftovers. I got a small portion cause I was getting a little hungry but not starving. :cool1: I was proud of myself for at least not splurging twice in one day :confused3 Baby steps right?

B - kashi w/ milk - F=10
S – fruit & nut mix - F= 4
L – bruschetta burger, garlic fries, Giant slice of Brownie, half a scoop of ice cream - F=?
D – small serving of chicken, broccoli, rice dish - f=3
S – 2 vanilla vodka and cokes
Goal 1: exercise – none
Goal 2: vitamin – yes
Goal 3: fiber – not enough!
Goal 4: doctor – no
Goal 5: 2 fruits & 3 veggies – 1 fruit, maybe 2.5 veggies
Goal 6: less eating out – did my lunch for the month…spent $13, was allotted $10
Goal 7: posting – no
Goal 8: less alcohol – second day this week – ended up drinking some on Wednesday evening also.

Thursday
Was an average day. Didn’t feel like doing a whole lot but we did at least walk some.

B - kashi w/ milk - F=10
S – fruit & nut mix - F= 4
L – HC pizza - F= 6!
D – turkey shepard’s pie leftovers - F= 8

Goal 1: exercise – 1 mile – 20 minutes
Goal 2: vitamin – yes
Goal 3: fiber – 28! Yeah! :cheer2:
Goal 4: doctor – no
Goal 5: 2 fruits & 3 veggies – 1 fruit, 1.5 veggies
Goal 6: less eating out – none!
Goal 7: posting – no
Goal 8: less alcohol – none, considered it, but didn’t!

Side Note on the House:
They gave us an estimate on the plumbing for the house, which has been our hold up for awhile now. We will have to pay about $3000 extra because of the distance & the terrain where they have to cut the sewer line through. Not a problem… we just want to get it over with! There was a guy hired by the city to uncover the sewer lines that they are supposed to maintain regularly. It has probably been 20 or 30 years since they groomed the land where the sewer runs through my grandparent’s property! So the builder was having to wait for the city to figure out where the sewer line actually was before they could tie into it!

Anyway, my dad talked to the guy clearing the land and asked him how much he would charge to get rid of this little patch of pines in our front yard. It was something that we thought the builder would do, but they only cut a few of them. Anyway the guy has this really cool machine that is like a bulldozer but with teeth. It goes up to the trees and just “eats” them to bits and basically mulches anything in it’s path. I haven’t seen it in action but I have seen the aftermath. It is pretty cool! So the guy looked at the trees and said he would do it for $75 if it took longer than 30 minutes. It took 30 minutes and he told my dad not to pay him for it! That was pretty cool. My dad talks to everyone and gets some nice perks for being so friendly sometimes! Now we have a much more open front yard!

Friday, the builder sent over some more gravel for the driveway, only they didn’t lay any of it cause the guy got his dumptruck stuck in the rut where they ran the underground cable/ power lines! Today they were out there pulling him out and then putting the gravel out. It is Crazy! DH & the builder seem to think they will finish up in about 2 weeks, but I think they underestimate how WET our ground stays when it rains. I’m keeping my fingers crossed though. At least they are steady working on things now!


Ok, I am SO long winded! Sorry bout that... had a lot to say!
Have an AB FAB weekend!! :hippie:

[Foxfiregrrl]

Yesterday:
L – whole wheat turkey sandwich, banana
S – fruit & nut mix
S – small caramel macchiato from Starbucks w/ 2% milk
D – large bowl of Super hot chili:crazy2: , tortilla chips (we ran out of crackers for the chili)

Goal 1: exercise – 2miles – 36 minutes + walked to my house and back 3 different times… gotta count for something right? Probably just over .25 mile total + walked around the mall shopping w/ mom for 2.5-3 hours :yay:
Goal 2: vitamin – no
Goal 3: fiber – not enough :guilty:
Goal 4: doctor – no
Goal 5: 2 fruits & 3 veggies – 2 fruits, 1 or 2 veggies (lots of beans)
Goal 6: less eating out – none!
Goal 7: posting – yes
Goal 8: less alcohol – none!

Today:
L – 1.5 slices of rotisserie chicken, green beans, potato in gravy, small yeast roll
S – fruit & nut mix
D – Mac & Chedder w/ broccoli from RR (I’m sure it wasn’t very low fat, but it was quick, easy, & delicious! … plus we were SO close to going out and grabbing a pizza, but had this instead, so in comparison it was probably fairly healthy) I think we could add twice as much broccoli next time and it would still be delicious!

Goal 1: exercise – 45 minutes= 2 miles w/ some jogging mixed in, then stretching for the rest of the time :yay:
Goal 2: vitamin – yes, took it just now w/ dinner
Goal 3: fiber – Not Nearly enough :sad2: (this is So much harder on weekends :confused3 )
Goal 4: doctor – no
Goal 5: 2 fruits & 3 veggies – 1 fruit, 2.5 veggies
Goal 6: less eating out – none!
Goal 7: posting – yes
Goal 8: less alcohol – hmm… have been considering drinking all day…. DH said he might…. So I probably will.

We went and looked at treadmills today. I REALLY want one Now! I’m sure that we will wait until we move into the house though. I am thinking really hard about trying to jog/run again. I am not going to try to train for a half or full marathon or anything because I want to try to get pregnant too soon to have time for that. What I am thinking is that I want to be an average jogger/runner, before getting pregnant so that afterward I can bounce back into jogging better. Then maybe post baby I can consider the Half!:yay: I think that would be an awesome thing to work on post baby!

Anyway, I am going to incorporate jogging into my walking more often and try to push myself harder than I did last year. I think the thing for me is that I am Very afraid of injury and therefore I don’t push myself to go further just to stay in the safe zone. Well time to step out of the safe zone and challenge myself and my body. :cheer2:

I am going to work on coming up with some good XT to do on opposite days too so that I can tone and keep the workouts interesting.

Well, I’m off tomorrow for the holiday. I am not sure exactly what I will do. I will try to get over here and checkout some journals and make sure I’m up to date before the week starts. See ya later! :wave2:

[Foxfiregrrl]

k, haven't done much yet today. Feeling Really lazy.

DH just IM'd me this link about the caloric value of alcohol: http://www.rochester.edu/uhs/healthtopics/Alcohol/caloricvalues.html

All I can say is YIKES!!:scared1: :scared1:

I had 3 Smirnoff Ices last night!!

Ok, this will be difficult, but for now I think I need to swear off alcohol unless it is a special occasion or a party. gonna do my best!

Just needed to share. Lata!

[Foxfiregrrl]

ok, I've been kinda slack this week. I have not been sick, but just having the Blahs this week.

Monday I made Black Bean stoup & Monte Cristos from RR for dinner. It was pretty yummy and pretty healthy. No exercise. Drank even though earlier in the day I swore it off :confused3

Tuesday - leftover chili from the weekend. no exercise. I was hurting in my side and it was cold, so I just curled up on the couch for the evening and went to bed early.

Wednesday - leftover mac, cheese, & broccoli dish. Walked w/ two co-workers after work. We did 2 miles, but pretty slow. Mostly was slow cause we had to keep stopping for the one girl's daughter. It took us about 45 minutes :sad2: I guess slow exercise is better than no exercise.

We agreed last night to meet up again tonight, but they can't meet until 6pm. After we walk it will still take me another 45 minutes to get home which would make it like at least 7:15 before I would get home and that's only if we book it! DH wants to exercise tonight and will not if he has to wait for me to get home. I think I am going to not go w/ them tonight, but try to set it up earlier next week.


House News:
As of yesterday the carpet and vinyl is in!! The gutters are on also!! All that is left is the plumbing, attic insulation, and minor fixes!! It is getting exciting now!!

Check this out.... We are walking through looking at the carpet and vinyl when we notice that the vinyl is the same in the kitchen as it is in the bathroom and foyer. We were supposed to have a different kind in the kitchen. Well a few months ago they called and said they were out of stock for one of the vinyl styles we had picked. I swear it was the bathroom. So I picked a new one. Well the new one that I picked is what already was gonna be put in the bathroom :confused3 So apparently I picked the same vinyl for the Kitchen as I had picked for the bathroom previously? :confused3 I don't know.... If you feel like that didn't make any sense it is because it didn't! :confused3 Anyway, so I am torn about what to do. The vinyl is pretty, but I was looking forward to having two different kinds. I am not that upset to want it to be taken back up, especially if I am partly to blame. What I think happened is that I was picking new vinyl for the kitchen, but was thinking it was for the bathroom. Anyway, I am planning to call and chat w/ the lady at the builder's office and see if we can figure out what we did. I most likely won't ask for it to be changed, but I just can't figure out what we did?

ok, enough rambling.

Oh, Yeah, I made my doctor's appointment today!! I asked my chiropractor for a suggestion and he suggested a doctor. I will go for a physical on February 15th at 9 am. I feel better just knowing it is set now.

See ya'll later!

[lindalinda]

Hey Amber! I have been really lax in keeping up with stuff, so I hope all is going well. So glad to hear the house is getting close. We need pics! As far as the vinyl floor goes, I wouldnt worry about it at all. The truth is, you are gonna hate it in a couple of years and want to rip it out no matter what you choose. This is my experience anyway!

I just wanted to show you this thread thats on the CB. I know you are a Harry Potter fan (well I think so anyway with your cats names and all)

Anyway, some interesting discussions going on over there if you have time to read any of it.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1329248

:hippie:

[Foxfiregrrl]

Hey, Linda! :wave2: I did go to the thread you posted. It looks cool and I think I would enjoy discussing HP (I am a BIG fan!) BUT I’m Terrified of a Spoiler for the upcoming book. :scared1: I saw where they were discussing the Horcuxes, Snape (which side is he on?), etc. I Love the surprise of reading the story for the first time and not knowing what is going to happen. I was SERIOSLY disappointed when I heard the big leak from the last book and found it to be true.:sad1: SO…. I think I’m gonna have to pass on that discussion for now. Thanks for thinking of me though! It is right up my alley!:thumbsup2

I am not gonna do my goal list today for the last 4 days. I have been feeling pretty Blah today and lately in general I guess. :upsidedow Work is going much better and I am only 8 work days away from my transfer, so that is good.:goodvibes I think that February will be a better month for me. :wizard: I will have my new position and HOPEFULLY will be moving into my new house. I think both moves are going to be REALLY good for me. :woohoo:

I have been doing ok on my foods and not so great on the exercise front. I weighed myself on my grandma’s scale yesterday. I don’t really trust it but it said I was 2 lbs down from the last time I weighed on my parent’s scale.:yay: I will try to get over there this week to get a real measurement.

We went out Friday night and had Mexican. I ate too many chips, but I ordered well. I had chicken and rice soup w/ grilled chicken tacos. The tacos were grilled chicken wrapped in a soft corn tortilla w/ NOTHING else on it. No lettuce, salsa, cheese, sauce, Nada.:confused3 It was a little lame. I added some salsa and it was better. I just ate one of the tacos. The soup was tasty. It was basic chicken & rice soup w/ pico & avocado on top. I think it was the healthiest meal that I have EVER had at a Mexican resteraunt!:cool1: We spent $20 more of our eating out budget so only $30 left. Not too bad!

We hung out w/ DH’s best friend and his family yesterday at their house. Their kids got a trampoline for Christmas and DH had to help put it together. I got to jump some! :jumping2: I Love Trampolines! We had one when I was growing up. They are SO much fun and Great exercise! I am now trying to convince DH to buy us one! They grilled hamburgers and hotdogs. They also had chips and dip, crab salad, pasta salad, and brownies. I am ashamed to say that I ate some of everything and Way more than I should have. :sad2: We had a very good time though. (this is a couple that I sometimes don’t enjoy spending time with, but it went well this time) Well, we left their house a little after 7pm and came home to find the power out on our whole block! :confused3 My grandma said it had been out since 5:30. SO we called them up and went back over to their house. DH & his best friend played card games and the wife & I watched Elizabethtown. It was nice. We came home around midnight and the power came back on about 12:30. So it turned out pretty well.

Today I didn’t eat SO healthy at lunch, but dinner was EXCELLENT. DH made a curry dish. This time he decided to do a cauliflower & chickpea curry w/ no meat. We had it over couscous. It was delicious. The very filling meal was about 390 calories. Fiber was about 13 grams! And protein was about 17 grams! Pretty good! :cool1:

We walked yesterday 1.75 miles. Today, no real exercise, but I did jog most of the way to and from the new house.

Oh, BTW, we figured the Vinyl flooring thing out. I did not mess up! :thumbsup2 The lady that orders the flooring did, so they will replace the floor in the kitchen. To be honest it didn’t matter too much to us, but it will be nice to have it right. They should put it in next week.

We hit another snag on the plumbing/sewer issue though! The city now says that we can’t have city sewer w/out city water after they told us in the beginning that we could. :furious: It is not too bad though. What it boils down to is that they are going to rip us off and charge us for all the water meter stuff even though we won’t have city water. It will be at least another $1000 and maybe closer to $2000. Not what we wanted to hear, but we’ve got to have toilets! We could attempt to do a septic tank, but I REALLY don’t think this land will perk (or whatever they call it). We have a lot of clay and granite in the ground here. Whatever… I’m just READY for it to be DONE!!! I took some pics today and it is just a matter of convincing DH to take the time to put them online.

K, I’m gonna try to get motivated this week and do better! :cheer2: See ya’ll later!

[lindalinda]

Hi Amber. I dont blame you for not wanting any spoilers. I think I ned to read the last book again anyway becuase I usually dont know what they are talking about. Geez they remember every little thing ever said! I am not that committed!

Did you like Elizabethtown? I am only asking because it was filmed here. In louisville, in oldham co (where I live) and in Elizabethtown (which we call E-town here. I know it was a weird movie. It really should have starred John Cusack He is much better at that dark comedy thing. But I really liked seeing all the places from here. The Brown Hotel, all the roads, which of course were no where near where they made you think he was. What I really loved about that movie though was the "road trip package" I would sooooo love to do something like that, maps to little places on the road and music to go with it! Anyway, I know most people didnt really like it, but I did.:goodvibes

Hope you get all the house stuff taken care of...my advice....whatever it costs, go sewer, not septic. I have septic and so much can go wrong with it. Ugh...go sewer.

Anyway...good luck...did I mention we need some PICTURES?:lmao:

:hippie:

[lindalinda]

Amber Amber Amber! ONE MORE WEEK! I noticed on your ticker thats how long til you can transfer. YAY!:banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana:

So much to look forward to! New job, new house , maybe baby soon! I doesnt get much better!

:hippie:

[Foxfiregrrl]

Hello! It has been a long week and I just haven't gotten over here to post. The first part of the week I did pretty good. I started out counting calories even. Mon. was like 1400, Tuesday about 1100. Then Wednesday we went to Olive Garden. Bad very bad. Thursday - had leftover Olive Garden for lunch, but was pretty good at dinner. Friday and Saturday were both REALLy bad for the diet. Saturday I went with my mom and sis to N. GA to visit mom's uncle who is on hospice and not expected to live much longer. We had a good visit, but ate out lunch and dinner. Exercised some on Monday and Tuesday, but none since then :confused3 .

Today is a new day. I walked with DH for about twenty minutes outside, then came in and did another twenty on the treadmill while he showered. So I'm trying to get some exercise in.

I have to change my Ticker in my Sig again! I got a call on Wednesday from our Regional Office. They said that they wanted to ask me to stay for another month in my current county. They said they were asking me, but then said that my new county director and the regional director have already discussed it and think it is what they want to have happen. They did end up offering me my travel time. So I agreed to stay one more month, but have made it clear to all involved that I WILL NOT be staying in March. My deputy director even said to me that if they do ask me to stay again I need to say no. I feel that I have given them enough time w/ this extra month that if they do ask me I again I will Absolutely have the right to say NO. They are paying my mileage from my new county office to my current county office, plus I get to count the travel time as work time. Then they also got us a 5% supplement for our pay that I will get for Jan & Feb. So it is not going to work out too bad. I was really disappointed at first though simply because I have gotten it so built up in my head that I was leaving.

The housing situation hasn't been too much better either. We are still stuck on the water/sewer issue. We called the MWA and explained the situation. They said that we should be able to put a meter on the well and tie into the sewer, but they have to get some further approval for it. The guy will be back on Monday and we should know something then. They said that we will have to put a special meter on though and it will be about $250.... but that is better than $1000. Keeping our fingers crossed. The vinyl was replaced this week. I like it alot! :woohoo:

So, February will be a mixed bag it looks like. I am still very hopeful that the house issues will be resolved soon and maybe we can be moving in mid-february. What a Wonderful Valentine's gift that would be! :love: Work has been better this month and so hopefully will continue to be tolerable next month. Then I will be getting the bonus money which will help with all the extra expenses from moving into the house. I will also be getting home about 5pm now which HOPEFULLY will help me get into a better exercise groove!!

I have not been on task lately with my goals or my journalling. I promise to do better!! I have decided that I need to watch my calories more closely since I haven't really been losing. I am going to aim for 1200 a day, but the occasional 1400 day will be acceptable. Maybe once a week. I am going to start logging in Fitday again. I hope that will help me some.

OH, Yeah... I go to the doctor in Feb. also. That should be interesting:scared:

Well, that is enough rambling for now. See ya later!

[Foxfiregrrl]

OOPS! I meant to reply to Linda's questions about Elizabethtown!

I did really like the movie! It never crossed my mind that it was in your neck of the woods! That is pretty cool! The town seemed really neat and the scenery was nice. I enjoyed the story and kept yelling at him to go ahead and kiss her already!! I have to disagree about changing the main character though, but only because I think Orlando Bloom is SO HOT!!! :love: I also LOVED the road trip package! It was Awesome!! I attempt scrapbooking and it would take me a long time to make one page as cool as her book was!! I was in awe and then I was like "NO Way! she couldn't have done all that!" It would be cool to prep a book for a road trip that had pages for where you plan to go and then you could add notes and pictures as you go along and when you get home. That would be really neat!

Anyway, one thing I thought was interesting is that the girl I watched it with said she Loves the movie. She is really hard for us to figure out and we always struggle to buy her christmas gifts, etc. So I was hoping that seeing it would help me get a better idea of what she likes. :confused3 But like you said it was kind of weird. She also had the Six Feet Under boxed set... So maybe it is the dark comedy thing that she enjoys? :confused3

Thanks for stopping by to "see" me!! I have been struggling lately and it is so nice to come to my journal and see that you've been checking up on me! :hug: Gonna come over and "see" you now. :)

[Foxfiregrrl]

k, while I was reading journals I brought my mini stepper over and did 30 minutes on it.

Dinner was from RR.... She's gonna be the death of my diet :scared: We had Turkey Noodle Casserole.... she has 4 servings listed. We made it 6 servings and it still ended up being 633 calories!!! We added peas to make it more healthful, but it still wasn't all that healthy. Next time we will add less cheese and less breadcrumbs. Also she says to have it with a salad. I think we would do a salad and make it 8 servings.

I really love her recipes and enjoy having new and different foods..... BUT after I make them I add it up and it is SUPER high calorie food!

May have to rethink the cookbooks we use for awhile!

Well, have a great week!

[Foxfiregrrl]

Monday:
B- kashi w/ soy milk
S- cheese grits (one of the supervisors brought them in for everyone)
L- HC chicken pasta w/ veggies, 2 hushpuppies from Long John Silvers (a couple of other girls had them and offered them. I caved. I have NO willpower... Well maybe a tad. There were 4, but I only ate 2 :rolleyes: )
S- serving of mini chocolate rice cakes
D- leftover italian sub soup from last week
S- 1 mini milky way, small handful of nuts
For some reason I was Hungry all day! I had my healthier snacks, but I just didn't eat them :guilty:
Exercise - 20 minutes on the treadmil - I did jog during part of that time

Today:
B- kashi w/ soy milk (the soy milk is yummy btw)
S- part of my fruit nut mix
L- sierra turky & cheese sandwich w/ fries dipped lightly in ranch
S- small serv. (maybe 2 handfuls) of popcorn - my neighbor had it and decided she didn't want it. I had a piece and was like YUM (it was buttery) so she gave it to me.
D- going to be leftover turkey noodle casserole and a salad

At lunch I caved in and went to lunch with the girls! They all came in my office and were like YOU are Coming! I tried to order better than I usually do. We went to an italian place and I usually get buffallo chicken tenders there. I am weak for the fries though :sad2: I did better today though because I left at least half of them when usually I try to devour ALL of them.

So not only did I go Way off the diet, but I also went over budget again! My lunch total for the month is like $30 when it was supposed to be $10! :sad2:
DH already fussed at me. Not so much for being over budget, but for being off diet. He said I will never lose weight if I constantly cheat. I know he is right, but I just enjoy the social interaction of the lunches and am bad at making good food choices.

I probably need a good kick in the butt! Especially since I'm thinking about drinking some tonight. Not sure why, just feel a little stressed. I think cause I know I'm stuck at my workplace another month :sad1:

I did better on my exercise tonight though. I came home and did 22 minutes on the treadmill, then dh wanted to walk together (even though it is COLD!) so we walked for awhile. He got paged so we came inside and I got on the Lateral Thigh Trainer for about 5 minutes (it is basically like the mini stair stepper, but w/ an angle to it) then I got out the stair stepper and did it for about 3 minutes. DH said it was a total of just over 30 minutes. So that plus the 22 I had done made 52. Then I stretched and did a few situps. Then since DH was in the shower I thought I would do the stair stepper again. I did it for 5 minutes and decided I was done. So that makes about 60 minutes if you count the situps. I figure that is better than I have been doing. It makes up for some of the bad calories, but I know it doesn't really put a dent in it.

Well, gonna try to do better. I keep saying I'm going to start counting my calories, but then I slack off. I am working on it, but it is hard when I eat out or make things at home. I know how to calculate most things, but it takes time and I'm lazy.

Tomorrow I'm having a sandwich and apple for lunch, then leftovers from TGI Fridays for dinner w/ a salad. It shouldn't be too bad of a day. I plan to get on the treadmill for awhile also.
K, gonna go eat dinner now. See ya!

[Foxfiregrrl]

ok. DH decided he didn't want the turkey noodle casserole last night, so we had the TGI Fridays leftovers instead. I had a good sized salad with just lettuce, spinach, small handful of raisin and nut mix, and maybe a tablespoon of light done right ranch. Then we had chicken that was fried & a pasta with a light tomato/garlic sauce. The chicken was kind of bad, but I had a fairly small portion, maybe 3/4 of the original breast that was served.

Today so far:

B- oatmeal w/ the crunchy stuff (it was new so we tried it, I didn't like it much, I will stick w/ Kashi), 1.25 cups of milk
L - sandwich, 3 bites of apple(it was soft), and now I'm eating my fruit nut snack mix cause I'm still hungry.

I had decided last night that I need to go back to my routine of cereal, snack mix, sandwich, apple. I think it seems to keep me steady and not let me get too hungry.

This morning I expected to be really hungry early cause there wasn't much substance to the oatmeal, but I didn't really get hungry until noon. Then I ate a bite of my snack mix, cause I wasn't at a good stopping place. We ended up eating at 1pm and I was hungry, but not Starving. I think I waited a little too long though cause I am having that "can't get full" feeling. I will eat another handful of my fruit & nut mix and hope that holds me for a couple of hours.

Still need some good exercise this evening. Planning to try to find my taebo tape when I get home. Dh claims that he will do that with me... we'll see.

[Foxfiregrrl]

On Wednesday I got home and had a headache. So I didn't exercise. We had Turkey noodle casserole and I had 2 vanilla vodka and cokes. Which didn't help the headache. :confused3

Yesterday
B- kashi w/ soy
L- sandwich, apple
S- fruit and nut mix
D- leftover curry dish (turkey, cauliflower, chickpeas) over brown rice
S- reese's cup & piece of chocolate (leftover from Christmas) & small glass of milk

Exercise - 40 minutes on the treadmill 2.1 miles.

Today so far
B - kashi w/ soy
S - two starburst candies
L - half of a pesto calzone that I had leftover from eating lunch out the other day, and an apple

Resisted - Caramel Crunch Bars that co-worker offered, and Going out to eat w/ the girls today! :cool1: I'm proud of that one, cause it is hard for me.

DH & I agreed to keep our dinner budget at $70, but it is reduced to $60 since we overspent in January. The lunch budget has changed for me. I requested to Please be able to go out twice. I don't know if I really have a set budget, but I can go out only twice for lunch and at least one of them the meal has to be healthy/diet food.

I am debating signing up for the exercise challenge this month, but I definitely want in on the mileage challenge. So I am going to go for at least 25 miles. I am thinking that I should be able to get in at least 20 minutes everyday, but I probably should aim for more than just 20 on most days. Ok. I think I will set my minutes challenge at 700. So far I'm at 2/25 & 40/700. Not too bad

See ya'll later!

[kimwim8]

Hi Amber! I just caught up on your new journal!! Congrats on getting healthy BEFORE you try to get pregnant. What a great thing to do! :thumbsup2

Sounds like you're on track and doing wonderfully! And how awesome that your DH is so supportive and helpful through this! He's gonna make a wonderul dad (just from the little I've read about him).

Keep up the great work! It's so exciting that you are so close to having babies and have found other WISHers in the same stage of life! :thumbsup2 I'll enjoy reading all about you guys!!

[Foxfiregrrl]

Thanks, Kim! I feel like I know so much about you from Marie's journal, but I just haven't found my way over to your journal yet. I'll try to "come over" this weekend :) WISH has been a WONDERFUL support for me! I have tried to lose weight and be healthier in the past and never stuck with it. I know for sure that knowing that I have friends who check in on me here keeps me going. There was a period in Nov/Dec when I was really floundering and kept thinking about giving up, but I would then think what would my journal buddies say to that? That is what really helped me to get refocused! I'm glad you "stopped by" and hopefully I can offer some support for you along your journey also!

I do struggle some with staying on track, but I consider this a journey that I am on for the long haul so I know that I won't be perfect all the time. My main goal is to try to get more exercise into my normal routine and find more activities that involve things other than sitting on the couch and watching TV :thumbsup2

I got off a little early today! :banana: I was feeling really lazy by the time I got home and I REALLY didn't want to exercise... BUT I knew that I had the time and I needed to do it. So I did 50 minutes on the treadmill which was 2.6 miles. I started out w/ 2 18 minute miles and then slowed down some. The treadmill seems harder to me :confused3 outside I do a 17 or 18 minute mile pretty easy, but on that treadmill it feels pretty hard :confused3 It said I burned like 430 calories I think.

So I'm at 4/25 & 90/700!! :cheer2: If I can keep going like this I'm gonna blow my goals AWAY!! :yay:

Not sure what is for dinner yet. We have leftovers, but I am almost in the mood to cook. I may just pick something out and cook it tomorrow though. We'll see.

We are hanging with the guys tomorrow, so unless we get up and exercise early, I probably won't get any exercise. I will try though.

Have a great weekend!!

[kmp1191]

Hey there Amber!! Sorry I haven't been checking in here.....no excuses.....

I'm sorry to hear about the transfer being postponed again.....but it WILL happen in March....that's good news!
I'm glad they were able to fix the floor issue for you! When we bought our house, the linoleum/vinyl in the kitchen was 2 different colors. I brought it to their attention and they said, "Well, we're not going to change it." And I said "Well, I won't be closing on this house then, thanks anyway!" 2 days later they had new flooring in. (Of course, 7 years later it's all covered up w/ tile!!)

Have a great weekend Amber, and keep up the good work!!
marie

[lindalinda]

Hey Amber! Nice to see you are joining the mileage challenge! I think you will kick butt on it!

I noticed you said you havent been reading kims journal...I just peek every once in a while (she weighs 118 lbs and it makes me sooo jealous!):rotfl2: Oh man, if I could weigh 118 (which is 2 lbs less than my goal) I swear I would probably just walk around nekkid all the time!:lmao:

Keep up the good work! You are doing great on the mileage challenge already (I sent you a clippie)

:hippie:

[Foxfiregrrl]

Yeah, I really think that I have read some of Kim's journal, but I haven't ever posted, which made me think otherwise, cause usually if I read it I will post at least once. Oh, well, gonna try to get over there tonight.

I love the mileage challenge clippie and I added it already. I think with the treadmill and getting home earlier I should be able to kick some mileage butt!! :cheer2: Gonna try anyway! Hopefully I can kick my weight loss into high gear too.

I have had a really nice weekend so far. We stayed home Friday night. Saturday we went to DH's mom's house for the regular game session. Today we have been just lounging around watching TV. The bad news is that I haven't done any exercise since friday.

Yesterday we pretty much got up and went straight to MIL's. DH treated me to lunch w/ some of his lunch funds for the month ;) BUT it was Krystals which is Far from health food. I did resist the fries though. I had 2 buffalo chicks, 1 chile cheese pup and an order of chicken bites (that was the option instead of fries). I did eat it all, except a bite or two of the second buffalo chick. I didn't have breakfast though so I was a bit hungry.

For dinner I made everyone spaghetti. I made my usual sauce w/ onions, peppers, & the italian veggie mix (zucchini, lima beans, carrots, snap beans, & cauliflower). I almost didn't have enough tomato sauce though. I made basically 3 batches worth (3 lbs of ground turkey!). I made whole wheat pasta and regular pasta for those afraid to try the whole wheat. I think it went over pretty well. There was quite a bit leftover, but everyone seemed to like it and said it was tasty. Oh, we also had 2 loaves of the premade garlic bread. Needless to say it was Demolished!! I had bought a bag of salad and totally forgot to put it out, but the guys aren't real big on salad anyway. There were 11 of us total and I fed everyone w/ leftovers for about $25 so I thought I did pretty excellent budgetwise too!

We played various games and had a really good time. DH and I drank so we spent the night. I had several vanilla vodka and cokes. I was definitely feeling it too :thumbsup2 I got in a "wrestling" match w/ two of the guys toward the end of the night and then one of them stole my shoes and hid them. :sad2: It was funny though. I have told DH many times that I like to play fight and he won't ever fight w/ me cause he is afraid he will accidently hurt me. So, I play fight w/ his friends sometimes... I'm not afraid they will hurt me, but I am afraid I'll hurt them sometimes. :rolleyes1 I play rough!

Today we came home and had lunch w/ my family. We had fried pork chops, scalloped potatoes, black eyed peas, snap beans, & cornbread. I was really hungry so it was hard to be good. :guilty: Last night I also had some combos toward the end of the night cause I was hungry, but they just barely did the trick.
Then mom had made some rocky road fudge. She brought us some. I had a small piece and it is YUMMY!! She left us two pieces each and they are sitting next to me now! :scared: I am going to eat at least one of my pieces later tonight, I just can't resist!

For dinner we had leftover curry over rice. It is SO delicious! I had a Big bowl cause I was really hungry and it is pretty low fat & low cal.

We were tired today and DH's hip started hurting him yesterday. So we are just taking it easy. We don't do sports so we aren't watching the Super Bowl. We will most likely watch a movie in a bit.

I should be getting home from work by about 5pm most days this week, so I plan to try to get at least 40 minutes of exercise at least 4 days, but hopefully all 5! That would be so great! OH, we also FINALLY found our taebo tapes today. Hopefully we can work on those some this week also!

Well, guess that is it for now! Have a WONDERFUL week everybody!!

[kimwim8]

Hey Amber! Sounds like you had a busy weekend! Some of that food that you ate, I have no idea what it is! What is a chick? :confused3 What are snap beans? :confused3 Inquiring minds want to know! :rotfl:

You have a GREAT plan in place and I'm glad you're doing the mileage challenge too!

Thanks again for coming over to my journal. I had no idea that my current weight bothered people. It took me a lot of hard work and many months to get down to that weight, so I figured that people wouldn't be bothered by that. I hope I didn't make you or Linda mad. :sad2:

Have a wonderful week and keep up the GREAT work!:thumbsup2

[Foxfiregrrl]

No way! You don't make me mad! I think that it is wonderful that you are at or around your goal weight!! :cheer2: I get frustrated with myself because I know that I haven't been nearly as dedicated as I need to be in order to get there myself. I have been aware of your progress over the last year and I know that you have worked hard and stayed focused on your goal! You help keep others focused too which is also wonderful! I just hope some of that wonderful dedication and focus rubs off on me too! :thumbsup2

Ok... a chick is just a mini fried chicken sandwich (Krystal is the equivalent to White Castle or so I've heard) and snap beans are... hmmm... peas that are in the pod, but it is a long pod so they are broken into several shorter lengths... uh, there must be another name for them, but I don't know it. Maybe Marie or Linda can help me out on that one?

k, I will come back later to post, but I just wanted to respond to that now.

[kmp1191]

No way! You don't make me mad! I think that it is wonderful that you are at or around your goal weight!! :cheer2: I get frustrated with myself because I know that I haven't been nearly as dedicated as I need to be in order to get there myself. I have been aware of your progress over the last year and I know that you have worked hard and stayed focused on your goal! You help keep others focused too which is also wonderful! I just hope some of that wonderful dedication and focus rubs off on me too! :thumbsup2

Ok... a chick is just a mini fried chicken sandwich (Krystal is the equivalent to White Castle or so I've heard) and snap beans are... hmmm... peas that are in the pod, but it is a long pod so they are broken into several shorter lengths... uh, there must be another name for them, but I don't know it. Maybe Marie or Linda can help me out on that one?

k, I will come back later to post, but I just wanted to respond to that now.

SNAP PEAS - PEAS THAT SNAP....."oh snap!!" :rotfl: :rotfl: :lmao: :lmao:
Honestly, I have no clue what a snap pea is, or if I've ever eaten one...I'm sure I have, but I probably didn't like it. (Heck, I tried grits once....and only ONCE!!!)

I for one am proud of Kim...and everyone else on here who has managed to lose weight....whether it's 1 pound or 101 pounds. I use Kim as my mentor....stress reliver...sounding board....inspiration....whatever you want to call it. She got a plan in place, and stuck with it...all the way through. Something I'm struggling with....:confused3 ....oh wait....this isn't my journal....sorry for hijacking! :flower3:

Have a great evening Amber....and I wish you hadn't brought up Chicks....man.....now I'm craving one. damn!:upsidedow

marie

[lindalinda]

It took me a lot of hard work and many months to get down to that weight, so I figured that people wouldn't be bothered by that. I hope I didn't make you or Linda mad. :sad2:


I'm not sure where in the world that came from????? I said I was jealous.....never said mad......or bothered....????? And I'm not even really jealous, was joking around with Amber here thats all. I wouldnt really run around nekkid either.

But Ambers journal definitely have the best food. Hands down. Snap beans are a type of green bean, at least here in ky they are. Long green bean you snap into 3 or so pieces. Ive never had chick peas or shepherd pie, but it sounds good and I hope to try it some day. (tho I did see a shepherd pie recipe with something yucky inside once, I think it was leeks?..blech!)

I didnt know Krytals had chicken sandwiches. We have something called "white castle" here that kind of similar but I cant stomach it. Literally.

:hippie:

[CJK]

After catching up on your journal, I'm darn hungry! I think I'm going to have to get a curry fix tomorrow. Sounds like you and dh had some fun last weekend. Hope the mileage challenge goes well for you. That reminds me that I should join a challenge soon. Its been a while!

Did you do some of your Taebo tapes? I'm trying to get back into the routine of it. I always found the best results with the advanced tape. I just have to keep motivated! Have a great weekend!

[Foxfiregrrl]

Hi, guys! Sorry I have been a bit AWOL this week. :guilty: It has been kind of busy and then I have been kind of lazy.

K, Marie said, Kim put a "plan in place, and stuck with it...all the way through. Something I'm struggling with" AMEN SISTER!! More about that later.

Linda, Linda, Linda... Now don't go telling stories we all know you'd be Nekkid!:thumbsup2 :rotfl: I'd be nekkid too, but I probably wouldn't look to healthy w/ 118 lbs on my frame... I tell you what though if I could get down to my goal of 140 I'd be pretty happy to run Nekkid too!!

I have not done very well at eating this week. I have had junk at work like EVERY day! I haven't been doing so good with the willpower these days. Let me just say that DH and I are Foodies! WE LOVE good food. That makes it Very difficult to continue to feel deprived without seeing results. I am struggling with that daily now. I know that I can do better at coming up with foods that are yummy but still good for me. I just need to refocus.

I didn't workout Monday cause I came home late and had a headache. Tuesday I did a mile+ on the treadmill (20 minutes) then we did the Taebo instructional video. DH is a novice and wanted to review. It was about 45 minutes. Yesterday I got home kind of late and ended up not exercising. Tonight I got home Super late (7:30) and we went out for dinner, so no exercise.

Today at work I think I probably burned a BUNCH of calories though! I went to a client's house and was sitting there talking with her when..... The cops came Blazing in with their weapons out and yelling "PUT YOUR HANDS UP!! WE HAVE A WARRANT!!" They were there regarding drugs. I was :scared1: SCARED!!! :scared1: I was shaking all over. I said in a very small voice, "I'm w/ DFCS" and they let me go outside, then finish w/ my client. BUT needless to say I was FREAKIN' out!

I'm behind now on my mileage challenge :upsidedow and probably my time too. I have taken tomorrow off though, so I plan to get in a good bit tomorrow. We are going to a dance Saturday night, so I should have a good many minutes on Sat, but I may still try to get a mile or two in early in the day. I MUST stay on track w/ the exercise since my food intake is :sad2: not good.

We took my co-worker to lunch for her birthday today and I got the chicken from the WW menu at Applebee's. I did good w/ that at least, but I was STARVING when we got there and was NOT satisfied when I was done. Later they had b-day cake and I managed to only eat a teeny tiny piece (about 2 bites). Then came dinner..... we went to Outback and we almost never go there. I got the cheese fries appetizer and buffalo chick. fingers app. The guy tried to convince me to get a half order but I said No I want the full. WELL.. They brought this Tiny portion of chicken fingers (4 tiny strips) and a half portion of the cheese fries. I am supposed to be watching what I eat, SO I should have been happy that they were "helping". BUT I had really planned for it to be at least 2 meals (take home one) and to share w/ DH some. I complained about the food, so he brought out another half order of fries which I SO didn't need. Afterward I felt bad for complaining, but I had my mind set on what I was gonna get and was disappointed mostly by the chicken fingers. All that means now is that I will end up eating leftover fries for a few days, which is not good. :rolleyes:

I am sorry that I go on about my food here and that it is always SO bad. I was reading Kim's journal and she said that she wouldn't post what she ate so that she didn't tempt the rest of us. That is very nice of her... I'm sorry if I end up tempting you guys :guilty: I just need to put it down so that I remind myself of what I did wrong and right (mostly wrong). That way I can try to do better.

I am REALLY struggling these days. I had thought that Feb. would be better since I was supposed to be getting home earlier, but it just isn't working that way. I WILL make my exercise challenge this month though!!! I MUST!!!

Eating is the big struggle. I have to find a way to get back on track. I need a better plan. I know that I have to plan my meals for the week ahead of time for starters. I just don't do well w/out my plan. I also need a better plan for avoiding the snacky stuff. Anyone who has any suggestions I am Open to trying whatever!!

I am going to try to go back to my goal list next week and work on posting everything I eat. That will require me to post more often, but I should be able to do that.

Thanks for hangin w/ me you guys!! I rally need all of you guys! You keep me motivated to try to get back on track!

[lindalinda]

Hey Amber!

How freakin scary was the cops thing!:scared1: OMG I would have peed my pants. Is everything ok with it? Did the arrest your client or anything? Sorry if thats too nosey.

PLease dont stop posting your food. First, because its a good thing for you to do. This journal is to help you in achieving your goals whatever they might be. Second I LOVE to read your food. I know that sounds silly. Its not tempting (since I cant cook anyway and could never come up with it:lmao: ). Third, the food you post, at least the home cooked food, isnt really all that bad. Its usually lots of vegetables and stuff.

I have an idea. It ridiculous and theres no way you have time to do it, but here it is anyway (my boss wrote on my review this year "never hesitates to give advice":rotfl2: ). All that delicious stuff, the casseroles and such, that are recipes of your mom or grandma, I was thinking. Actually I was thinking this even before I read your post today...seriously. Anyway, if you had time to go thru some of those recipes and "health them up" . Take the actual recipes and change them to whole wheat pasta, fat free or low fat milk/cheese/cream/ etc. I did this with some of my recipes. Its not as hard as it sounds. And then test them, measure everything and actually calculate the cals and fat in the entire dish, then decide whats an acceptable amt per serving. Then you know the serving size you need. I'm not sure I'm making this sound reasonable, but it works. For instance my pesto quiche. When I added in all the ingredients it was 1760 cals. So if I wanted 220 cals per serving cut it into 8 pcs.

Sorry so long there. Anyway, like you said, you are foodies. There is no way I would want you to not eat all that delicious food. So you just need to figure out how many cals are actually in it and work with it. I hope that doesnt sound preachy. It did didnt it? I hate it when I sound preachy. Anyway, hang in there!

:hippie:

[Foxfiregrrl]

Thanks, Linda! On the cops thing, I think it is going to work out. I thought they were going to arrest the client, but they didn't. We have a few things in place & as long as the client does what needs to be done, then it should be ok. Boy that was criptic. :rolleyes1

Thanks for the food advice too! I definitely want to keep posting my food, but I need to find the time to post everything, not just a bad day here or there.

I think that the idea to add up the calories and then divide the dish from there is Really good. I keep thinking that is what I need to do, but I am usually too hungry by the time I finish cooking to actually add it up first :sad2: So I eat and then add, then kick myself. That is what has been happening w/ the Rachel Ray stuff a lot lately. I will work on that more though. It doesn't really take that long if I jot down the info as I go along.

I think that most of the things I cook are pretty good. I get in trouble when I go out to eat or go into work and there are caramel dream bars and donuts and birthday cake, etc. I just CAVE! I can do better though. I know that I have to.

I was talking w/ DH last night (mostly me talking and him sitting there :rolleyes: ) and I think what has been happening lately is that I am either doing good on food and not exercise or good on exercise and not food. I have got to put them both together and then I think I might actually get somewhere!

I didn't think you were preachy at all! I really appreciate your input. I know that I can put it all together and lose weight, but sometimes I get blinded by frustration and just need some suggestions to get moving in the right direction again.

Today so far:
B- Kashi w/ soy milk
S- applesauce and 1 teaspoon of peanut butter
L- 1/4 of the leftover cheese fries, 1/2 a can of tomato soup, several sample bites of guacamole (DH made some for tomorrow)
S- currently drinking a Large cup of coffee

We had our preliminary walk through of the house this morning. There are a lot of little things left, but nothing that should take any time. They put the 4 missing lights in, but they were all WAY wrong!! But the guy said it was probably just done so that they can get the main power hooked up, then they will put in the real lights. He thinks they are on back order. He said that he will get the appropriate people in to do the work next week and they should be pretty much done by next Friday. :cheer2: I need LOADS of PD to help ensure that happens! I can't wait!!

I plan to exercise in a little while, but I am undecided if I will do taebo or TM. I will get at least 30 minutes today though! I have to!

We are going to a friends for dinner tonight. I think they are making Low Country Boil for us which will be AWESOME! We had that for our wedding reception so it is always special for us to have :love: For those unfamiliar it is sausage, shrimp, corn on the cob, potatoes, onions, and sometimes crab. You cook it all together in a big pot w/ a package of crab boil seasoning or something like that (usually Zataran's). The seasoning is spicy and it soaks into everything and is Yummy! It can be messy though :) When we wanted to have it for the wedding some people were like no that is too messy for a wedding. BUT I am persistant and that is what I wanted, so that is what we had. It was an outdoor wedding and the reception was inside, but in a very plain (ie. not fancy) building. We had little appetizer type stuff and then the Low Country Boil and cake. It went over really well and everyone talked about how good it was. :cloud9: Lots of great memories from that day! It was Awesome.

Sorry, kind of drifted off down memory lane there.
Tomorrow we are going to the Mercer Big Dance that we went to last year w/ my parents. We are going with them again this year and there will be a large group of people with us, but we don't know most of them. One of the new ladies at work is going to be there w/ a big group of her friends too! We were like COOL! :cool1: when we figured out that we would both be there! She is really nice and we got along instantly when she came to work! She has been a HUGE help to me since she came to our county too! She has been on the job for awhile and knows what she is doing. She is helping to get a lot of things straightened out. She's real spunky and fun too PLUS she listens to me ramble about all the Heck that I went through before she got there! :hug: So, I am looking forward to hanging out w/ her some when we go to the dance.
We should get LOTS of exercise there, BUT it is a bring your own food and drink thing. So I know the food will be BAD. I plan to try to get some exercise in beforehand and then just enjoy whatever food I want while there. That might not be the best plan, but I am hoping it won't do too much damage. Besides it is our Valentine thing and it is much better than consuming a box of chocolates :rotfl:

K, think that is all for now! See ya'll lata!

[lindalinda]

Once again, you have the best food. I have never heard of Low country boil, and it sounds wonderful. Is it like cajun? I know I sound dumb, but it sounds delish.

I am psyched that you are doing the walkthru on the house! That is awesome! Little bit of advice(you know me), take a notebook, and write down every little thing. Contractors like to forget about the little stuff sometimes. And post some freaking pictures already! The last ones we saw still had a big hole in the back of the house!:goodvibes

Have a nice weekend girl!

:hippie:

[Foxfiregrrl]

So Friday we did have Low Country Boil (which is cajun Linda), veggie tray w/ dip, and chips and dip. I also had 3 smirnoff ices:rolleyes:

Exercise was 1.15 mile/20 minutes on the treadmill.

Saturday
L- leftover low country boil
S- fruit & nut mix
D- LOTS of bad junk at the dance + at least 3 vanilla vodka & cokes :rolleyes1

Exercise - 1 mile/20 minutes walking outside w/ DH and several hours of dancing on and off. I will count 60 minutes I think.

We got to the dance at about 7:15. We ate then started dancing. We would dance a couple of songs, sit out a couple, then dance a few more, etc. We stayed until Midnight. It was a lot of fun! I can tell that we are in better shape this year than last year, cause we were able to dance for longer at a time. BUT I'm still VERY sore today. In particular my knees hurt :confused3 The bands play mostly 70's music and it was nice. The only thing that was kind of disappointing is that my sister's boyfriend is a DJ and he was having 80's night at a club downtown last night. Both of my sisters went and I think DH and I would have really enjoyed that too! 80's is really more my dancing style than 70's anyway. But I told my sis that next time they do 80's on the weekend DH & I will come! I am glad that DH is starting to enjoy dancing a little more:cool1: I have ALWAYS loved to dance! Before I met DH I used to go to the club almost every night that they were open (they were closed on Monday) and I would dance ALL NIGHT w/ my friends. I didn't drink, just dance and back then I would stay on the dance floor almost non stop. Boy I must have been in much better shape than I realized!!

Today
L- a lot of different things my family put together including some of the leftover stuff from last night. Needless to say it was bad, but I don't think I went too overboard. It was my aunt's birthday so there was cake. I had a small piece.
D- sub sandwich leftover from last night, guacamole salad, & some veggies w/ dip from last night

exercise - mostly non existant... DH & I did walk to the mail box and then over to the house and back... probably about 10 minutes total. We are mostly being lazy today.

Yesterday for the dance, DH & I made up some Large sub sandwiches. We bought these giant loaves of bread and put quite a bit of meat, then some cheese and lettuce. They were really good, but didn't really get eaten. By the time we got there the others at our table had pretty much already eaten (they were also pretty lit by then too:drinking1 ). Anyway, he cuts them into 4 pieces. We have 8 leftover after tonights dinner. So 1/4 will be lunch along w/ a quacamole salad most days this week. I think they shouldn't be too many calories. He put more meat than usual, but I still think it won't be that much more than usual once I break it down. I may work on adding it up tomorrow.

Friday we planned our dinners for the week... I couldn't tell you what they are now though :confused3 but we bought what we will need. So I have no excuse not to do good food-wise this week. Exercise should be average. I will try to get some in everyday.

I go to the doctor on Thursday :scared: Hopefully it won't be too bad.

K, so my exercise total is now 7/25 & 255/700. I'm a bit behind, but I know I can do it!!

So I'm gonna pop over to some other journals to say hello! Oh, BTW, DH & I were surfing myspace Friday & I think I have caught the myspace addiction now :rotfl: I am considering creating my own. If I do, I will put some house pics up (since I can't get DH to finish our website :sad2: ) and then I will post the link for everyone. LATA! Have a GREAT week!

[Foxfiregrrl]

Oh, yeah, I almost forgot! I weighed myself at my parent's yesterday before the dance. I am at 189!! :cool1: :woohoo: :cheer2: I'll take one pound!! :yay: Especially considering I haven't been very in control lately! I think it may have been the motivation that I needed to get a move on! YEAH!! :cheer2:

[lindalinda]

Yea Rah on the weight loss Amber!:cheer2: :cheer2: :cheer2: :cheer2: :cheer2:

You are doing better than you thought see? You probably burned a lot of calories dancing!:banana:

Sounds like you had a fantastic weekend! I love 70s music (80s too). You know it weird, but the 70s stuff is coming back. My 15yr old loves it, and so do his friends! It almost makes me "cool" again:rotfl:

:hippie:

[Foxfiregrrl]

Thanks! I am happy! It isn't much but I'm moving in the right direction at least! :yay:

Food:
B- kashi w/ soy
S- 1 cupcake (boss lady brought one for each of us and left it on our desks:rolleyes: )
L- sub sandwich, guacamole salad
D- salad and black bean soup

Exercise = 18 minutes of taebo - we finished the instructional video and then did the 8 minute workout. I couldn't do much more cause my tush is a bit sore still from dancing :sad2:

K, off to watch Heroes and CSI:Miami! Have a good night!

[Foxfiregrrl]

Hey, guys. I'm a little under the weather today:sick: Yesterday I started feeling a tickle in my throat and it kept getting worse and worse. Today I feel kind of crappy. Apparently I look like I feel crappy, too, cause first thing when my coworker saw me this morning she said, "What's wrong?". :confused3 Anyway, it is off and on, I will feel a bit better and then a lot worse, back and forth which is aggravating. I really wanted to go home early, but I have a 4:45 & a 5pm appointment (my only two of the day of course :rolleyes: ). But I don't have anything scheduled for tomorrow just in case I feel worse.

Food so far:
B- kashi w/ soy
S- hot chocolate -trying to drink something hot to soothe the throat
S- apple
L- sub & guacamole sandwich
S- nuts w/ a few raisins - it is half of my usual fruit and nut mixture


Oh, yeah, I need to add that I had a cup of hot tea last night and 2 small chocolate cookies. My grandma made them and according to her they are low cal :laughing: most likely not.

My plan for today was to get in a good bit of exercise since I didn't do too much yesterday. But I'm gonna be honest... When I get home I will most likely curl up on the couch and only leave to eat dinner. I feel like I could sleep for two days!

I'm gonna go to bed semi early tonight and hope to feel better in the morning.
Hope everyone else is doing better than me! Have a good one!

[Foxfiregrrl]

Ok, so Tuesday I had definitely come down with something. I didn't go to work on Wednesday cause I was feeling worse. Thursday I had my doctor's appointment :cheer2: and had already planned to take the whole day off. I did go back to work Friday. I mostly feel better, just a few leftover symptoms ie. scratchy throat & cough.

Food has been average w/ the occasional chocolate slip up. Also we ate out a total of 3 times this week! One was Valentine's day which we didn't count against our monthly budget. Then Thursday, Dh came down w/ my cold too and stayed home. Neither of us wanted to cook so I got take out for us. Today we had lunch out cause we were out shopping. :rolleyes1

Exercise has been nonexistant this week. I just haven't felt up to it. I plan to try to get some in tomorrow regardless.

HOUSE NEWS!! We are scheduled to move in next Saturday!! :cheer2: :cheer2: :banana: :woohoo: :woohoo: We are Totally STOKED!!! They still have a little bit of work left to do this week, but it is mostly just touch up/clean up stuff. The game room has yet to be painted, but should be done Monday or Tuesday. They still have to put our screens on the windows too. A few other minor things that should be easily completed by Friday.

Today we ordered the carpet for the game room and it should be in by the end of the week. We also went and bought our fridge and some living room furniture. We got a reclining/rocking loveseat, reclining/vibrating sofa, and a recliner chair, Plus 2 end tables. I am excited about the new furniture!

I CAN'T WAIT to move in!! :cool1: DH's friends are going to come over Saturday and help us move and then stay and hang out.

OH, yeah, before you say it (Linda ;) ) I know we need pics! Since DH is still sick I have been trying not to bug him too much. If he doesn't feel like working on the website tomorrow, I may upload some pics to a free hosting site and link it here. I promise to try to work on getting Something up tomorrow! (try being the key word;) )

Well, I still can't shake the overall tired feeling from this cold either. I'm gonna go lay down now. See ya'll later!

[lindalinda]

Hey Amber! Hope you feel better soon.:goodvibes Because you really need your strength to move into your NEW HOUSE! YAY! I'm so excited for you! And yes, I want pics! You can download them to photobucket, its easy.

Dont even worry about exercise, moving all your stuff will be a workout for sure. Have a nice weekend!

:hippie:

[Foxfiregrrl]

Ok, so I got up a little early today and got the exercise out of the way.:cool1:

I wanted to walk outside but it is 36 degrees and the Weather people say it feels like 28. It is windy too :rolleyes: So I tried doing one lap around the lake all bundled up, but when that wind hit I knew I'd need to go inside.

So then I did 60 minutes on the treadmill. I pushed hard on the first mile, took it easy on the second, and pushed medium on the third. I did 3 miles in 53 minutes which is an average of 17.5 minutes per mile :cheer2: I'll take it! I am always aiming for 15 or 16 mins. per mile, but that is Hard for me. Then I did a cool down for the rest of the time. When I add my .25 mile around the lake, I did a total of 65 minutes, 3.55 miles, and burned about 550 calories! :cheer2: Not too shabby.

I'm HUNGRY now though! I will try to use some self restraint, but I will admit ahead of time that today's lunch will be HARD! My grandma is making her homemade chicken & dumplings! :love: She has not made them in a LONG time. I will say that I don't like dark meat so I never really enjoy the chicken part, but the dumplings are Divine! and really bad for me I'm sure. BUT since she hasn't made them in years and who knows when she will make them again, I will eat probably more than I should. I think we are also gonna have squash cassarole (Yuck), cabbage (Yuck), & green beans. Hopefully I can fill up on green beans.

Dinners for the week are mostly planned out. We are having leftovers most nights. We have leftover black bean soup, cauliflower & chickpea curry/ rice, & red beans and rice. I think we have 2 meals worth of the curry & of the red beans & rice. We also had a plan to make chicken romano & a lentil dish one night. So if we feel skippy or run out of leftovers, then that will come into play. All of those meals are pretty filling and Healthy. They stay in the right calorie range for me, so I don't have to worry too much about going over this week in calories as long as I stay away from the snacky stuff and keep my dinner portions good.

I will do my best to get at least a mile a day in this week. I should be able to commit to that since it is only about 20 minutes. I have to do better, cause I'm WAY behind on my mileage challenge.

I know that I will get a lot of exercise on Saturday moving, but we also are planning on order pizza to feed everyone that night, and I know I will most likely take in enough calories to negate any good benefit from the move.

Gonna go try to do minimal damage at lunch. I will work on getting DH to post some pics this afternoon, or break down and do them myself ;)

See ya!

[Foxfiregrrl]

K, it took Forever to upload the pics, but there are quite a few house pics on photobucket now! plus a couple of me on my weight loss journey and 2 of dh.
I am going to post what I think is a link to my pics: http://s168.photobucket.com/albums/u192/foxfiregrrl/

If that doesn't work, then I guess you can just go to photobucket and search for foxfiregrrl :confused3 this is my first time.

didn't eat too great today. Had some chocolate chip cookie and a couple of girl scout cookies :sad2:

Oh, yeah, I've been waiting to report this until I weighed on my parent's scale (my "official" scale), but when I went to the doctor on Thursday it said I was at 184 !! :woohoo: I was kind of excited! BUT... today I weighed at my parents and it said I was back up to 191 :confused3 :sad1: I was sad. I was SO hoping the doctor's scale was right! Oh, well, I will just have to work harder!!

Have a great week everyone!

[lindalinda]

Yay Amber! The house looks fabulous! I love that open airy kitchen area! And how you labeled the kids rooms and kids playroom. How exciting! Now you need to get yourself some kids to put in them! You guys look great too.:goodvibes Life is gonna be so much better when you get moved in, you are gonna love it.

:hippie:

[lindalinda]

Also, great job on the mileage! And really good times too! Yay!:thumbsup2 :cheer2:

:hippie:

[Foxfiregrrl]

Hey, Linda! I am excited about the kitchen! I can't wait to get in there and play around! I can't wait to fill the house too :thumbsup2

Today they painted our game room FINALLY!! Once the carpet goes in, tomorrow or Friday, I will take pics and post them.

I have been struggling this week so far. I haven't slept well since the week started and I'm sure some of it is excitement about moving. I am also somewhat nervous about my job transfer. I have to get everything done before I leave, and then I have to start fresh at a new place and it will be kind of like starting completely from scratch. I know it will be fine and I expect that the work environment will be more positive than the one I'm leaving, so I hope I will be pretty happy. Change is always a bit unnerving though.

Food has been BAD for Monday and Tuesday. Today I managed to stay on track. I walked a mile on Monday, but haven't really gotten any in since. We had to do house stuff today and yesterday. I know that I could still exercise now since it is only 8, but I am Really tired and don't want to get too wound up.

Well, I'm gonna go lay on the couch and be a potato for the evening :sad2:

I CAN'T WAIT TO MOVE INTO MY NEW HOUSE!!! :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo:

k, just had to have that little outburst. :) Good night!

[kmp1191]

House looks GREAT!!!! Love the open kitchen!!
You and hubby look good too!!! Can really tell a difference in the befores and afters! Keepit up girl!!

Don't stress about the transfer...you've waited for it, you've earned it!!

marie

[lindalinda]

So I am reading national geographic online, cuz I'm a dork and I love that stuff. Anyway, I'm looking at this tree frog that is trapped in a piece of amber. Of course, the dork in me immediately thought OMG amber is petrified tree sap! So I had to come and post that on here. I just had to, dont ask me why.:joker:

:hippie:

[goldcupmom]

The house is BEAUTIFUL, Amber!!!

I've just been catching up & I can't wait to hear that you're moved & settled in.

Looks like the exercise & food have been going pretty well, too!

Good luck with the move!

[lindalinda]

So are you all moved in yet? :cool1: :cool1: :cool1:

:hippie:

[lindalinda]

I bet the computer isnt set up yet is it? Probably thrown in a corner buried under boxes and blankets. I'm sure everything is going wonderfully and you will have time to check in sometime soon! :goodvibes

[Foxfiregrrl]

Sorry I've been MIA, but Linda is right... we haven't yet gotten our computers set up at home. I have been meaning to check in while here at work, but I have been Really busy trying to tie up all my loose ends.

We got pretty much everything moved in on Saturday except some non esentials that are still in my grandma's house. We are working this week on finishing getting that stuff and then just trying to get stuff unpacked. We didn't have hot water until monday which REALLY was not cool and we still don't have gas for cooking (but that isn't the builders fault). We are getting there slowly but surely. I am planning to get off early today, so I should be able to get a few things done.

The cats have adjusted pretty well to their new home :)

I have been REALLY bad on my food since Saturday. I will try to get back on track after the weekend once we are a little more settled in. I did feel EVERY muscle in my body Sunday after the move, so hopefully I burned a few calories then :thumbsup2

Well, I've really got to get back to work so I can get out of here! Hope everyone is doing well!! I will try to check in again this weekend, since I'm not sure if I will have a computer up before then.

oh, and btw, Yes I know... I'm petrified tree sap.... but at least I'm pretty princess: people use me as jewelry ;)

[Foxfiregrrl]

Hello! Life is still in transition these days. We finally got our gas turned on today, so we will be able to actually cook now :guilty: part of me has been enjoying eating out all the time.... Actually, I have really been feeling the effects over the last couple of days. I'm all bloated and gassy(sp?) and feel generally bad after meals :headache: That is good though cause it is making me more ready to get back to real life and cook again!

I started in Bibb County yesterday! I am actually in a unit with a girl that I was friends with in high school, so that is pretty cool! I am getting somewhat settled in, but it is going to take a lot of adjusting. I am basically doing a completely different job that I was trained for about 9 months ago, but have never done. So needless to say I don't remember how to do any of it. I will pick it up pretty quick though. I only have 10 cases so that is Great!! :cool1: The coworkers in my unit seem to act like that is a lot more than I realize and that the cases get out of control easily. I realize that it is more paper work and tighter deadlines and therefore may be somewhat challenging. BUT I managed 45 cases in my other position and didn't ever really get behind, SO I know that I can keep this case load managable!! pirate: I just have to figure out a new system to get organized and then I will be set!

Well, I have continued to be REALLY bad this week eating out Every day for lunch and dinner :scared: and getting no exercise! The house is still mostly packed up. We have been working little by little to get things done. Tomorrow we plan to work hard at it all day and get a bunch done and then work Sunday also to knock out a bunch more. I hope to be a lot better off at the start of next week.

At my new office there are two weight loss groups, basically I think one may be an official WW and the other is just an unofficial support group. Then they also have some exercise class. I didn't get good details cause my friend was telling me as she walked me out the door yesterday. I will definitely get details next week!! I will most likely join the non formal group and I want to check out the exercise class and try to hit it as often as possible!!

I'm TOTALLY LOVIN my new house!! I love the colors, the room, all of it!! :love: I am so excited to have our own space again!! :cool1: :woohoo: I will most likely try to take some pics and put them up once some of our rooms get more organized. We have new living room furniture that I LOVE also!

Well, guess that is it for now. See ya'll lata!

[kmp1191]

Congrats on getting into the house!! It will take a while to get everything the way you want it..so take your time! Also good job on FINALLY getting to the new job! you'll do great and you know it!!

I think joining one of the weight loss groups is a great idea!! Talk about support...ALL DAY LONG!!! It would make it easier on you with everyone in the office doing it. Let us know how it goes!!

marie:upsidedow

[Foxfiregrrl]

Well, I still haven't gotten back on track with my exercise, but I am doing a good bit better on the eating portion. I will do my best to get some exercise in this week. I haven't gotten the courage up to go to the workout class at work yet, but I will. I may take my clothes tomorrow and go if I don't have a late appointment.

I bought a new scale yesterday! :cool1: It is a Healthometer. It measures weight, body fat, and hydration levels. It also has a feature that allows you to save your weigh ins and goal and it will show how far you've come. :yay: It is REALLY cool!! I have to admit I am a bit obsessed with it now too! You guys know that I almost never weigh myself (mostly cause I didn't have a good scale, but also cause it just wasn't the Main priority), well last night I weighed myself like 6 times and again this morning. I Swear it was different Every time I got on it. I started out at 190.8 at 5:30pm (before dinner, w/ clothes), later I was down and then it just kept going down :confused3 This morning I was 185.4 !:eek: I was like WOW! If only I could do that for real! Anyway, so for a little while anyway I will probably weigh a lot just to play with it. I will let you guys know what I determine is my "real" weight. I think that I like to weigh in the morning, but I may do it right after work? I think that having the scale in my bathroom will really help me alot!! I think seeing the flucuations on a more regular basis will encourage me to stay on track.

K, I also wrote in Marie's journal on Friday that I have been considering the Breast Cancer 3 day in Atlanta in October. I have only let the idea cross my mind until this week. Earlier in the week my new coworker (that I went to high school with) said that she is doing it with her best friend from high school (who I was also friends with). She is Very out of shape and has stated that she doesn't know how she is going to do it AND she said that at first she didn't realize there was $2200 you had to raise. Anyway, I said that I had considered it, but that it is a BIG commitment and that I hadn't put much thought into it. Well, she didn't seem interested in recruiting me to do it so that she would have a training/fundraising partner (the bf lives in Atlanta, so they won't be training together). BUT, it got me to thinking about the 3 day again. This weekend it has been almost ALL I can think about.

I am not sure if I am ready to jump in and commit to it or not yet though. It is a LOT of training and a LOT of money to raise! I have Never been a good fundraiser in the past. I think I could do better at this because I am somewhat more outgoing now and it would be a cause that I volunteered to raise money for. I am nervous though that I would not end up following through well enough on my training or fundraising. I have a good bit going on right now, but nothing that I can't manage.

I really feel that I need something BIG that is outside of myself to motivate me to get my Butt back into gear. I think this would be a GREAT motivator! I just am not positive that I have enough time in my week to adequately do the training routine that ends up having me do 4 and 5 mile walks on week days and 10-15 mile walks on the weekends. I know that would be really good for me and have even talked with DH about making those some nice Hiking days in the surrounding areas. I just don't want to get in over my head.

Ok, so what I think I am going to do is try to get myself back into working out and walking. I will push myself to do at least 5 days a week over the next couple of weeks. I will try to increase my mileage and ensure that I am doing at least 3 miles most days that I walk. I am also going to start figuring out ways to raise $2200 and who I can ask to sponsor me. I will give myself until April 1st to determine if this is something that I can fully commit to and then make my final decision.

K, that is enough for today! Have a great week everyone and I promise to try to get back more often!

[Foxfiregrrl]

Oh, yeah, looking at my title... I haven't updated on the pregnancy plans in awhile. I don't really have a set plan at this point. I just FINALLY got my work transfer, so I won't be trying right away so that I can get settled in first. I am thinking at this point that we might begin trying around May or June, but that is not set in stone. I tell you it is really hard now that we are into the new house not to just want to go ahead and start trying. No trying yet though just lots of practice :rotfl2:

Anyway, I also realized that I never updated on my doctor's appointment that I had finally made after like 5 years :scared1: of not going! I went and had a full work up including EKG and an Echocardiogram (needed due to my dad's heart condition). Well, I got all my test results in the mail and EVERYTHING WAS NORMAL!!!:cool1: :yay: :woohoo: Including the Echo which should mean that I don't have the heart problem that my dad has :cool1: :yay: :woohoo: That was SUCH a relief!! The only thing that was off any at all was my blood sugar was 102 and it said the normal range was like to 95 or something. So it was just a tad elevated, but the doctor didn't mark it at all. I know for sure that I need to be carefull about my sugar since I'm overweight and my mom is diabetic. That is part of the plan though.

ok, just thought I should add that while it was on my mind.

[kmp1191]

hey Amber!
Sorry I haven't checked in in a while...as you know....life gets busy!
Regarding the Breast Cancer 3 day walk....the only reason I'm hesitant to do it is because of the fundraising part. I got all the information last year and was surprised about the $2200.00. They require a credit card number at registration because if you don't RAISE the money....you will pay it...or the difference that will bring your total to $2200. It's for a great cause, but I don't have $2200 to give to it.
If you can get the training in, and raise the money, I'd say go for it!!!
If you don't think you can get both of it done, then start smaller....sign up for a 5k run/walk....or a March of Dimes walk-a-thon....both of those are alot of fun, and not as stressful to prepare for....just my opinion.

Ok...have a great week and enjoy the house....you've earned it!!!

marie

[lindalinda]

Hi Amber! I'm sure you are having a great time in your house by now. Are you all unpacked yet ?(:lmao: I have been here in my "new" house for 10 years and I'm not unpacked yet!)

I'm sure it will be quicker than you think before that house is full of little Harry/Hermiones. Man I cant even believe mine is 15 already!

Oh and yes, even if you name your girl Angela or Brittany or Tiffany, I have decided she will be Hermione in your pregnancy journal. With cats named ravenclaw and hufflepuff I'm afraid you gave me no choice!:rotfl:

Stop in when things slow down a bit!

:hippie:

[Foxfiregrrl]

I walked/jogged for about a mile on monday. Then I walked about 1.75 miles yesterday. I get a lot more walking in at work also because it is a big building w/ 3 floors and I don't take the elevator. Also the Fax is Way across the building and up a flight of stairs. :cool1:

food - not too good. I had been doing average to poor, then tonight we ended up going to the chinese buffet w/ my parents:sad2: I didn't stuff to the point of feeling bad though :confused3 baby steps :rolleyes:

We have not been making any progress on the house during the week, but we will work a lot again this weekend. The kitchen is all unpacked and most of our books (which is A LOT! - we bought 3 new bookcases and still almost ran out of room!), but most everything else is in boxes... We have plenty of space now, but not enough shelves, etc to put everything in/on/under etc. We'll figure it all out though.

Hope everyone is doing well! I haven't been being very diligent about posting, but I still think about you guys a lot and am still trying not to get too far off course. I want to get back on track and I will. I am just wandering down a different path for the moment. I can see the right track through the trees though and I think they converge shortly. :thumbsup2

Take care and have a Great weekend!

[Foxfiregrrl]

Yesterday we didn't get ANY unpacking done! :sad2: We went to DH's mothers house and got this big cabinet that had all kind of stereo equipment in it. He kept some of the equipment and got some other junk that he had left over there. I thought we were getting an EMPTY cabinet that we could store stuff in, then he says he will probably put the stereo stuff and some other musical components in it instead :mad: I don't really care, but I was hoping we were obtaining more space, not more junk we don't need. It has been his all along, but we have never had room for it, so I guess I can't complain too much.

Then we went and bought some more shelves to put all of our games on. By the time we got home and put them together, we were both exhausted. So then we didn't do anything else.

Our plan for today is to unpack at least all the games and then work on laundry a bunch so that we can try to get our closet in some sort of decent shape.

Besides going up and down our stairs a billion times, I probably won't get any real exercise in.

I hope to try to start that exercise class at work this week. Last week I never could find them, but I finally talked to someone who is in the class. The only thing is that they run alot as part of the class and you know that I can't run for long periods yet. I figure I will go and just do my best and walk when I can't run and maybe this will help me build up to running more? I am a bit scared though.

food is getting better. hopefully I will be back on track in the next week or so. I really have to spend some time figuring out exactly what that track is though :confused3 I'm not on a plan and I haven't been counting calories, so it is hard to know when I am doing good and doing bad. I have to come up with an easy system though because my schedule has been a bit hectic lately. I will work on that this week.

k, that's enough. Have a great week!

[goldcupmom]

Glad the Dr. tests were all good, Amber.

Don't worry about unpacking, you have lots of time!

Have a good week this week!

[kmp1191]

Hope the unpacking is going well.
Don't worry so much about the excercise....watch what you're eating, and when things settle down, then get the workouts back in.

Save some boxes for me....hopefully I'll need them!
marie

[lindalinda]

Hi Amber! Just checking in! Hope everything is going well. Its probably great weather down there and you are planting flowers or something! Stop in and say hi when you get a chance.

:hippie:

[Foxfiregrrl]

Hi, guys. Sorry I've been slack at checking in lately. just been busy and lazy.

We had our Annual Cherry Blossom Festival over the last week and a half. I ate too much fair style food :rolleyes1 . I went to the street party on Saturday night. They had Little Big Town which is a really good up and coming country band. It was Really cool! :cool1: I drank some and sang and danced and hollered a lot! :thumbsup2 Apparently I exercised quite a bit cause I have LOADS of sore muscles yesterday and today. Arms, shoulders, sides of stomach :confused3 and calves :sad2: My sister came back to my house afterward and we drank some more and stayed up WAY too late. I spent all day Sunday just lounging around and recovering from it. :headache:

We also went and walked around the arts and crafts thing earlier in the day on Saturday. It was Really hot and crowded, but we had fun. I was pretty tired after that, but managed to save enough energy for the street party :thumbsup2

I haven't gotten back on track w/ my eating or my exercise. At this point I am just trying to not Gain weight while I'm off track. I think that April is looking like a decent time to start getting back on track.

This week is going to be pretty busy. It is the end of the month so work will be a touch hectic. Then DH has invited his mom and her boyfriend to dinner on Thursday, his friends are coming over Saturday, and then we are having his father and his wife out on Sunday for lunch :faint: We probably should have spread things out more, but there are various reasons why they all kind of needed to stay on those particular days. So it is what it is and we will get through. It will be fun I'm sure and work out fine.

Hope everyone is doing well!! I will try to get around to journals by Saturday if I haven't before then. Saturday, DH and the guys will mostly be ignoring me, so that should be good "me" time to do whatever I want :woohoo:

Have a great week!

[lindalinda]

Hope the visits are going well! You are gonna be exhausted by monday! :goodvibes

:hippie:

[goldcupmom]

Hope you're having a good weekend, Amber! Take it easy & ENJOY!!

Sometimes in life maintaining is all we need to do. Hang in there!

[Foxfiregrrl]

Hey, guys. It is like WAY LATE for me but yet here I am awake and at the computer. DH has friends over and they are playing computer games. My parents are out of town and therefore my sisters (who live with my parents) decided they had to have a "party" tonight. They told me to come and since I had nothing better to do I went. They had like 8 people total come over the course of a few hours. It was not much of a party, but we did some drinking anyway. :drinking1 :drinking1

I am getting ready to go to bed soon, but my cats are still outside and they don't stay out overnight. I cannot get them to come in though. :furious:

Anyway, we are starting a new month and really the second quarter of the year. I HAVE to get back on track!!! So, I have been thinking about what I am going to do to get started. I thought I would look back at my start of the year goals and they were:

Goal 1: exercise 5 days a week
Goal 2: take a multivitamin EVERYDAY!
Goal 3: try to get at least 25 grams of fiber daily
Goal 4: Go to the doctor for a full checkup by February 15th!
Goal 5: try to eat at least 2 servings of fruit and 3 servings of veggies daily
Goal 6: eat out MUCH less than in the past.
Goal 7: post my food, exercise, and general progress here at least every other day
Goal 8: Drink alcohol two or fewer days per week

So, they haven't been worked on in a while! I think they need modifying. I will keep 1, 2, 6, 7, & 8. I also will set a new goal of eating 1400 calories or less daily. So my new goals will be:

Goal 1: exercise 5 days a week - needs to be something besides walking, like Fittv classes and strength training.
Goal 2: take a multivitamin EVERYDAY! (I have been doing this most days lately :cool1: )
Goal 3: Eat 1400 calories or less daily and track that on Fitday.com, trying to get in at least 2 veggies and one fruit daily also!
Goal 4: eat out a maximum of once a week. It needs to be less, but we have been struggling with this lately.
Goal 5: post my food, exercise, and general progress here at least every other day - this should help me in staying on track - I need you guys to hold me accountable on this one and fuss when I stray!
Goal 6: Drink alcohol two or fewer days per week - Ok, this one has been WAY off lately. I Know I can do better and I don't really even benefit from drinking most of the time. I will do better !!!

K, I think if I actually stick with 1400 calories or less and work out even 4 days a week I should be able to lose some weight!! :yay: :yay: I have to do this and I have to do it NOW!!

I have not discussed it with DH, but I am thinking that we will wait until around October to start trying to get pregnant at this point. There are several reasons for that. We ended up putting more money down on the house than we intended to and will need to recoup some of our savings. I just started my new position and I feel that I will need at least 3 or 4 months to feel somewhat situated. AND I still would like to try to lose another 20 pounds!!

So I need to get on track and stay there so that I can get on with Baby Making!! Remind me of that if I don't get my tush into gear ok.

I did go up and down my stairs a LOT today and walked to my parents house and back for the "party" tonight. Something is better than nothing. :thumbsup2

K, enough drunken rambling for one night! See ya'll later! Have a great weekend and I'll let you know how it goes!

[Foxfiregrrl]

Well, I had this nice long post typed up and then our power went out and erased the whole thing !!! :furious: :furious:
Anyway, this is gonna be much shorter cause I don't want to retype the whole thing.

We had a nice lunch with DH's dad and his wife. We had pork roast w/ potatoes & carrots, rice, greens (that I don't eat), and rolls. DH and I had that again for dinner. I had a lot of sweet tea today too. I put it all in Fitday and realized that I had 1820 calories today! :eek: :scared1: A lot of the overkill was from the sweet tea! I will have to cut my tea consumption back. Today I had more than usual, but it still adds up fast even when I just have a glass or two.

Exercise today was a nice stroll w/ dh after his dad left. We walked about a mile and I didn't count how long we took. It wasn't super calorie or fat burning, but it was getting our tushes off of the couch. Something is better than nothing.

Gonna try to get in some good exercise this week!! My knee has been hurting the last few days and I think it is from driving for 6 hours on Wednesday. Hopefully it will get back to normal soon! In the meantime I will be sure to keep my exercise low impact.

Have a great week and see you guys in a couple of days!! :hippie:

[lindalinda]

Good job getting started posting again! Ditch the sweet tea and you'll be doing fine. Everything sounded great. When I get back from vacation, I'll catch up too. All your goals sound great. Does fitday.com tell you how many calories, etc. are in your servings? Thats what mine does on nutrisystem. Very handy.

Have a good day!

:hippie:

[Foxfiregrrl]

I am off track today cause I had to go out of town unexpectedly. I didn't eat very good, but I did manage to stay away from the sweet tea.

I will post details tomorrow, but it has been a long day. I gotta get a shower and try to relax a bit.

have a good nite.

[kmp1191]

SWEET TEA CHALLENGE TIME!!!!!

If I can do it, YOU can do it!!
Are ya in? Don't be scared...you can do it!! We have faith in ya!! Com'on girl...are ya in..huh?

:cheer2: :cheer2: :cheer2: :cheer2: :cheer2: :cheer2: :cheer2:
marie

[Foxfiregrrl]

Ok, Marie... I'm in. How long do I have to go without? I had already actually determined that for at least a week I will not have any sweet tea or coffee (cause I put too much sugar in it). I did ok monday, but Tuesday I was out of town and caved in on the coffee. I have had nothing but water today :cool1: although I was counting calories to see if I could squeeze in some wine :thumbsup2

Well, my mom's uncle died on Saturday and they had the viewing and funeral on Sunday. He was cremated (sp?) though so they had the graveside service on Tuesday. Well my mom was in Florida over the weekend so she wasn't able to go to the main services, but wanted to go to the graveside. I went with her and we drove up to North Georgia Monday night. We stayed until about 2:30 pm Tuesday and then came home. I was glad we were able to go. He had been on hospice for a bit and we went to visit about a month or so ago.

So, Monday I think I managed to stay on track food wise I had:
B- Kashi w/ milk
L- chicken sandwich, salad w/ nut & raisin mix
D- pork roast, potato, carrot, bread
S- stuffed breadstick from the convienience store ( I did good on this cause I REALLY wanted a sugar filled cappacino or some snack cakey type thing)
NO Coffee, NO tea, No soda, Only water

Tuesday was not a good food day and my stomach began punishing me as soon as breakfast was over :sad2:

B- 2 biscuits with gravy, 2 pieces of bacon, 1 egg, 2 cups of coffee w/ 1 tsp of sugar each (that is a little better than usual) --- OK, so I know biscuits and gravy is definitely a NONO when dieting, BUT... My mom's cousin has been making it for her dad for breakfast every morning for the last 3 months and she wanted to make it AND my mom and I have a SERIOUS weakness for biscuits and gravy :love: -- But my stomach started hurting right after that and didn't stop hurting until about 2pm :confused3 :rolleyes:

Breakfast was so filling that mom and I didn't really eat lunch. Before we hit the road though I did cave (again) and have a small piece of red velvet cake. Then we ended up getting dinner out about 4:30 on our way home. I had parmesan crusted chicken w/ pasta and marinara sauce and one piece of bread. I ate half and brought the other half home. NO SWEAT TEA!!!

I did come home and have a snack of chocolate graham cracker & peanut butter. So I didn't do too good yesterday :sad2:

Today so far:
B- kashi w/ milk
L- leftover chicken and pasta from last night
D - is gonna be - broiled chicken, blackeyed peas, fried cornbread, and potato (I think)

I added it up and I could probably slip in a glass and a half of wine. I feel like I need it tonight. We'll see....

I didn't exercise today, but I did walk to my parents house and back and then up and down the stairs several times. I wouldn't count it for much though.

K, have a good night!

[Foxfiregrrl]

Ok. I did have my planned dinner for last night w/ the wine. It was nice and I still think I managed to stay w/in a good range for calories.

Today:
B- kashi
L- chicken sandwich, salad
S- 1 mini 3 musketeer bar, about 8 oz coffee w/ splenda and milk
D- spaghetti, dinner roll
Total calories = 1233! :cool1:

Ok, so by lunch time I couldn't stand being caffine free anymore!!! :eek: So I got some splenda and made myself a cup of coffee. I don't really like it too much but it was somewhat drinkable. I made a full 16 oz mug, but only drank about 8oz or less of it. I think when I start to allow sugar again I will do one pack of splenda and one teaspoon of sugar. I don't mind splenda if I can have some sugar with it, but it is very chemically without sugar. IMO.

So... I have Really SUCKED at getting exercise in this week. I am going to work on that I promise!! I HAVE to!!

I am kind of excited!! One of my OLD friends that I haven't seen in about 9 years is in town and we are gonna get together tomorrow night and hang out. DH is not the most keen on it cause he was a good friend of mine but I also had a big crush on him at one time. I have explained to DH that I only consider him a friend and I think he gets it. The thing is that DH has never met him and so it is kind of weird as a first time hang out. We will be getting together w/ another old friend that DH does know so hopefully it will go ok. We will go out to dinner and probably drink a good bit. Should be a fun night, my old friend always makes me laugh alot and has the most outlandish stories to tell. Needless to say though the calories will probably be BAD tomorrow.

Well, guess that's it for now. Have a great FRIDAY!! :cool1:

[Foxfiregrrl]

Oh, yeah.... NO SWEAT TEA!!! :cool1: :cool1:

[lindalinda]

Oh, yeah.... NO SWEAT TEA!!! :cool1: :cool1:

yuck! you dont have to go so far! Just no sugar in the tea.....

keep up the good work, and have lots of fun with your old friend!

:hippie:

[Foxfiregrrl]

We had a good time! I think DH actually ended up liking him pretty well. It was my old friend, Bobby, (who I haven't seen in 9 years) and another old friend, Ken, who lives here, and then Ken's girlfriend. We went out for mexican. I had a 22 oz margarita. The lady brought it and I was saying how super sweet it tasted and that it didn't taste very strong. Well, I was telling that to my tablemates but the waitress must have heard me. She said, is it not strong enough, so I said not really. She came back w/ at least a shot and a half in this Big shot glass to add to my drink!! :woohoo: AND she didn't charge us for it! :thumbsup2 We had a good time and talked a lot. I had them meet us here at our house so I could show it off :smooth: They are getting together again tonight cause it is Bobby's birthday, but I don't know if we will go cause DH had a Really rough week at work and wants to just relax. I kind of want to relax, but I also don't want to miss the opportunity to visit w/ Bobby cause he isn't here that often. We'll see.

So Friday's food was:
B - kashi, milk, coffee w/ splenda and milk
L- chicken sandwich and salad
D- chips, salsa, cheese dip, cheese quesadilla, burrito, rice & beans. GIANT Margarita. I didn't eat very many chips cause I was too busy talking and laughing, I only ate about half of my meal and I didn't bring it home for leftovers.
S- 1 more smaller margarita when we got home :drinking1
Totals - you don't want to know!! well... my calories were ok before the margaritas were added in.... I was at 1380, but the margaritas were the kicker. I add it up as being about 1100 calories!! :scared: :faint: now I know why I don't really drink margaritas much any more!

Exercise: none unless you count laughing a Whole lot! They do say that laughing is good for you :thumbsup2

Today we got up late and went for lunch. I had a chicken bacon ranch wrap and we split a bowl of chicken corn chowder. I meant to have water, but I wasn't paying attention and DH ordered us sodas out of habit. I had Sprite but tried not to drink too much of it. I am drinking coffee now. I bought some sugar free hazelnut creamer and used my splenda. I really don't like the bitter chemical taste though, so I broke down and added about a quarter of a teaspoon of sugar. It is amazing what that little bit of sugar does to help the flavor! It is still a little weird, but liveable.

I would like to try to get some exercise in today, but I won't promise anything. DH & I have been so busy lately and always working or cleaning or having company, so today I am kind of looking forward to taking it easy. I may go for a walk in a bit though.

Well, Hope everybody has a GREAT Easter!!

[Foxfiregrrl]

ok, Been real busy at work so far this week!

Easter was fun but bad for the diet, no sweet tea, but WAY too many calories

Monday was pretty good and I think I stayed under 1400 calories maybe even under 1200

Tuesday BAD VERY BAD. we should probably count 3000 calories for that day at least.

Today so far has been very hectic, but good food wise.

gotta go, will update more soon.

[Foxfiregrrl]

Ok, so yesterday was DH & my 5th wedding anniversary! We have been together for 9 years and married for 5 :love: and we still like each other :thumbsup2

We have been kind of celebrating off and on all week. We went out for dinner 3 times :rolleyes1 Last night we went out for dinner and drinks, then went to see "Into the Woods" at the local theatre. It was a very nice night.

Today we shopped all over town just looking for deals on any of the items we still want to buy for the house. We ended up getting a computer desk and desk chair for me. I have been in need of a new desk and chair for several years now, but we have just put it off for long enough.

I have not been on my plan very well this week, but I will get back on track tomorrow.

BTW, the fall dining plan came out and now I am going bonkers cause I want to go back to Disney SO BAD!!! I spent some time today w/ DH going over all the things we still want to get for the house this year and looking at our budget. I think we could swing it and still keep our bank balance where it is now. That would not be really good in our way of budgeting though, because the savings account should increase during the year not stay the same or drop. BUT, if we are really good and don't eat out as much :rotfl2: :lmao: then we could do it and still save money.... HMM.... gonna try to work on that. Maybe the promise of Disney and all that YUMMY Disney food would be enough to keep me from eating out as often.... We'll see... :rolleyes1

Have a good weekend!

[Foxfiregrrl]

Ok. I am back on track as of yesterday.

We ate at my grandma's for lunch so I'm sure it wasn't the healthiest but I tried to keep my portions in line. We had a sausage casserole, butter beans, and black eyed peas. I also had one oatmeal and apple cookie (I think she used splenda in it).

For dinner I made chili and had crackers with it. I had a glass of wine and some velveeta w/ chili & chips for a snack later. I think I may have been a little high on the calories, but I was getting back on track... not totally on it ;)

I also did a workout from FitTv that was 45 minutes. It was cardio and strength training. The guy kept saying "we are working the butt and thighs now" I kept thinking "I don't feel anything". WELL, needless to say I definitely feel it today! :cool2: That's good though. I feel some in my arms & shoulders, but mostly my butt!

Today:
B- kashi w/ milk, coffee w/ splenda & 1 teaspoon sugar ( I'm trying, but I can't quite go sugarless :guilty: )
L- chicken sandwich, 1/2 a can of vegetable soup
S- couple of pieces of Easter candy from work :sad2:
D- leftover curry
Total = about 1000 :cool1: I will be honest and say it is possible that I will have a light snack later, but I will try not to

Exercise today - 3 times walking around the lake with DH. We didn't walk super fast and it probably wasn't quite a mile, BUT it was something. ( our new route to get to the lake takes some walking, which is why I'm not sure what our distance is anymore. I think 3 laps + getting there and back is probably pretty close to a mile, but not sure)

AND I haven't had even a sip of sweet tea in 15 days!! :cool1: :cool1: :woohoo: To be honest I don't miss it that much. I occasionally want it, but not too much! This is good!!

Also, I thought that I should actually weigh in again. Early in March when we got my new scale I weighed in at 190.8 and I haven't recorded a weigh in since then. Mostly because I have weighed myself a lot since then and it seems to always be all over the place. One day I'm down 4 or 5lbs, then the next I'm up 3 or 4lbs :confused3 But I know that I weighed myself at about 5:30pm that first time, so I figured I would weigh today and then record whatever it says. I think I might try to weigh in once a week or so at a particular time, so that I can start trying to notate my progress.
SO today's weight was: 185.6 !! That's 5.2 lbs!!:woohoo: I think that is pretty darn good considering I haven't really been staying on track too well!! :cool1: :woohoo: Now, just imagine if I actually did all the things that I said I was gonna do :thumbsup2

Ok, well, I'm gonna go veg a bit! Have a great week!!

[kmp1191]

CONGRATS ON #1 - NO SWEET TEA FOR 15 DAYS
#2 - 5.2 POUNDS GONE!!!

:cool1: :thumbsup2 :woohoo: :yay: :dance3: :banana:

Good job girl!! Have a great week!!
marie

[lindalinda]

Hi Amber. Just checking in to say hi! Hows it going? I posted a link on my thread to my trip report if you want to take a peek. Its not done yet but part of it is there.

Congrats on your weight loss. That exercise tape sounds hard. I really want to add in some weight training but I keep putting it off. I know I need to, let me know how you are doing with it.

Hope youre having a great weekend!

:hippie:

[Foxfiregrrl]

Hey, guys! Thanks for checking in. I will make it over to your journals today. I promise! DH has his friends here today to game, so I will most likely be goofing off on the puter most of the day.

Wow, I didn't realize I hadn't posted most of the week.

I did exercise on Tuesday - I was still pretty sore from Sunday's work out. I started with a dance style workout that sounded similar to belly dancing. It was SO boring though and lame. So I quit doing it and did all but the heavy butt portion of the body sculpt show. I would say it was around 30-40 minutes total.
:cool1: So I exercised 3 days in a row. :woohoo:

THEN... I haven't exercised since then... baby steps. I am gonna try to do some today though.

Eating.. I haven't been tracking it all that well, but I have been eating mostly good. We ate out twice though, so I'm sure those days weren't as good. Today we are making bratwurst, potato salad, mac n cheese, and smores bars for DH's friends. So... it will be a VERY high calorie day. :sad2:

I haven't had any tea! :cool1: I did buy a 12 pack of coke zero today. I have decided it is pretty good. AND it will be a good way to drink my vanilla vodka without totally blowing my calorie budget for the day! (on normal days when it isn't already blown!)

Linda, the exercise that I have been doing is off the tv channel FitTV. I don't know if you get it where you are. It is part of one of the addon packages that we got when we signed up for our cable. The whole package was only $4 per month, so I think it is worth it. Anyway, we have DVR now, so I have been just going through and recording anything that looks good. Then I watch them and determine if I want to try them. I have a couple of yoga ones that I want to try soon. I am enjoying having some variety.

Well, guess that is enough for now. The guys are here and it is getting a bit LOUD. Geez, who needs kids when you have grown children :rolleyes1

Have a GREAT WEEKEND!!

[Foxfiregrrl]

Ok, So I didn't actually exercise today :sad2: But I did go up and down my stairs like 50 million times!

I cooked mac n cheese, potato salad, pork n beans (from a can), and smores bars for dinner. Dh grilled brats. It was a yummy dinner and some of the guys Raved on and on about my potato salad. I am not really sure why cause it is VERY basic and nothing special, but whatever makes them happy. I ate more than I should have.

I have been drinking vanilla vodka and coke zero since Way too early. I have been rather slow at it though. One of the guys bought some Jagermeister and we did one shot of that. I really thought we would do more heavy drinking, but it is probably good we haven't :faint:

I spent most of the afternoon prepping for dinner. Then DH's best friend's wife and their 2 kids came out. thing is that the BF, S, knew she was coming and bringing stuff, but he didn't bother to tell anyone. So we finished cooking dinner, ate, and were done before she showed up. So, in walks L (the wife) with hamburgers, hotdogs, chips, dip, salsa, chips, ice cream, etc. (I have NO idea why she felt the need to bring all this either... she always does that even when we tell her we have it covered) Thing is the coals were mostly not cooking worthy by then. I apologized and told her that I didn't know she was coming. (It is really weird, almost as if S intentionally screws these things up? :confused3 I don't know, maybe he is just a guy :sad2: ) We put a couple of hotdogs on for the kids and they ate. We chatted a bit while the guys did their thing. She is a strange one and I am trying. This was not a real good time though cause there was just too much going on. I think that she seems to be doing much better than in the past. (those of you who have been with me awhile know this is a VERY strained relationship) I want to have their family and another family that we know w/ 2 kids over for a cook out. I think we need to have fewer people at the house so that we can concentrate on them better. (I think I struggle w/ female relationships for some reason... I do well w/ the guys, but girls are just hard for me.. You guys are great, cause you don't expect too much and if I disappear for a bit you forgive me... I have to figure out how to make this work in "real" life :confused3 )

She did volunteer to help me put together a housewarming party though. That could be cool.....I think. I have no idea how to go about that. Any advice would be GREATLY appreciated.

Anyway, She didn't stay more than an hour. Then I was back to hanging in the presence of the guys ( I can't say w/ because they generally ignore me once the game begins). I had just settled in to goof off on the puter, when my sis called and said she was coming over.

We hung out for a good long time. She helped me partially unpack a few boxes and mostly make a mess. Then we played a couple of old school board games... LIFE and Careers. I enjoy hanging out with her. She is my youngest sister and is 6 years younger. It is weird cause I can spend time with her MUCH easier than w/ my other sister who is 4 years younger than me. She is more mature and I guess more like me. I kind of look up to her. She is so outgoing and kind of wild, in a good way, that I wish at times that I was more like her.

Then she left and it is back to me and the boys (and one girlfriend of one of the guys). They are all playing. I have enjoyed having unlimited 'puter time. I don't have work Monday, so it isn't too bad to be up so late.

I am going to try to get some good exercise in tomorrow and Monday. I also have to get back on track foodwise. I will weigh in on Monday, for better or worse :scared:

OK, I know I have rambled a good bit... Sorry. That will be it for now. :hippie: Love Ya's!! :grouphug:

[lindalinda]

I know what you mean about hanging out with the guys. I have trouble with hanging out with the "wives". Not necessarily women, I have women friends, but for some reason, when its like my co-workers "wives" I have trouble. I work with mostly men and am just used to hanging out and goofing off with them. None of that "polite" conversation.

I remember too, when I first would go to my exes family. I found it really weird. It was like segregated. The women were all supposed to go in the kitchen and cook and talk, and the men were all in the family room talking. I would keep wandering off to talk to the men, and think they thought I was strange!:rotfl:

I think its great that you are friends with your sister. Both mine live far away and I hardly get to see them (once or twice a year) My baby brother whos my fave is far away too. My sibling thats sort of nearby is the one I dont like much. What a horrible thing to say huh? :scared1: :lmao: True tho.

Anyway, sounds like you had a fun weekend.

Whats vanilla vodka?


:hippie:

[kmp1191]

I understand about the guy thing too. 2 of my best friends are guys! My DH knows them both and likes them both too! Best of both worlds! I don't feel like i have to put on "airs" around them. Most of the women I've met here (in memphis) are kinda standoffish...snitty....I just don't deal with that well. (That's one of the reason's I want to move so bad!)

Anyway, enjoy hangin with the guys!
Sounds like you had a good time!

marie

[Foxfiregrrl]

Hey, guys... hopefully I'll post more later. BUT I have to go away to training for two days. It is two hours away, so I'm about to leave. If they have wifi in the hotel, I'll log on and update on how things are going. If not it will be saturday before I'm back. I just didn't want to fall of the planet and leave ya hanging ;)

[lindalinda]

Have fun at your training Amber! I hope its at a good place where you can find something to do on your off time.


Have a nice week:goodvibes

:hippie:

[Foxfiregrrl]

Well, they had WiFi, at the hotel but I wasn't able to get it to work. :confused3 Oh, well.

Thanks for the input about hanging w/ the guys. I used to have female friends in high school, but I just have always been more comfortable w/ guys instead. At this point, I just don't have any female friends of my own that I hang out with. I have "work buddies" but no one outside of work (besides my sis). I think the current big issue is that I struggle to get along w/ other wives (like Linda said). Not really sure why :confused3 maybe cause I don't get to choose them :rotfl: and in most cases would not have picked them for the husbands they are with :rolleyes: . My biggest struggle is that I don't really click w/ DH's BF's wife and they have been BF's forever and will continue, so it would be nice if we clicked better. But we don't really have anything in common except our husbands. :confused3 Dh's other bf (since high school) is married and they have 2 kids. I have nothing in common w/ her either, but for whatever reason we click a lot better :confused3 Still don't really hang out w/out the men, but at least we can find things to chat about when we are together :thumbsup2

Training was ok. We were in Columbus which is where I was for one of the other trainings I went to. It is ok, but nothing special. I considered going to the museum yesterday, but it was kind of rainy and yucky. So, I just got some dinner (and a Big glass of wine :rolleyes1 Yes, I know I'm a lush :drinking1 ) and went back to the hotel.

So... about the diet & exercise for the week:scared: :

I weighed myself on Monday and I was up 1.2 pounds. BLAH ! I absolutely deserved that though because I ate VERY badly over the weekend.

My food has been pretty bad as you probably can imagine since I am out of town. Plus TOM hit Tuesday (which could also explain the weight gain) and I have felt like doing nothing but Pigging out! I have really struggled w/ that urge this month and it has been winning unfortunately. I'm not really stressed either which makes it even worse(that I can't control myself):sad2: . I was kinda proud of myself at lunch today though, because even though I ate bad, I didn't get the brownie that I really wanted! I was just determined that I was getting that brownie then when I was finished I just decided I wouldn't and I left. :cool1: Yay! It was a baby step, but something.:upsidedow

I excersised on Monday to a different routine. It was about 50 minutes. I liked it for the most part, but my right shoulder was very sore for a couple days afterwards. Then my left shoulder decided to hurt also. I did not get any more exercise in until last night. I did 2 miles on the treadmill in the hotel.

So, overall, not a great week. Hopefully I maybe stayed the same instead of gaining. :wizard: (closest to crossing fingers I could find)

I have no idea what the real plan is for the weekend. I know that one of DH's friends wants to earn some money, so he is going to come clean all the leftover construction trash out of our yard :cool1: :woohoo: I was beginning to think we would have to do it ourselves. :eek: It isn't that bad, but something I would rather pay someone for than do myself. I figure we will work on the inside, boxes, etc while he is here working outside. So, we will probably be kind of busy tomorrow and hopefully get a lot done.

Well, see ya'll in a day or two! :flower1:

[kimwim8]

Hey Amber! Long time, no post from me, huh? :confused3 :rolleyes1

Sounds to me like you're doing great, even with traveling!! One pound gain (along with TOM) sounds wonderful!! :laughing:

Hang in there, girl. And I hope to be better with keeping up with journals in the future!

[Foxfiregrrl]

K, today I got up and did a 30 minute "total body sculpt w/ Gilad" routine from Fitday. I like these and find myself gravitating toward Gilad's routines. I also enjoy the variety from Fitday. I am going to try to at least do one routine 4 or 5 times a week.

Food was:
L- chicken sandwich, mac-n-cheese, baked beans (still working on leftovers)
S?- 2 glasses of wine while prepping dinner
D- sausage and veggie soup - It was SO yummy!! and, I haven't calculated it but I think it was pretty healthy!
S - so far.... one vanilla vodka w/ coke Zero... not sure what is to come :thumbsup2 :drinking1


Vanilla vodka is just vanilla flavored vodka... they have it in most brands of vodka now... I usually use Smirnoff. I don't really like the Absolut version.

Dh & I have really gotten into trying different wines lately. We even started a wine book that we are putting the labels in and descriptions of the wines w/ what we did and didn't like about them. We like sweeter wines. My mother in law brought us a Riesling about a month ago and we REALLY liked it. The wine we had tonight was also a Riesling (but a different brand) and we LOVED it! The bottle was gone and we were wishing we could go get another :) The wine I had at dinner Thursday was a Riesling also. It was pretty good, but this one was Way better.

Anyway, we got some housework done today. We had one room full of boxes of clothes that have been packed away for a Long time. We went through them and divided them into wash piles. Most of them are clothes that we would wear if they are out where we can get to them. Some of them are things we should probably get rid of, but they are classic or sentimental in some way. I know that sounds weird, but like I have several outfits from when I was on the flag corp in high school. I just Cannot part with them. Then Dh has Lots of old band tshirts that he refuses to get rid of. That is ok for now. We have the closet space since we don't have kids yet. Once we do though, we will pair it down some.

For now though, we have like 20 loads of laundry to do, which includes towels and placemats, etc too. :faint: We did some work in the other "junk" room that is full of misc. boxes. We still have a good bit to do, but I feel like we made some progress.

We were mid cleaning, with everything splayed out all over the place, when my sis showed up w/ several friends (most of who I've never met before). They wanted boxes so that they could go slide down hills on them :confused3 of course we had plenty to give them. To be honest, I was kind of jealous that I had work to do cause I wanted to go slide down hills too! We finished the work we were going to do and I put my shoes on to go try to join them... But, they were coming back and said they were done :sad1: Oh, well, I probably would have found some way to hurt myself :crazy: My sister is a little nuts, but she has fun at least. Then they went out in the canoe on the lake, but I wasn't about to do that and end up in the lake. :snooty:

Well, guess that is all the excitement for one day! :cool2: Gonna go chill now. Have a Wonderful night! Until next time! :hippie:

BTW, my cat just brought a teeny tiny, very squeaky, baby mouse in the house and is having quite a bit of fun playing w/ it :sad2: The guy that came to clean our yard today said we have a nest in the woodpile out back. I guarantee given time Raven (the cat) will get them all :thumbsup2 Long as it's not snakes, I'm cool.

Oh, on that note, he also found a turtle trying to build it's nest in our yard ::yes:: We've got loads of nature 'round here. I carried her over to the lake and hopefully she will stay over there and not in my yard.

[lindalinda]

Hey Amber. I keep meaning to try and find that fitness channel but I keep forgetting. I probably have it, I have lots of channels. I think dvring it would be handy. You are doing great trying the different exercise routines like that.

Hope you got those 20 loads of laundry done!

:hippie:

[Foxfiregrrl]

Well, several loads of laundry down... Way too many more to do :laundy: :faint:

Yesterday -
L- tuna salad sandwich, baked beans
D- lemon pepper chicken, black eyed peas, cream corn, corn bread
S- 2 glasses of wine, ben & jerry's ice cream, chips and cheese dip :sad2: :sad2: I don't know what got into me !?! :confused3 :guilty: I had done pretty well. I really think I had not gotten enough calories throughout the day and just ended up bingeing.
Total calories= 1652

Exercise - 45 minute belly dancing routine from Fitday (it was an hour, but there are comercials and I fast forward through them). I Really enjoyed the belly dancing, but some of the moves are kind of difficult to do, like the rolling your belly :confused3 I think you actually have to Have ab muscles to do that one..:rolleyes1 maybe in time.
Later in the day, I got out my PS2 and played Dance Dance Revolution for at least 20 minutes. It has a pad that you put on the floor and you have to step on the arrows along w/ the music. There is even a workout mode on it. I started out and played for a few songs, then did the workout mode. I told it I wanted to burn 150 calories. That was kind of fun, but I had already showered and Really didn't want to sweat again. Note to self - DDR comes pre-shower from now on. :thumbsup2
Total calories burned=392

We went to the store and bought shower curtains and accesories for our two "spare" bathrooms and put them in place. So two bathrooms are done, the other one needs its towel bar & toilet paper holder installed. We are making progress, slowly but surely.

Today -

Today I had training, but in town this time. I got out early which is good, but they always have candy sitting in front of me which is bad.

Food today:
B- kashi w/ soy
S- 1 small Reese's cup and 1 fun sized butterfinger
L- 4-alarm chicken sandwich, baked potato w/ butter and sour cream (from Wendy's)
D- shepard's pie
Total = 1832

Exercise - 45 minute total body sculpt, then 15 minute break, followed by Latin & African dancing routine for 60 minutes (this one ended up longer cause I kept rewinding to try some of the moves again). :yay: I really liked this one! I like to dance, so I think the dancing ones are going to help keep me interested. Oh, I also walked during one of my breaks during the day :woohoo:
Total burned = 900 :cool1:

Ok, so... I had good intentions while waiting in line at Wendy's. I was gonna get the GRILLED chicken sandwich w/ the potato.... But while I was waiting I remembered that they have the 4 alarm and it is really spicy and yummy. I figure it is going to be a limited time item, so I CAVED and got it :guilty: I also was trying to avoid the candy, but they kept calling out to me "Eat me, eat me" so I did.

Then after lunch I started adding up my guesstimated calories and realized that I was WAY over for today(BTW, it didn't turn out to be quite as high as I had estimated, but high enough still). So then I started figuring out how much exercise I would need to do to make up for it.... SO... that is why I did two videos tonight. :cool1: It wasn't too bad, because I had the extra time, but not exactly something I can do every day.

SO.. I have two goals for this week:
1. Think about calories before putting food in my mouth! Then determine if it is worth the extra exercise to eat it.... THEN if I do go over my calories, I will exercise extra in order to make up for it. I am saying that 1 minute = 5 calories.
I haven't yet worked out the details of how many minutes I will normally workout (before over indulgence). I want to aim for 45 minutes daily!

2. I know that I have been Way over indulging in the alcohol lately... So, I will not drink any alcohol for 7 days, starting today. :scared1: This one is gonna be hard. :sad2: I know that the fact that it is going to be hard could be a bad thing in and of it's self... but we aren't going there today.

On the second goal, I am actually going to try to refrain from drinking anything except water and my morning coffee. I am going to the Renaissance Festival this weekend though so I may sneak a soda in on that day, not sure.

As far as my Net calorie intake... What do you guys think a good number is? I was thinking that 1100 seems somewhat reasonable for me to start with. I have been trying to stay under 1400 calories eaten per day, then if I exercise for between 45 & 60 minutes at decent intensity then I should burn about 300-400 calories. I think that is going to be my goal for now... BUT I would Love to have some input from you guys about if you think that is reasonable :confused3 Just as a reminder.. I am 5'9" and 187lbs.

Oh, yeah, that brings me to my weigh in for today. I think I may need to reweigh tomorrow because I did my workout first and I have heard that will mess it up. SO... I am up AGAIN to 187!! That is only up .2 from last week, but I was so hoping that at least some of last week was TOM! But the reason I think I need to redo it is that it also measures my body fat ratio and ever since I've had it I have been at 37% body fat :scared1: :faint: but today all of the sudden it said I was at 35% AND as much as I'd like for that to be true, I don't think I dropped 2% body fat in like a week :scratchin I would be ok w/ going up in weight a touch if it means that I'm gaining muscle, but I just don't think that is entirely acurate. Oh, well... if I remember I will weigh tomorrow before working out just to see.

K, nuff rambling for tonight! Have a Wonderful evening!! :goodvibes

[Foxfiregrrl]

Also for May, I'm not going to join the exercise challenge, but I am going to go for 900 minutes! :woohoo: :cheer2: :cheer2: :cheer2: I CAN DO IT!! :cheer2: :cheer2:

You guys keep me accountable on this one and my other two new goals, PLEASE!

[lindalinda]

Amber, I just want to say your exercise rocks! I know you have been dissapointed in your calories, but you have really been kicking A on the exercise. It sounds to me like a net of 1100 cals would be fine, as long as you are exercising. I think that is low if that is your total cals tho. You are really tall. I am jealous of tall people, I am a munchin myself.

Good luck on the exercise challenge. I am sticking to the mileage challenge, and doing 25 next month. I am trying baby steps for awhile.

You are also logging your food, which is awesome too. :cool1:

Have a great week Amber!

:hippie:

[Foxfiregrrl]

Thanks, Linda! I wasn't sure how I wanted to do my exercise challenge. I considered just saying how many days that I would exercise, but that hasn't been working for me. I think you guys are doing excellent on the mileage challenge, but I just haven't been doing any walking/running lately. I figure that 900 minutes should be doable for me and hopefully keep me motivated.

It has taken me awhile to really get back into the swing of things. I feel like I am on a roll right now and I want to try to keep this momentum! :cool1: I don't want to go too low on calories and end up bingeing at night, but I am ready to SEE some Results!! :cool1: :yay: I think most days when I control myself I come in right at 1400 calories eaten... so I should be able to stick with that. My main thing is getting off my tush and exercising.

I'm on a long lunch break from training today! :woohoo: If only I could work this kind of schedule everyday! We are probably getting out at 3:30 again today, so I am going to try to do another 90 minutes or so today!! Amazingly, I am not particularly sore today :woohoo:

So far:
B- Kashi w/ soy, coffee w/ 1teaspoon sugar & splenda (some days I forget to log this :rolleyes1 )
L- banana, chicken sandwich, baked beans (trying to get full so I can continue to resist the chocolate!)

Exercise - 10 minutes walking during break :cool1:

Oh, Yeah, I am not holding him to it but i tried to make a deal w/ DH that if I could lose 30 pounds by september, that he would take me to Disney for Free Dining. He hasn't said no, but our main obstacle to going back to Disney is that it was the last big vacation we did. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but we have these GIANT goals of seeing the World that really mean we should go to different places as much as possible. That is really my goal, btw, but for some reason:confused3 :thumbsup2 I am Really stuck on Disney lately.... I can't imagine why? ;) So, the cut off for free dining is like June 23rd... So, just in case he says we could go, I want to bust a move and have made some weight loss progress :cool2: It's good motivation anyway!

Hope ya'll are having a great day!! :sunny:

May Minutes: 10/900

[Foxfiregrrl]

Ok, so the rest of my food for today:
S- fun size Snicker bar
D- veggie & sausage soup, french bread
Total calories: 1313 :cool1:

Exercise - I did Bodies in Motion by Gilad & In Shape w/ Sharon Mann. It was a total of 50 minutes
So, total today was 60 minutes! :woohoo:

Had the idea to do more earlier today, but after lunch my neck started to hurt. I think I strained a muscle doing part of the African/Latino dance yesterday :headache: Oh well, it was this kind of wild swing your head move and I knew better! I will still do the workout, but I will have to remember to tone that move down a notch or two.

Gotta go, mom came over and interupted my DISing and now DH actually wants to watch TV with me :confused3 He usually would prefer his computer, but of course not tonight :rolleyes1
Good Night!

May Minutes: 60/900 !

[kmp1191]

30 pounds by September??? That's 5 pounds a month....
TOTALLY DO-ABLE!!! Stick with the 1100-1200 calories a day, and keep up the exercise....You're gonna rock this!!

Oh, and I have turtles too!! They are in a tank next to my computer. Pretty fun to watch the little idiots!! Vader & Princess. Vader is a MANLY MAN TURTLE....he also thinks if he keeps pushing against the glass wall that he may actually get out.....:confused3 men!!

Have a great day!!
marie

[Foxfiregrrl]

Ok, today was an off day because I had some distraction.... Last night my cats were outside and would not come in before we went to bed. We left the door cracked so that they could come back in, but this morning only Puff was in. I called for Raven and she didn't come. When I came home for lunch I called and called and called and she still didn't come. Now, just over a year ago, Pippen (our last cat) went out one night and never returned... so I was REALLY starting to panic! :sad1: Called DH and he said not to worry yet cause she has only been gone about 12 hours... well that didn't really help.

When I came home, she still wasn't back. I called a bunch more and then went looking for her. BTW, she does usually come when I call. After looking for her for about 15 minutes I finally found her! :cool1: I was SO excited! She was coming back from over by one of the lakes. She was panting really hard and seemed a bit disoriented. She let me pick her up but wouldn't let me carry her. At first she wouldn't come toward the house, but then she ran inside when I opened the front door. Once she drank some water and ate a bit she seemed better. I was SO relieved!! :love:

So, I had thought that if she didn't come home I was gonna end up breaking my No Alcohol Goal for this week:scared: But since she did I didn't. We did however go out to eat. I still have that emotional eating out thing :guilty: :rolleyes:

DH fussed at me and said that I can't always panic just cause my cat wandered off for a day. He was saying that cats do that and I can't worry until they have been gone at least 24 hours. BUT, I kept saying what if she was out their somewhere hurt or something. I know he is right to some extent, but Logic doesn't work on a worried heart.

So, food today:
B- kashi w/ soy, coffee
L- chicken sandwich, baked beans (they are gone now)
D- Mexican :scared: :faint: chips, salsa, two tacos, rice, beans, guacamole salad Unfortunately, I ate almost every bite too :sad2:
Total - 1763 :scared1:

Exercise - None... well walked a tiny bit, but too slow to count... Wish worrying counted..

I was already considering slacking on the exercise some today anyway because I've been really sore in my shoulders the last few days and just feeling pretty worn out. I thought that I would walk some, but not do any strength stuff or heavy duty cardio. I should have gone back out to walk after I got the cats situated, but it was SO hot today.

So... One bad day is not the end of the world! I will bounce back!! :cheer2: I can do this! I am going to do this!! :cheer2:

Tomorrow I have to eat well and exercise at least an hour! :cool1: I have said it now it must be done :wizard:

See ya'll later!

May Minutes: 60/900
My average calorie total (intake minus burned) for the last 5 days is 1247!

[Foxfiregrrl]

Yesterday was pretty busy. I worked late, then exercised, showered, then Dh & I went shopping, then had dinner, then finally settled in. That is a lot for me in one day.

I also failed my no alcohol challenge. Dh & I have been enjoying wines lately and he drank already one night by himself... Then last night he was wanting wine (part of the reason we went shopping) and I wanted to taste the new one we got also. I figure that I didn't stick with my plan, but one day really isn't that bad. :rolleyes1

So, not gonna list all food from yesterday, but I put it in Fitday. Total calories were 1529.

Exercise was 20 minutes of In Shape Total burned calories = 161
Net for day = 1368 Not the best... BUT I was proud of myself for exercising at all since I worked late and usually that means I opt out of the exercise. :cheer2:

Today:
B- kashi, soy, coffee
L- HC dinner, apple
D- grilled chicken salad w/ buffalo sauce and ranch dressing YUM
Total = 985
I can tell that I haven't had enough calories yet. I may end up snacking a little, but I will try to do good.
Didn't exercise today, got home a little late and had to clean the kitchen.

Tonight one of DH's friends is over and in the morning we (all 3 of us) will go to the Ren Fest :woohoo: Hopefully it won't rain on us :wizard:

May minutes: 80/900

Have a great weekend!! :goodvibes

[Foxfiregrrl]

Just gonna post my current measurements here for now. We measured and I don't want to lose them.

So:

right arm 14
left arm 14
chest 42
underbreast 34
waist 38
hips 44.5
right thigh 25
left thigh 23
right calf 16
left calf 16

I'll come back tomorrow and fill in my weekend. Have a great night!

[Foxfiregrrl]

Hello. didn't mean to be gone so long, just been busy.

Saturday - We had a great time at the Ren Fest and the weather was PERFECT!! I ate pretty badly, but we did walk for 6+ hours. I am counting 90 minutes for the challenge.

Sunday - Food was a little high cause we ate at my grandmas (we haven't been doing that much lately) + I had some wine :rolleyes1 . Exercise was 45 minutes of a core routine. Calorie total = 1778

Yesterday - Food was worse than I had thought it would be. I ended up grabbing Burger king for lunch cause I didn't have time for a lunch break. Dinner was chicken, peas, creamed corn, cornbread, and wine. Calorie total = 1853:scared1: I intended to exercise, but ended up walking to my mom's house. I was gonna use that as exercise, but my grandma ended up stopping me and then walking with me (have to walk past her house to get to mom's) and she walks SSSLLLOOOWWW. So can't really count any of that. :rolleyes:

Today - supervisor brought in donuts for our meeting today and I caved! then tummy was grumbly at lunch so I just had a can of minestrone. by 3pm I wasn't feeling too great, so I came home for the day. I did convince myself to try to do the mini step machine for a bit while watching TV. I did 15 minutes. Pretty good considering I wasn't feeling too great. I think some of it is lack of sleep. I keep getting awakened in the middle of the night by various noises (car alarms, sirens, 18 wheelers... don't ask:sad2: ) Needless to say the lack of sleep is getting to me. Dinner was leftover pork roast, corn, & mashed potatos. Oh and a small snack of baked chips. Calorie total = 1429 Not too bad considering the donuts. :confused3

K, gonna go veg now and get to bed EARLY tonight! See ya'll later!

May minutes: 230/900

[Foxfiregrrl]

Yesterday
B- kashi w/ soy
L- sandwich, applesauce
D- 2 pieces of pizza, sweet potato fries, 2 glasses of wine
Exercise - 45 minutes of "slowrobics" It turned out to be a pretty good workout, but it was too slow and kinda lame.

We went to the Capitol Theatre downtown. It is an old theater that they fixed up and they show second run movies for $4 and serve pizza, salads, popcorn, etc, and beer & wine. My sis works there and we really enjoy it. We had not been in awhile cause they were showing Crap movies. Last night we saw Reno 911 which is a really Stupid movie, but funny and a good style of movie for dinner and drinking while watching. You really don't want anything too deep ;)

Today
B- kashi w/ soy
L- two sandwichs, potato chips, sweet tea, small piece of cake
D- Giant burrito, chips and about a tablespoon of cheese dip
Exercise - 30 minutes.. started with workout on TV, then walked w/ DH round the lake.

Today was a BAD food day. For dinner, we haven't been to the grocery store in a week so we are out of stuff to eat :sad2: so we ended up getting california style burritos. At least this time I didn't get the sour cream and guacamole.

Lunch today was a pretty cool story. I haven't really talked much about my new position in my new county. I am Very happy there!! They are great and I really like my supervisor and all the administrative staff so far!! :love: I like my work w/ foster care also a LOT better than I liked doing CPS.

Well, aparently I am making a Really good impression in the new county. About a month ago I met our director because of one of my cases that was in court. I was in my nice suit for court and made a good impression (even though I didn't say more than 10 words :confused3 ). Our office is BIG, I would say there are 250 - 300 employees. I keep having to meet w/ the director on two of my cases that she is involved in and she is constantly telling people how great I am and how impressed she is. Also a couple of weeks ago I met a supervisor in another dept. that I had never heard of. She said "I have been hearing a lot about you" and said it was good things. I was like WOW, cause this place is too big for random people to have heard about me! :scared:

Anyway, today we were having a big meeting w/ the director (who is really laid back and cool .... WAY different than my last one!) and it was time for the birthday luncheon. Aparantly they do this once a month for the birthday's from the previous month. Well, she decided that we should all join her in the luncheon as her guests. There were about 4 or 5 of us in the meeting and all but me and another girl were supervisors or administrators. BTW, the other girl, C, transfered in the same day I did and the director had not met her before today. So we go into the lunch and eat. The director does this thing where she has everyone introduce themselves and say what they would do if they were director for the day. When she gets to me she says, "this is Amber, and it isn't her birthday. She is here as my guest." She said that I came from the other county and made a joke, cause it is best known for it's psych hospital, that they didn't lock me up long:rotfl: Then she skipped on to the next person. When it came C's turn, she didn't acknowledge that she was also a guest and just had her do what everyone else did. (all the sup's and admin's didn't come to the lunch) So, I felt kind of honored! Plus, afterward she was telling one of the lawyers we work with how wonderful I am and that I think like her (the director) and that she likes that I speak my mind!

Anyway, I know that was long, but it is really exciting to LOVE my work and to be noticed and supported by upper management already. Oh, yeah, also about a month ago, I had to write an email that my supervisor said was "nice nasty". It was on a Big case that the director and all administrators are involved in. It got sent around to a lot of the admin's and sup's and Several of them wrote to tell me what an excellent job I did in writing it and how well I put such touchy stuff :woohoo:

In the last county I was in I had thought that I would be doing good to survive the job long enough to have kids and then I would probably want to do something else. But here I see myself thinking about working up to supervisor and beyond! It will take awhile cause I know I need a good bit more experience, but I know I can do it, that was never the question. The difference is here I think I would Want to do it.

I could really go on and on. Like also my supervisor OFFERED me help last month because I MIGHT need it:faint: when at the other county I was BEGGING for help and my supervisor basically said suck it up and get over it! :mad:

Ok, enough on that. I am in a good place these days. I am doing pretty good on my exercise and being more consistant than I have been in a long time. I go back and forth on the eating, but overall doing ok. I feel good and am happy!! That makes a big difference in daily life!

I also think there is a HIGH possibility that we might go to Disney in September for Free dining :woohoo: :woohoo: But not 100% sure yet.

K, well gonna go now. Have a great Weekend!! :goodvibes

May Minutes: 305/900

[kmp1191]

Wow Amber!!! That's great about all the compliments at work!! It is a great feeling to be recognized for good work! Keep it up!!
Also keep up the good work on the exercise and food!!
You are doing great!!

marie

[ScoJo15]

Anyway, I know that was long, but it is really exciting to LOVE my work and to be noticed and supported by upper management already.

Ok, enough on that. I am in a good place these days. I am doing pretty good on my exercise and being more consistant than I have been in a long time. I go back and forth on the eating, but overall doing ok. I feel good and am happy!! That makes a big difference in daily life!

I also think there is a HIGH possibility that we might go to Disney in September for Free dining :woohoo: :woohoo: But not 100% sure yet.


Hi there! Just checking up on you and WOW!! Those statements are so awesome to be able to make...to love your job and be recognized, how few of us can say that! And you are feeling good and admittedly in a good place with eating and exercise...Way to go!!!

And I hope you guys get down to WDW to take advantage of the good eats and low crowds!

have a great evening...

[Foxfiregrrl]

I've got good news!!!!

WE'RE GOING TO DISNEY FOR FREE DINING!!!:woohoo: :woohoo: :cool1: :cool1: :dance3: :dance3: :dancer: :dancer: party:

Can you tell I'm excited!! We talked about it a lot Saturday and decided that night. I barely slept cause I was dying to get back to my computer and plan the trip!!

We decided to take DMIL as our big gift to her for the year (mother's day, Christmas, etc) cause she's never been. We wanted her to have a separate room but that was too much more so she will room with us. My parents had said they wanted to go if we went, so they will come also and have their own room. My youngest sis had said she wanted to go too, but when I told her she said she doesn't want to after all. She's trying to get to Germany this summer to see a friend. My middle sister may go though.

I called and made our ressie yesterday and have been TOTALLY engulfed in figuring out the dining reservations!! I have been reading the food porn thread and it is SUPER long!!

I may be scarce around here for the next week or so, but I'm trying to stay on track w/ my eating and exercise. Especially now that we are actually going!! I have a goal!!

Didn't exercise friday or saturday. Woke up yesterday and Really didn't feel like exercising, but I forced myself to. I did 30 minutes. None today cause DH was here when I got home and he was in clean up mode :rolleyes: I'll be honest and admit that I probably won't get any tomorrow either. Dh will get off early and I work late... then he wants to try to get the house in order... We go in spurts of working hard and then just not touching it:sad2:

Food yesterday was HORRIBLY BAD :guilty: Today was good though. kashi, milk, HC, apple, chili.

Have a good day, gotta get back to the food porn! :thumbsup2

May Minutes: 335/900

[lindalinda]

WOO-HOO...awesome Amber! Do you know where you are staying yet? I'm sure you will have a blast. Sept is pretty good too, not too horribly crowded. I agree, having a goal helps keep you focused, and the planning is fun!

Keep us posted!

:hippie:

[Foxfiregrrl]

just a quickie.

Food has been average to bad... mostly the ice cream at night has been bad, other than that eating fairly well. Also, haven't had any booze since Saturday :confused3 go figure.

No exercise this week yet, been too busy.

We are staying at POP Century, which is where we stayed last time. My dad's philosophy is that it is a waste of money to get expensive rooms when all you need is a bed and a shower. I grew up w/ at least one vacation a year in a family of 5 where we didn't have a lot of money... so that philosophy worked for me. I wouldn't mind splurging sometimes, but I would rather travel more often and spend less. DH lets me get away w/ that easier too. :thumbsup2

Made ADRs last night. We could not get LeCellier for lunch or dinner for our entire stay! I expected it to be difficult, so no biggie. Some of our times are good, others are a bit late, but we took what they had... I may try to tweak them some, but at least I have something on the books now.

Sat 22 Ohana's 9:20pm
Sun 23 Chefs de France 6:10pm
Mon 24 Boma 8:30pm
Tues25 Mama Melrose 6:10pm
Wed 26 Whispering Canyon 8:50pm
Thu 27 Coral Reef 7:50pm

I was SO excited that I couldn't go to sleep for like an hour last night!!
:woohoo: :yay:

Good news is that yesterday evening and this morning my weight was down! :woohoo: Not gonna say what number though... I do official weight in the morning for the September Poppers, so I'll post that weight! Hope it stays LOW!! :cheer2:

Have a great day!

[kmp1191]

YAY!! you're going to WDW!!!!! :banana: :banana:

I'm so jealous!!!
Have fun planning everything...I loved that part of it...then was amazed when some of it actually fell into place!!! (i've only been once)


marie

[Foxfiregrrl]

Marie, Sometime when your life calms down a bit...maybe a year or so from now..You guys should go back to Disney! I know it is hard to squeeze in w/ all the rest of life, but it is SO much fun! :dance3:


Ok, I have been Really not being good this week. I have not even attempted to exercise since Sunday. I had thought I might get time today, but worked til 6 and DH said his friends were coming around 6:30. Well, I jumped in the shower so I would be ready for dinner when they and Dh got here and guess what... none of them are here yet and Dh called to say he'll be late :rolleyes:

Food during the day has been fine, dinners half and half, but the snack fairy has Really been getting to me this week. Tonight we are going to Red Lobster, so not expecting to be very good there

BUT, by some MIRACLE, I'm down 3.4 pounds from my weigh in last Friday morning ( I weighed this morning, just haven't had the chance to log it) :woohoo: :cheer2: :cool1: I have NO idea how I pulled that one off!!:confused3 But I'll take it! So my new Friday weigh in weight is 181.4! :cool1:

You know it is probably time that I update my banner in my siggie! Should I update it to what I have lost (and kept off:thumbsup2 ) since starting in 1/06 or since starting this journal? What do you guys think?
I need to update the siggie anyway... all those challenges are from last year.

Well, hope everyone's having a Wonderful day and have a Wonderful weekend! I plan to "visit" this weekend! So, "see" ya 'round!

May Minutes: 335/900 I've got to do better!

[Foxfiregrrl]

Ok, so dinner last night was BEYOND bad. :sad2: not gonna think about it just gonna move on.

I got up and had some Kashi for breakfast. Then I called my mom and we went for a walk. We walked for 60 minutes, but we were chatting so I didn't count my laps. I felt good getting in some exercise!

DH, his friends, & I got subs for lunch. I got a 12" turkey breast sub and intended to eat only half and have a few baked ruffles w/ it. Well I ended up not getting to eat until 3pm (breakfast was 11am) so I was Really hungry. I ate the WHOLE thing and chips.:scared1: Weird thing is I don't feel over stuffed:confused3

Well, the rest of today I will most likely sit here at my computer and abosrb all things DIS :thumbsup2 Until I just can't sit at the puter anymore, then I'll probably veg on the couch upstairs. These game days are usually kind of like that for me, unless I plan an outing for myself.

Hope you all are enjoying your weekends!

May minutes: 395/900

[Foxfiregrrl]

got up and went for a walk this morning for 35 minutes.

Food:
b- kashi w/ milk
l- deer steak, butter beans, rice & gravy, green beans, salad, brocoli muffin:confused3 , 1 chocolate chip cookie
d- chicken curry over rice

k, that's it for now. gonna try to catch up on LOST some tonight.

May minutes: 430/900

[kmp1191]

Great job on the loss Amber!!! Keep up the walking and it will keep coming off!!!

[Foxfiregrrl]

so, yesterday I felt like crap so I didn't do any exercise and just laid around on the couch all afternoon. I think I am having alergies from the smoke that is coming up from the fires in south georgia. I don't normally have alergies but I have been really sneezy, nasally, watery eyed, etc lately.

food was:
b- kashi w/ milk
l - leftover Red lobster - shrimp pasta, popcorn shrimp, and a few fries, + apple
s- applesauce, graham cracker w/ peanut butter
d- beef stew
s? - 3 glasses of wine :cool2:

Today I worked late, but had told Dh yesterday that I wanted us to walk today, so we went for a walk when he got home. I didn't look to see how long we were out there, but I know we did at least a mile, I think more like 1.25 miles. I am gonna count 25 minutes, cause I know we weren't moving the fastest. I have been having some minor pains in my knees lately. It keeps taking turns which knee it is and it is Very annoying! So, I was moving a bit slower today.

Food was not so great today due to my fast food lunch:
b- kashi w/ milk
s- slimfast candy bar
l- Zaxby's buffalo chicken fingers, fries, ranch dip, Lots of coke :scared1: (I don't even want to know how many calories that was! :eek: )
d- chicken curry w/ rice (Dh makes it and it is Delish! plus very low cal and fat)

So, I'm trying to get back on track a little better.
Have a great day!

May minutes: 455/900

[Foxfiregrrl]

Wednesday - only exercise was hauling the trashcan .25 mile to the end of the street and walking back. Also going up and down the stairs a MILLION times at work (supervisors desk is upstairs :sad2: ) - I'm counting 10 minutes for the day.

Yesterday - walked with DH for half an hour.

Today - I took today off from work and I don't have to go back til Wednesday :banana: :woohoo:
I got up and did 45 minutes w/ one of my recorded workouts. I was really not in the mood though.

Food has been not too good. I have to get back on track w/ my eating!!

Weighed this morning.... I am up 1.4 pounds :mad: I should expect it though since I haven't been doing too great on the diet. I'm at 182.8.

Have a great afternoon!!

May minutes: 540/900

[kmp1191]

Hang in there Amber....45 minutes is better than none....which is what I've been doing!!!

Have a great weekend, and time off work....LUCKY GIrl!!!

marie

[Foxfiregrrl]

Hi, Guys! I've been here on the Dis all weekend, but just haven't stopped on my own journal :rolleyes1

So, Saturday - I spent the early part of the day cleaning our bathroom and the toilets in the two spare bathrooms. Also did laundry:laundy: lots and lots.. still have lots to go (still working on a bunch of the stuff that had been boxed up from the move). Then while I was busy cleaning our TV went out!:confused3 :sad2:

So we spent the rest of the day out looking for a new TV. We had a nice 36" that we bought for a good deal at a pawn shop years ago. We wanted another one about that size but NOT a flat screen or any of the new Fancy stuff. Just a plain old TV. Well, apparently they are pretty hard to come by these days. We ended up settling on a 32" for right at $300. We had to get the display model cause that was all they had left We never even saw a 36" while we were out. They had a few 37" flat screen ones for like $800:eek: We plan to get a Big TV for our downstairs, hopefully on Black Friday. But were not prepared to spend big bucks on one today. I don't like the one we got as much as I liked our old one, but it will do.

No official exercise, and not so good on the food either.

Sunday - Slept real late and then got up and went to grandma's for lunch. Food was tasty but definitely not on any diet plan. Then mom and I went for a walk for about 20 minutes. We got DH & my dad to do the last lap w/ us. Dinner was grilled burgers and baked french fries. I had a snack too, so another bad food day.

Today - so far - we had lunch with my parents. They grilled italian sausages and we had baked beans, mac n cheese, & potato salad. I also had some sweet tea. When I got up this morning I did 20 minutes of workout w/ a video. Then after lunch DH & I walked for 20 minutes.

I am trying to do at least some exercise most days. Food has been pretty out of whack though. I MUST do better!!!

Saturday night I found out that Lori Petty is going to be at DragonCon this year!! :woohoo: :woohoo: :cool1: I love Lori Petty and especially her movie, "Tank Girl"!!! I am SO stoked that she will be there!!! I had been considering dressing as Tank Girl for one of my costumes, but she is Super Skinny so I didn't know if I wanted to attempt it. Now that she is going to be there I HAVE to lose this weight so I can do Tank Girl as a costume!!

So, I have DragonCon and Disney in September as GREAT motivating factors to get this weight GONE!!! :cheer2: :cheer2: I really would LOVE to lose about 2 pounds a week and get it all off before DragonCon. Considering that I haven't been consistently losing 1 a week, though, that seems a bit unlikely. I am going to aim for 2 and hope for 1.25 minimum! :cheer2:

I CAN DO THIS!!!

I need you guys to really kick me in the rear when you notice that I'm slacking! Please!

Have a wonderful Memorial Day!!

[Foxfiregrrl]

Forgot to add my minutes:
May Minutes 600/900 Don't think I'm gonna make it but if I don't slack I can still get most of the way there!!

Also, DH & I are going to go to the Beach from June 8th til the 16th or 17th :woohoo: :woohoo: Can't wait!! We were going to go this week, but his work wouldn't let him take off :mad: We will go to my parent's place down in Mexico Beach and just relax. We will go to the beach most days and we are planning to go to the water park one day also! Should be fun and relaxing :woohoo: :beach:

k, just had to brag :thumbsup2

[Foxfiregrrl]

So, Monday night we had tacos and I probably had too many.

Yesterday was my last day off :sad1: I got up and did my workout first thing. I did a core workout for 50 minutes. After that I did some light housework and goofed off the rest of the day.

Food was:
B- kashi w/ milk
S- coffee w/ splenda and milk
L- sandwich, grapes
S- apple sliced w/ peanut butter
D- chicken curry w/ rice
S- Healthy choice chocolate ice cream bar :love: YUM
S- oatmeal w/ peanut butter, milk
Not sure why I had so many snacks yesterday! :confused3 I was Really hungry and nothing was really sticking.

During the day I went to B&N and got coffee while I looked at all the Disney guides. I ended up getting the Unofficial Guide again. I bought the 2005 edition for last trip, but wanted an updated guide this year. I originally thought I would go w/ a different author/publisher, but I just didn't really like the way the info was presented.

I also picked up some mickey head paint chips the other day. So yesterday I cut them out and put magnets on them. I am going to put them on my cabinets at work. I will track my weight loss with them. I think I will put all of them on one wall and when I lose a pound I will move one over to the other wall. They are SO bright and cheerful! It should be nice having them at work :cutie: and hopefully it will help motivate me to stay on track!

Today - first day back at work and I was in court until 2pm, then lunch, so I got started w/ my work for the day at 3pm :scared: and of course I had LOTS of work to do! So, it was a bit hectic and tomorrow will be busy as well! I am going to be busting my butt until we leave for vacation on the 8th because I don't want to leave a mess and have to come back and deal w/ it. I'm afraid after a week away I'm gonna come back to some serious chaos regardless! :rolleyes: So, best if I get as much done ahead of time as possible.

Food:
B- kashi, milk, coffee
l- sandwich, grapes
d- beef stew over rice
Exercise - 35 minutes of walking

I'm pretty full right now, so hopefully I won't feel the need to snack tonight. I may have a drink though... I'm debating and haven't ruled it out yet :thumbsup2 The scale hasn't been nice to me lately though, so I should try to avoid it..... we'll see.

Have a good night!

Also, just remembered to remeasure myself!
arms - 13.75 each down .25 each :cool1:
chest - 40 down 2:yay:
waist - 36 down 2 :banana:
hips - 43 down 1.5 :cheer2:
thighs - 25ish each (on this one we apparently forgot where we measured before) - first time dh measured he said 27 - I said, NO WAY, so we did it again and it was the same as before.... I'll take that.
Total inches GONE!!! - 6!!:woohoo: :woohoo:

May Minutes: 685/900... not gonna make it, but it is better than 400 or something like that :thumbsup2

[kmp1191]

Great job on the inches lost!!! Keep up the workouts!! They are going to FALL off!!!
Oh, and I can totally relate to the snacking.....i've been a bad, bad girl lately!! :rolleyes1

[lindalinda]

:banana: :banana: you are doing great Amber. What are the names of the shows you record? I have fit tv but i havent found the workout shows yet.



6 inches is awesome!!!! Maybe you should just be counting inches instead of weight, i think its a better measure of your success!!!:banana: :banana:


:hippie:

[Foxfiregrrl]

thanks guys! I was surprised by the 6 inches. It has been almost a month since I first measured, but I didn't expect that much! :woohoo: I'll take it though for sure!!

Linda - I like the total body sculpt and bodies in motion both w/ Gilad, then there are the All Star Workouts which have different hosts each time. The tbs & bim are usually 30 minutes and the asw is an hour. I fast forward through the commercials thus 20 or 45 minutes of workout time.

Today started out doing well, but had a little mishap
b- kashi w/ milk
l- HC frozen meal, grapes
s- cream cheese and strawberry dessert - this was the mishap- coworker brought it in and I decided to have a little. I didn't go overboard though
d- home grilled cheeseburger and mac n cheese (leftovers)
s- gonna be wine or booze... dh hasn't decided which yet:rolleyes1
Exercise - 25 minutes walking w/ mom

may minutes total: 710/900

Gonna set my June goal at 900 also... that might be hard cause of the vacation. I know we will get exercise swimming and walking on the beach, but it can be hard to judge how to count it.

Have a good night guys!

[Foxfiregrrl]

weighed in this morning and I was almost back down to my weight from 2 weeks ago.... I was at 181.6 I'll take it.

Today was a very bad food day. We had a bridal shower lunch for one of the girls at work. I ate way too much. the only good thing I can say is that when they gave me the cake I just picked at it and only at a couple small bites.
Dinner was mexican and pretty bad also. Top that off w/ no exercise and it wasn't a very good start to the month.

I will get over this hump and get back on track.!! I must!!

I took my mickey heads to work and put them up... now all my co-workers know what they are for. Hopefully that will help me some :upsidedow not sure though, since I'm already the next-to-the-skinniest person in my unit... they may all decide to sabatoge me :rolleyes1 that is ok though I can handle the pressure :thumbsup2

K, gonna go goof off now. have a GREAT weekend!!

[kmp1191]

Hope you're having a great weekend Amber!!

[Foxfiregrrl]

Hello. Yes, I had a very nice weekend. Thanks!

Saturday it rained all day. It was nice though cause all DH's friends were over and it was cool enough that we were able to still keep the air conditioner off. Yes, you read that right! We live in GA and have yet to turn on our air! :woohoo: (except one weekend about a month ago) It has been very moderate thus far around here and we are gone during the hottest part of the day anyway.

So, Saturday I thought the rain had stopped and went out for a walk. I was feeling pretty good so I decided to jog a little. I jogged for part of each of my four laps. It felt pretty good too. :woohoo: I had thought that I might do more than a mile, but it started to sprinkle on my second lap. By the time I got done with my last lap it was coming down in a good drizzle, so I decided to call it quits. I walked to the mailbox also which put my total mileage at about 1.4 miles in about 25 minutes.

That has been my only exercise so far this month :sad2: food has been not good also. I don't really think I will be getting back on track too well this week either.

It is the start of a new month which means I start over on all my contacts and all my documentation from last month is due. Plus all my court and case reviews for the month start. I have quite a bit going on this month and then my vacation is next week. I am starting to panic a bit because I am afraid that if I don't get a LOT done this week then I will be really overloaded when I get back. The thing is that I have a lot of things scheduled this week that are not the basic things that I need to do, but are things that I can't get out of. :faint: I know that no matter what I do this week there will be a lot of craziness to come back to, because that is the nature of the beast. I just want to front load as much as I can to try to reduce that stress some. We'll see.

One of my coworkers and I have to take a roadtrip tomorrow that will take up the entire day. That should be fairly fun. She is driving so I'm gonna try to take some work with me to do in the car. I get car sick pretty easy though, so I'm doubting I'll get much done.

Well, I probably won't be on too much this week, with the overtime at work and trying to pack for the trip. Then next week I will not have internet access. I won't completely abandon ship, but I just wanted you guys to know why I might be a bit scarce.

Have a great week!!

[Foxfiregrrl]

So, the week is almost over :cool1: :woohoo: :dance3: One more VERY STRESSFUL day left! It's gonna be a doozy though :scared: :scared: the county director is coming to one of my case reviews tomorrow and it's mostly cause she & I disagree on what to do about this particular case :rolleyes: :headache: Not looking forward to that meeting. It's ok though, cause she likes me :cool2: we'll see if that holds up after tomorrow.

Food this week has been really bad, especially today. We had a unit meeting and everyone brought something for breakfast. We had mini chicken biscuits, pigs in blankets, fruit w/ caramel dip, donuts, and (I made) chocolate chip cookie bars. I know that doesn't exactly fit the "breakfast" theme, but I said I don't know what to make, but I'm good at CC bars. So, they said go for it.

Needless to say, I ate like 4 last night and at least that many today :sad2: :guilty: I did skip lunch though since I ate so much junk for "breakfast"

Our meeting ended up being fun. We worked on making "Life Books" for some of the kids in foster care that are going to be adopted. Essentially they are scrapbooks that have pages for family, hobbies, adoption story, etc. Basically we put stickers in them and colored some of the pages. Just to keep them from being so bland and generic looking. Then when we go on visits we are supposed to help them work on filling them in. It was a nice way to spend part of the workday. EXCEPT that then I was scrambling to get other things done this afternoon :rolleyes: Oh, well. I can tell you right now that half the things I wanted to do before I left are NOT going to get done.

Next week, I'll be hangin on the beach and chillin' :beach: :cloud9: We are going to most likely go to Shipwreck Island one day. It is a waterpark in Panama City Beach that my family used to always go to when I was younger. It is smaller than the White Water that DH & I usually go to, but I think it will be a fun diversion for us. Other than that we will chill and watch TV. I am SO looking forward to this!!! We leave right after work tomorrow! :woohoo: :cool1:

SO, Have a WONDERFUL WEEK!!! See you guys next weekend!! :hippie:

Oh, yeah, my pathetic minute count for June is.... 25/900 uhoh... I might be in trouble on this one. (I think I might have gained 5 pounds this week :faint: , but we won't think about that now ;) )

[lindalinda]

How fun going to the beach! I used to go to this little place there on the beach called the driftwood inn. We loved it! When kev was around 8 or 9 we also did the "pirate cruise " there it was so fun! I have lots of pics of that! Some sort of little sea worldy type place too, I have a pic of kev being kissed by a seal or something.:lmao: ....Hope you have a blast!


:hippie:

[Foxfiregrrl]

Linda - did you go to the Driftwood Inn in Mexico Beach!!?! If so that is WAY too cool! Cause Mexico Beach is where my family has gone like every summer since I can remember!


K, so OMG!!! I am losing my mind at work today!!!! I'm at a really quick scarf it down lunch and still stressing immensely cause I'm gone from the office!! :eek: I already knew it would be a CRAZY day today. THen one of my cases had a report made on it this morning, so on top of everything else I'm dealling with that! And our attorney's secretary picked today to tell me she needs a subpeona list next week on one of my cases!!! OK, BREATHE in Breathe out... try to calm the nerves. :faint: Just had to get some stress out.

And, the only reason I came home for lunch is to try to get my cats to come inside.... just now realizing I haven't EVEN filled you guys in on my cat door drama this week :eek: :headache: We put in the cat door monday and were praying they'd get used to it before we left TODAY! Well, Puff, my dumb cat, has pretty much got it and has gone in and out a few times..... Raven on the other hand is very ADAMANT in her refusal to use it. Every time she goes in or out it is because I push her head halfway through. Needless to say, I'm gonna worry about them ALL week while we are gone!

One good thing, the director did not come to my meeting today. .. whew.

K, gonna finish scarfing my oh so healthy lunch of minestrone soup and Mac n cheese down and head back to He!!... oh, I mean work.

Have a good week guys!

[Foxfiregrrl]

Just had to add:

:dance3: It's a Small World After All :dance3: :dance3: It's a Small World After All :dance3:

Linda that is just crazy if you were in Mexico Beach... and I think you must have been cause if not what are the odds...

k, going now

[kmp1191]

Good to see I'm not the only nutcase on this board!!! :rolleyes1 :lmao:

Hope you're having fun Amber!!

[lindalinda]

Amber, I was trying to figure out if it was the same driftwood, but i was at driftwood lodge not inn. I got confused. It wasnt very lodgy. Very fun place though. The same families come year after year. They all had grills and cooked out. It wasnt fancy, tho. But it was on the beach (panama city)

Hope you are having a great time and getting a tan!

:hippie:

[Foxfiregrrl]

I'm Back. :sad1:

We had a very nice vacation! I got a bit of a tan, but not too much. No burning on me or DH which is GREAT considering it was really our first sun exposure of the year! We keep the sunscreen people in business :thumbsup2

Basically we slept a lot, went to the beach almost daily, played board and card games, and watched tv. We ate out a lot which was fun. We also went to Shipwreck Island. It was fun, but the pavement was HOT and made my feet pretty raw. We did all the rides, repeated a couple, then got in the wave pool. About that time it started to thunder and lightening so they made everyone get out. Dh & I took that as our cue to head home for the day. It was fun though.

Yesterday, I got stung by a jellyfish for the first time in my life (& I've been going to the beach every year since I was little!). It was not too bad though, I think it just barely brushed my arm. I thought I felt a piece of seaweed around my wrist, except it stung. I kind of waved it away, then thought... I think that was a jellyfish. I looked down and saw a small tennis ball sized one right in front of me. I was trying to swim away and still be able to see it. I was freaking out a bit too. DH was like are we getting out and I looked and I was standing at the edge of the water already :confused3 So, we left. It puffed up in spots and was red all around it and kind of burned. I don't recall anyone being stung before so I wasn't really sure what to do. We went back to the house and I ran cold water over it which helped a lot. I called my mom to ask her but she didn't know what to do either. She said she would look it up and call me back. It had gotten to where it was only a mild tingling, so we went ahead and went out to dinner. By the time we were done it didn't hurt anymore and most of the redness was gone. Mom called and said put vinegar or alcohol or baking soda on it. I didn't end up messing with it since it had stopped hurting and it is completely gone today :confused3 I just feel really lucky, cause I think it didn't really sting me much. It really Freaked me out when it happened though! I didn't see it at all before it hit me and then I only really got one quick look at it afterward.

So, We had planned to go to the beach one last time today before coming home. I wanted to go, because I love the beach and I didn't want my last beach visit to be when I got stung. So, we get our bathing suits on and get all slathered up in sunscreen and head down to the beach. We set our stuff down and get about 2 feet into the water... Dh spots a Jellyfish!! Right at the edge of the water. It was about the size of the one from yesterday. So right away Dh is like I don't want to get in. I said well, lets walk down the beach a bit and Maybe we'll get in. I really thought it was just one solo jellyfish and I really wanted to swim today. Well, we didn't walk another 100 yards before we saw another one at the edge of the water! :eek: Dh was like, Ok I don't even want to walk at the edge anymore. So, we turn and head back. There were 2 ladies in the water about 20 yards from us and between them and the shore there looked to be this BIG shadow. It was coming in our direction and DH & I were like What is that? When it got to where we were we saw that it was about 15 to 20 stingrays or manna rays all swimming together (kind of in a formation) :eek: I was like WHOA!! It was really cool to see, but way freaky!! They swam right past those ladies too! We stopped and warned one family about the jellyfish, then stopped to talk to the ladies that had the close encounter. One said she thought they were called Skates and were not Stingrays. We told them about the jellyfish and me being stung yesterday. Then I spotted another jellyfish in the surf. The lady was like that's not a jellyfish that's seaweed and almost reached down and picked it up.:scared1: Just before she did, she saw that it was a jellyfish and backed up. So in the next 40 yards or so we had to get back to our towel, we spotted another smaller jellyfish at the edge!! So, total we saw 4 jellyfish in like less than 20 minutes at the beach!! :scared1: As much as I had wanted to go swimming, I'm really glad I didn't get in today!

I think I am going to count 5 hours toward my exercise challenge for this week of vacation. We went to the beach a lot and it was good exercise. I don't want to over count, but I feel that I got at least that much time in.

I ate like a pig the whole week though! :sad2: We bought all sorts of things that we shouldn't have gotten too. Oh, well, It was my vacation and I'll get back on track now that I'm back.

We still have the weekend to get unpacked and readjusted to being home, before we have to go back to work on Monday. That is good, I'm gonna have a hard time going back to work :rolleyes1

The cats seem to have done ok while we were gone and didn't seem too upset with us when we got home.

Linda - oh, well, I thought that would have been a Major coincident and really crazy if you had been to the same TINY beach town we were going to. I have not heard of the Driftwood Lodge in Panama City, but we have always stayed at Mexico Beach, so I'm not familar w/ all the places there. It sounds like it had the same vibe as Mexico Beach. We always used to rent a house just up from the beach and my dad's friends would bring their families and rent a house also. It is really laid back and not crowded. They are building a bunch of condo style places there now, but it is still not crowded. There isn't a whole lot to do there besides go fishing or to the beach. I think that is what keeps it quiet. It was SO relaxing! (BTW, the Driftwood Inn is Really cool looking! I always wanna go in and tour it!)

Ok, I'm done rambling for tonight. It was a long drive. I'm gonna sit back and try to catch up on some journals, etc that I've been missing out on. But, I probably won't post anymore tonight.... I'll do the posting tomorrow.

Good night!!:hippie:

[kmp1191]

Welcome home Amber!!!
The jellyfish story is freaky!!
DH & I went on our honeymoon to the Padre Island and we saw a bunch of jellyfish....of course they had all washed up on the sand from when the tide came in....and we were on the part of the beach where you could drive...so needless to say....we saw a bunch of squished jellyfish!!!
(they make the grossest noise!!)

Glad you had a good time!!
marie

[lindalinda]

Welcome back to the grind Amber! Sounds like you had time to relax and enjoy.

I would have freaked about the jellyfish! My friend was snorkeling in the bahamas and swam thru a school of them and got stung a bazillion times on her stomach. She had to go to the hospital, but she was ok. Well, you know, in pain but she lived.:lmao: I would run away if i saw any!


have a nice week!


:hippie:

[Foxfiregrrl]

Hey, guys! It's good to be back. I feel refreshed and renewed and now I'm ready to start kicking it into gear again! :cool1:

This morning I got up and did 2 of the 30 minute FitTV workouts - Total Body Sculpt and Caribbean something (it was kickboxing). they have commercials, but I continued through them and fast forwarded through only a couple. It totaled 55 minutes :cheer2: I was determined to workout this morning, but when I first got up I REally wasn't in the mood. So, I'm pretty proud of myself for doing it! :cool1: So my total minutes for the month now are 380/900. Not too good, but not as bad as it could be - esp. considering I didn't do any the first week and went on vacation too:cool2:

I am determined to get my eating back on track also. I am still a little up in the air about starting a real program. I looked at the South Beach link that Linda put up, but I'm not too sure about the low carb part of it. I think it is probably a great way to go, but I am pretty carb dependant. Also it said no milk and.... NO Alcohol :scared1: :scared1: I know that I need to cut WAY down on the alcohol intake and the carbs too for that matter. But I'm not sure that I am ready to commit to None of either of those right now..... I'll think about it this week further. ..... I went back and looked at it and it says that phase I only lasts 2 weeks ..... still gonna have to think about that one.

In the meantime, I am going to work on upping my intake of whole foods, veggies primarily. Fruits are gonna still be a bit of a struggle for me, but I'm working on that. DH & I made a meal plan for the week and went to the grocery store today. Our cart was at least 2/3 whole foods :woohoo: It was nice that by the time we left the produce area my list was down almost nothing - most of which was meat. :woohoo:

Lunch was at grandma's as usual. And as usual it was pretty bad. I was Really hungry after my workout so I ate some dried fruit so that I would not go too overboard at lunch. We had pork roast, rice(in the roast juices), boiled potatoes, green beans, homemade biscuits (YUM!- I had two:guilty: ), and some sort of goulash that my grandma made:confused3 I didn't do my best and as much as I love those meals, I may have to start bringing a HC meal instead. I know that it is all bad for me and High fat, but I eat it all anyway :confused3 Tonight we are having grilled steaks and grilled sweet potato "fries" w/ a salad. Hopefully that will help balance the day some:upsidedow

The other dinner ideas are:
chicken & veggie curry over brown rice
Italian veggie spaghetti sauce w/ ground turkey over whole wheat rotini
Stirfry veggies (meatless) over rice
Zucchini lasagna - takes awhile to make so probably a weekend meal
Broccoli, Spinach & couscous meal
Beef, veggie, & shells - this is from a magazine and uses velveeta shells & cheese - not the lowest fat meal, but mostly good and looks quick and easy
Scramble eggs w/ broccoli, peppers, onion, & cheese mixed in w/ a salad or veggie on the side

We made "breakfast" for dinner last night and put broccoli & cheese in the eggs w/ a touch of seasonings. It turned out to be REALLY yummy! So we thought we would make the eggs again and add a few extra veggies to them. I am looking forward to it :)

Including tonight that is 8 different suppers. Some of those will make enough for 2 dinners or for us to have leftovers for lunch one day. I wanted to generate a bunch of ideas so that I have no excuse to fall off the wagon.

Breakfast will be Kashi w/ milk
Lunches will be primarily a sandwich daily and either apple or grapes. Then for variety I have some veggie soups and plan to make a lentil salad to use as a side. Also I will try to have salads some days. Maybe I could do soup and salad sometimes.
Snacks are fruit and nut mix and peanut butter/chocolate rice cakes.

I am going to aim for 1200 calories or less per day. I MUST log my food to make this work!!! I plan to use fitday and total it up. I will at least come here and give the basics w/ the total. If I slack on this, you guys have to get onto me :cool1: That's you kicking my butt!

Exercise - If I do 40 minutes EVERYDAY I can still hit my goal by the end of the month. I know that I tend to have a slack day here and there, so I am going to aim for 55 minutes daily to allow for some wiggle room. That should be pretty easy cause that is about 2 of the half hour programs or 1 of the hour programs w/ some extra toning thrown onto the end. I CAN DO THIS! :cheer2:

[Foxfiregrrl]

:cheer2: I survived my first day back at work! :woohoo: It wasn't too bad either. I only had 2 messages and a handful of emails to deal with and my supervisor said that she didn't end up dealing w/ any of my cases while I was gone :woohoo: Knock on wood!! :wizard:

So, I came home ON TIME!! and cooked veggie laden spaghetti w/ whole wheat noodles. Then DH came home and we walked for 2 miles before dinner :woohoo: :cool1: I don't know our exact time, but I am counting 50 minutes. I looked at the clock a minute or two before we left and looked again once we got back good. It said it had been an hour, but we did fix our plates for dinner first. When I count the distance I don't count from our house to the lake and back, which is probably .2 miles. Then we came in and stretched pretty good. I try to count my stretching because it encourages me to actually do it :thumbsup2 (Man are my legs sore from the workout yesterday!)
Last night when we were making dinner I made up the lentil salad that I found in Vegetarian Times and added a bit more of some of the veggies it called for. I took some of it for lunch today and put it w/ about a cup or so of spring mix. It was good and filling!

So my food for today was:
B- 1 cup of Kashi (I mixed Go Lean Crunch & Good Friends for some variety) w/ .5 cup of milk, coffee w/ 1 splenda, 1 tsp sugar, milk
S- dried fruit and nut mix - about half a serving
L- Lentil salad salad ;) w/ grapes and water
D- spaghetti
Total.... 1018!! :woohoo: :woohoo:
I'm pretty full from dinner and I Most of the time don't snack after dinner. I am going to do my best to not snack most nights.

Oh, Yeah, While it lasts, DH is on board w/ eating healthy and exercising! He said that for the next 2 weeks he is going to exercise everyday that I want to :woohoo: Then after that he will probably cut back to about 4 days a week. He does good w/ the foods mostly, but exercise is Really hard to get him going on. Wish me :wizard: luck that he sticks with it, cause that always helps me ALOT!

June minutes: 430/900

[Foxfiregrrl]

Today at work I was feeling the stress a little. It will all be ok though. I'm gonna need some pixie dust though for my TWO major court cases next wednesday :scared1: :scared1: :scared:

Gonna be a quicky tonight. :thumbsup2

Food:
B- kashi w/ milk, coffee
l- chicken salad sandwich on whole wheat, progresso veggie soup (chick. salad was homemade by Dh after he grilled the chicken on Sun.)
d- leftover spaghetti
total calories = 993 :woohoo: :woohoo:
I am TOTALLY shocked at my counts for the last two days !! :cheer2:
I remember looking at Linda's food and thinking she must be STARVING all day. I will admit that I get hungry at times, but nothing that is bad.

We walked for 25 minutes today too. :woohoo:

Tomorrow I will be having a higher calorie day. Dh found out that the Capitol Theater is playing Grindhouse tomorrow. They have second run movies and serve pizza and beer (can't remember if I've said all that before:confused3 ). Anyway we wanted to see Grindhouse in the theater and missed it originally. Dh goes on call Friday and the usually only run movies 2 weeks there. So, we are going. I will have 2 slices of pizza. I may get a salad and try to only eat one, but I might just use all my calories on the pizza.

K, Good Night! See ya'll Thursday!

June Minutes: 455/900

[lindalinda]

woohoo Amber...youre doing great.

I havent seen grindhouse, let us know if its good. I think I might go see that evan almighty movie this week if we have time.

Have a good time and dont eat tooooo much pizza!

nite

:hippie:

[Foxfiregrrl]

Hey, Linda!

I am SO excited to be doing good! Now, I just have to keep this momentum up!

Yesterday -
b- kashi w/ milk, coffee
l- lentil salad, grapes
d-2 slices of pizza, small bag of popcorn, 3 glasses of wine
total calories - 1741

I had a VERY crazy day at work yesterday and was Seriously stressed by the time I got off of work! I considered scrapping the dinner/movie idea, but was glad to have something to get my mind off of work.

We really enjoyed Grindhouse!! It was good. It is two movies so its different. A lot of sexual and graphic violence content, but that's not always bad :thumbsup2 I think it helps to like Tarintino films. Although I think I like the Rodriguez portion a tad better.

Today -
b-kashi w/ milk, coffee
l- chicken salad sandwich, veggie soup
d- scrambled eggs w/ broccoli & mushrooms, lentil salad
total calories - 1020
No exercise today.

I got home late cause I worked late. So we opted not to workout. I am pretty slammed at work right now. One of my co-workers is even helping me w/ a nice amount of my paperwork right now and I'm still Drowning in stuff to do! This too shall pass. At least I get extra vacation for putting in the overtime ( we get comp time instead of overtime pay).

So, tonight I was washing dishes and I call my grandma (cause she left me a message to call her). She tells me that my cousin from Texas wants to stay with me for our reunion next month. My cousin's name is Amber also and she is 9 months older than me :confused3 She is my third cousin. Anyway, I would love to have her stay with me. Only problem currently is we have no extra beds. Then, I was thinking, JEEZ I'm gonna have to get my house in order before she gets here.

THEN, my grandma says that a HUGE group of her relatives from out of state are coming in to town This weekend and having a get together at her house! :eek: :eek: Keep in mind that grandma's house is right by mind! SO, everyone is going to want to see my new house! :eek: :scared: I have been SO slack since coming back from vacation and my house was a DISASTER!!! So, I told DH that we had no time to play cause we had Serious housework to do. He said no way. So, I was franticly cleaning upstairs trying to get it presentable. Finally I heard him downstairs vacuuming. He did end up helping, but of course he had to resist first :rolleyes: We still have some cleaning to do, but if someone walked in right now I wouldn't be Totally embarassed.

WHEW! :laundy: Now I'm ready to go fall out! I am Glad tomorrow's Friday, but sad that it's not Saturday ;)

Hope ya'll are having a good week!

[kmp1191]

Don't ya hate to rush the cleaning process? I swear, my kids think that if it stays in one place long enough, it will get tired of being there, and move itself! (shoes will walk themselves to the closet, dirty clothes will drag themselves to the laundry..etc)
I'm glad your DH helped you out....it's always nice to have some help!

You're doing really well on the food Amber...keep it up girl!!

Have a great weekend!!
marie

[Foxfiregrrl]

Marie, I come from your kids school of thinking.... you mean it won't eventually carry itself to its rightful place? :rotfl:

Ok, life has been a bit CRAZY since I last posted. I fell off the diet and exercise wagon pretty HARD due to stress. I know that is my biggest weakness and something I have to work on.

Friday - I worked straight through lunch and had to ask a co-worker to pick something up for me. I THOUGHT I was gonna have time to go home for lunch or I would have packed my lunch. :sad2: Then when I got home we had some more cleaning to do and since I didn't come home for lunch there was nothing set out to thaw for dinner. We cleaned and then ended up going out for mexican when we were done. :rolleyes1 So:
b- kashi w/ milk, coffee
l- 3 small chicken fingers, 4 or 5 bites of mashed potatos and gravy
d- chips & salsa, beef burrito, bean and cheese quesadilla, and some rice... :guilty: I ate it all :sad2:
No exercise.... although I considered counting like 15 minutes for Thursday and Friday since I did some hardcore cleaning for over an hour at a time and that is Out of the ordinary for me :upsidedow

Yesterday - I had an appointment for work. I usually don't work on Saturdays but that is the best day to see this family. I usually spend about an hour with them. Well, yesterday I ended up being there almost 3 whole hours! :eek: So, as soon as I got home it was time to go over for the family thing. It was Really nice. There were 34 people there! It was hot so we all piled into the basement room. It is large enough for a crowd, but minimally cool in there. We got to see and spend time with some of my relatives that I haven't seen in 4 to 6 years. We all ate and then just talked for hours. DH & I planned to go to his mom's house midafternoon, but didn't break away from my family thing until after 6pm. A big group came over to see our house and everyone said they loved it. They all gathered in our big downstairs "game room" and talked for awhile. It was nice.
Then we went to MIL's house. We just went to visit for a bit because we rarely go see her. We stayed over there for a couple of hours just chatting. I am worried that she is going to be too out of shape and tired when we go to Disney. I keep trying to encourage her to start walking daily, but she doesn't seem to be getting it :confused3 She doesn't work, so she has plenty of time to get out and walk some. I told my SIL (who also doesn't work & lives w/ MIL) that she should walk with MIL and she said she will. They said they are afraid of stray dogs though... what a Lame excuse! I told her to take a big stick :thumbsup2
Overall we had a Very nice day, but very busy and tiring.
Food was Really bad yesterday cause we had potluck lunch and then DH & I ate it again for dinner. I don't even want to know. I would say I probably ended up w/ at least 2500 calories yesterday :scared1: and the only exercise I got was walking to and from my grandma's house. :sad2:

Today - TOM hit yesterday, so I'm still a bit miserable today from it :headache: I finally got caught up on some sleep (all last week was BAD for sleep) I knew that I needed to exercise today but was Really not feeling up to it. I started one workout and after 10 minutes switched to a different one. I did about 25 minutes total. Then we walked over to my grandma's for lunch & back. I am counting 30 total. Today is gonna be a not great food day again cause we had leftovers from yesterday for lunch. I tried not to go overboard, but it was all bad foods. Tonight will be chicken curry, which is healthy and low cal so that helps some.

I have to be really careful this coming week. I am WAY behind at work and I have 2 really stressful days already "planned". So this week will be rough. i am going to have to work hard not to let the stress overwhelm my efforts to be good. I have a feeling that I am going to have a good bit of overtime this coming week though. Our weeks run Wed - tues. and for this week I have already worked and extra 7 hours:scared: So if I work 8 or more hours Mon & Tues I will have 7+ hours of overtime in one week! I am not a big fan of overtime, but I also am not a big fan of being Way behind... so I'll do what it takes.

Hope you guys have a good week! Wish me luck to get through mine!
I am NOT giving up on my renewed efforts at diet and exercise!!! I can be busy at work and still be healthy!!

June minutes: 495/900

[Foxfiregrrl]

Yesterday - not great, not terrible
b-kashi w/ milk, coffee
s- donut twist :sad2: work meeting :sad2:
l- leftover slice of pizza & about 5 grapes (they were getting old :guilty: )
d- leftover spaghetti
s- 2 glasses of wine
No exercise, ended up going grocery shopping instead
total calories - 1427 not as bad as I would have thought!
Today-
B- kashi w/ soy milk (yay! they have it on sale again!), coffee
l- lentil salad, grapes
d- DH made some really healthy spinach and broccoli dish, but it turned out really Yucky. I ate about 6 bites and then we ended up scrapping that idea. So now I'm eating a fried bologna sandwich :confused3 we had leftover bologna from when we went on vacation. It is chicken bologna at least.
total so far - 923.... but I'm pretty sure I'm gonna want something else later

exercise today - 25 minutes of a kickboxing routine while DH cooked.

Usually I LOVE :love: DH's cooking, but this was something new that he tried to modify from a vegetarian times recipe and it did not turn out well. Oh, well, you can't win everytime!

It is shaping up to be another week from HECK at work!! Tomorrow is my big Crazy court date. I'm not looking forward to it! Especially since I have been told that one of the big cases is going to be continued, then at the last minute they stated that it may happen! ACK!!:scared1: I'm not prepared because I thought it would be continued!

K, Not gonna panic now, just gonna wait and see.

Have a good night!
June minutes: 520/900

[lindalinda]

Don't Panic!

Do you recognize that? (Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy)


When I was at Air Traffic Control school one of the exam graders wore that button. I thought he was so cool for doing it. But it turned out he had no idea where it was from, someone just gave it to him so he wore it on exam days.

You should get one for your desk!

:hippie:

[Foxfiregrrl]

That's funny. Turns out it was good advice. One case was continued, one went my way w/out much ado (parent didn't show up, so therefore doesn't get a say), and on the other one we heard one witness then continued it. They just didn't want to inconvienence that witness anymore. So, I still have to prep for them but I have 2+ weeks for that.

I have seen Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy but have not read the books. DH was reading them, but I don't think he ended up finishing them.

Can't wait for HARRY POTTER btw! :cool1:

So, food...
Tuesday I did have a leftover oreo ice cream sandwich... probably 230 cal.
total - 1153

Yesterday -
b- kashi w/ soy, coffee
l- lentil salad, grapes
d- (went out) cheeseburger w/ mayo, mustard, and lettuce, lots of cajun fries, coke
total - about 1360 not actually as bad as I had though, but still not good for dieting :guilty:
Did not exercise, cause DH was exhausted (he's on call = no sleep) and I had a headache

Today -
b- kashi w/ soy, coffee
l- DQ oreo blizzard :confused3 been craving one... I planned to still eat lunch, but then my stomach was :headache: .... so I didn't eat lunch
s- grapes they didn't help the tummyache
d- chicken curry over couscous - YUM
total - 1152 not SO bad considering lunch was ice cream... but
No exercise today either. :sad2:

You know... If I would actually get my act together and workout along w/ eating better... I might actually lose some weight :rolleyes:

Well, Yesterday I worked a little late even though I said I was leaving early. Today I ended up working 10 hours straight :faint: I got the ice cream while I was coming back from a visit and never actually stopped for a lunch break.
I plan to get myself back to somewhat caught up and then quit all this overtime junk. I can't keep going at this pace anyway. I ended up w/ 9 hours of overtime for last week :scared: I have already asked my supervisor if I can work from home on July 4th since the office won't be open. She said that I just have to tell her what I plan to work on and she will approve it.

I am nervous that if this month was rough w/ me gone one week, then I am going to REALLY fall out in September!! Cause I'm taking a couple of days right at the beginning of the month and then I have the last week off. :scared: I have to remind myself though that I had some extra stuff going on ie crazy court cases AND a set of 4 kids I had to move TWICE in one week!! That would put anyone behind!

I will not stay behind!!! As I've said before all my coworkers act like that is the normal state of life. Well, not for this chickadee! I can have a few undone things, but I will not live in a constant state of overload.

Ok. Sorry, I just had to rant and ramble a bit. I have been letting the stress get to me and I know that I don't need to. I actually think I see a speck of light at the end of this tunnel. I just need to hold on a little longer! :wizard: I hope! :thumbsup2

Tomorrow, Dh's friends are coming over and will stay probably til Sunday. We are all going out for dinner. It will probably be somewhere Really greasy. Then Saturday I have a family reunion and you know the food at those is Always bad! They have told everyone to bring swimsuits, so maybe I'll burn a few calories that way.

Hopefully I can make it through the weekend w/out gaining 5 pounds! :scared1:

See ya'll later!

[lindalinda]

Oh, Amber, did you get the postcard from disney for 59$ rates? I got one, and I know some of the dates were in September. I am sure it was the value ones, but arent you going to one? I cant remember where you said. Anyway, if you didnt get one, I would definitely call and ask them about it, and see if they can discount your rate. Hmmm, of course I guess that would not be with the food deal tho, I forgot about that. I would say so the math and see which is better, but I would guess its the food deal. Kinda makes this whole post meaningless tho doesnt it?:rotfl2:

:hippie:

[Foxfiregrrl]

Linda - I didn't get that postcard. I agree with your final decision that it probably doesn't work out better than the free dining. I think the rack room rate is like $79 a night and the dining is $38 per person per night.... I think. Thanks for thinking of me though. We are staying in value.. POP to be exact. I liked POP last time and was glad we were able to get it again this time. It has it's own buses whereas the All Stars share buses. :snooty: Who wants to share buses? Usually the buses leaving POP were full anyway, I can't imagine having to try to get on at the third hotel stop :eek:

I weighed in this morning and I was down to 180.8!! :woohoo: :woohoo: :cheer2: :cheer2: That is my lowest since starting back this year ( I think I might have gotten lower last year, but I'm too lazy to go back and look) I was stoked this morning!! :woohoo:

BUT, I had a REALLY bad food day today, so I'm probably back up again. :guilty: WHY do I always do that?!? :confused3
B- kashi w/ soy
L- grilled buffalo chicken sandwich, battered fries, ranch dressing
d- Lots of chips and cheese dip, a little guacamole salad, 3 bites of a VERY cheesy beef burrito
I filled up on the chips and cheese, so I didn't eat much of my dinner, which means I have leftovers :sad2:
When I put it in Fitday I must have estimated some of it Really wrong cause it says my total is 1352 which actually seems pretty low to me :confused3

K, guess that is it. Have a good night!

[Foxfiregrrl]

Friday I had forgotten to add all the sweet tea I drank :sad2:

Yesterday - we had a very nice reunion. I saw a lot of people I haven't seen in many many years. I only recognized a few of them. We have another reunion coming up in two weeks for the other side of my dad's family. We have that reunion every year though. Anyway, I ate WAY bad AND they had a dessert table that was FULL of CHOCOLATE stuff!!! :love: You know that is my weakness. Then for dinner we had bratwursts and doritos :sad2: plus a good bit of wine.
I swam so at least I got some exercise, but not much.

Today -
lunch was at my grandma's and was pretty bad as usual. Then we had leftover Mexican from Friday. I don't even want to know what my totals are for the last two days.
Exercise was walking to and from grandma's and to and from my parent's house. That was it.

We almost went to the lake today. Dad was gonna take us out in the new boat and pull us behind it on the new float he bought. BUT, his truck wouldn't crank :confused3 so we didn't go. That was kind of ok w/ me though cause I was tired and didn't Really want to go. I had been the one that suggested it a few weeks ago though, so I didn't want to tell dad that I didn't want to. We will go some other time. I think that will be a LOT of fun, we have not done that in Forever!

Well, back to work tomorrow :crazy2: Hopefully I can get a lot done this week and feel like I'm not so far behind anymore. MAYBE :wizard:

Have a great week!

[lindalinda]

I was just looking at your ticker for your trip. 10 lbs lost already that is awesome! I think you are gonna make it! I know it doesnt seem like it when you have bad days, but it is slowly and steadily moving down and that is perfect because it means it will stay off.

Keep up the good work, and dont sweat the small stuff girl!


:hippie:

[Foxfiregrrl]

Thanks, Linda! I am glad to see it coming off also. I think the scary thing is I use that as justification to myself when I have bad days (or weeks;) ), that I am still losing and I've been able to splurge some. I feel like in my daily life after I get the weight off I will have good days and bad days, so it makes since that I have them in my dieting days.

I really haven't figured out why the weight continues to go down, but Hey, I AIN'T COMPLAININ'!!:cool1:

So today I didn't make the best choices, but I also didn't eat large amounts of bad foods. So it ended up not being terrible, but I can do better.
b- kashi w/ soy, coffee
l- bologna sandwich, doritos
d- bratwurst on bun, vegetable soup
total - 1251
Exercise- walked 25 minutes w/ DH

Today was pretty good at work. I got some stuff done. Still have lots to do but I'm starting to feel like I might be able to get a handle on it.

See ya'll later!

[kmp1191]

Happy 4th of July AMber!!!

Have a great day, and go easy on the sweet tea today!!

marie

[ScoJo15]

Hi Amber :)

Thanks for stopping by my journal the other day...sorry it's been a while since I've posted in yours. I've just been catching up and wanted to wish you congrats on the 10lbs so far for your upcoming trip! In reading through your last posts, may I offer a suggestion (maybe you already do it?)?...are you drinking a lot of water each day? Drinking a good amount of water will help curb the urge to eat throughout the day, plus it's really good for you & will help with the rest of your September goal. I was shocked at how many calories soda and tea amounted to each day when I looked at my personal intake...so I limited them (can't completely do without sweet tea!)...takes some gettting used to, but the cravings wear off after a while.

Anyway...good luck with everything & I hope you guys have a good weekend!

[Foxfiregrrl]

Hi, Scott :wave2: Thanks for stopping by. I do drink a good bit of water daily. Lately I've probably been slacking some though. I don't measure it, but I carry a water bottle around all day at work and have a Large glass that I keep w/ me at home. I refill often at home. At work I usually go through a 16oz? bottle an hour on a "good" day.... but I have been really busy lately so I tend to forget to refill it. I had gone off the sweet tea for over a month thanks to a challenge from Marie. I have made a HUGE improvement in reducing my sweat tea intake since then. I have just been majorly slack about watching what goes in my mouth these days :sad2:

WOW! I can't believe its been a WHOLE week since I posted! I didn't mean to be gone so long. I've been busy at work and w/ the social life, and then when I have had time to log on I have just been in a weird mood and not wanted to post. :idea: most likely cause I know I would have to tell you guys how AWEFUL I've been lately :sad2:

I exercised for the first time on Saturday for 25 minutes (kickboxing, I think) then I started the kickboxing on Sunday but got interupted. We also went to the lake Sunday and dad pulled us behind the boat on a big triangle float! It was FUN and apparently some exercise cause my chest is Sore today!

We have eaten out WAY too many times since I last posted and I have just allowed myself to go crazy w/ the food :confused3 I think mostly I'm still really busy at work and then we had the really weird Midweek holiday, so I was just all messed up.

We didn't do much for July 4th, just grilled steaks and stayed at home that evening. This weekend we had DH's friend from high school and his wife over on Saturday. It was really nice and it was the first time they had been to the new house. We grilled steaks again :thumbsup2
Sunday my friend from Florida was in town again and he, DH, and I went out for dinner. He had been here since the 4th, but we just had a REALLY hard time getting together. It was nice. We went out for mexican and he and DH had a couple of drinks. DH & I had discussed previously that DH feels a little iffy about us hanging out w/ this guy cause I had a crush on him a long time ago. I think that the more DH & I are around him though the more comfortable he is :confused3 I am totally not interested in this other guy as anything more than a friend. It is just that I don't have many friends from high school that I have managed to keep in touch with and he is one that has always been easy to just pick up where you left off. Anyway, he and Dh talked about computers and music so I thought that went over pretty well (those are some of DH's favorite things ;) )

So, this week is going to be busy also. My cousin is coming in from Texas tomorrow w/ her 2 year old. She is going to stay w/ me tomorrow night and then go stay w/ other relatives until the reunion on Saturday. She will then come back to my house for Saturday night, then leave Sunday. DH seems to think it's the end of the world :rolleyes: but it shouldn't be that bad.

Work is still pretty crazy. I will think I'm getting a grip, then I find out 5 more things that are urgent :mad: HOWEVER, today I found out that the new lady in our unit (who's been there 2 months now) still doesn't have a case load. SO, she is going to be helping me with whatever I need help with until either we finish it all:rotfl: :lmao: :rotfl2: or she gets her own case load :sad1: She has other things she will be working on also, but if she can help me a few hours a day it will be WONDERFUL!! :cheer2: She already helped me finish something today that I've needed to get done since 6/27, but just haven't had time to sit down and do! :woohoo: So, I'm hoping to see some relief from the high stress level in the near future! :cool1:

I know that I HAVE to get back on the diet and exercise trail! I told myself I needed to exercise today when I came home, but I was just Super tired. I could fall asleep right now. I'm gonna try to go to bed early tonight and hopefully I can get some exercise in this week.

Food today was:
b- kashi w/ soy, coffee
l- cheeseburger, tater tots, sweet tea
d- experimental casserole (dh used leftovers from a meal that didn't turn out so good, and revamped it into a casserole) it was turkey, sausage, ricotta, spinach, broccoli, mushrooms, onions, chickpeas, and cheddar. It was good, not sure how low cal, but probably not too bad considering the ratio of veggies and it was reduced fat ricotta.

[kmp1191]

Wow Amber...you have alot of people in and out at the new place, huh? I know what you mean about the guy friend...I have one, and now that he and DH have met and talked, they talk more then Mike and I do....go figure! :confused3
Hang in there at work...hopefully the "new" woman can help you get caught up...if nothing else, have her refill your water bottle!! :thumbsup2

Have a good one!
marie

[lindalinda]

Have fun at the reunion tomorrow! Hope you are having a good weekend!

[Foxfiregrrl]

Hi, guys! I've been busy and VERY tired this week.

My cousin, Amber, and her daughter stayed with us Tuesday. It went pretty well. The 2yo was over tired at the end of the night and put up a good fight about going to bed, but it wasn't too bad.

Wed-Fri was busy at work and I didn't exercise at all. Food wasn't too great either.

Today was the reunion. We were there from noon until about 4:30. It was nice and there was a big crowd there. Lots of little kids too. Our family just keeps getting bigger and bigger every year w/ all the new babys. There was LOTS of yummy food and deserts. I tried not to eat Way too much. I did eat more than I should have of course.

Amber is coming back over soon. We will probably go out to dinner. She is a vegetarian and I'm not in the mood to cook, much less cook specifically vegetarian.

Tomorrow I think we are going to the lake again and/or going to see the Transformers movie (DH is dying to see it).

DH and I talked yesterday about the fact that starting Sunday or Monday, we have to seriously get back on track. We have to at least exercise if nothing else. We are going to Disney soon :woohoo: but we can't be out of shape or it will not be fun!

K, hope ya'll are having good weekends!

[kmp1191]

Hey Amber~
Sounds like the reunion and visits went well.
Try not to work too hard.
And again, I'm right there with you on getting back on track!! It will be IMPOSSIBLE the next few days, but I"m really going to put in an extra effort to drink more water!!

I'll be offline until the 24th...(hopefully only until then!)
Have a good week/weekend and I'll be back soon!!

marie

[Foxfiregrrl]

Hi, guys. I've continued to be WAY off track lately and have been too ashamed to log on and tell you guys :sad2:

I weighed Friday and was up 3 pounds:sad1: but I have not exercised in forever and have been eating like a PIG!

TOM hit yesterday though, so that could be a lot of it.

Yesterday DH's friends were here so we had lots of yummy food, but it wasn't particularly healthy. Dinner wasn't too bad though - roasted chicken, black eyed peas, corn on the cob, mashed potatos, cornbread. It was all the snacky stuff that I had to go with it popcorn::

I went shopping for a bit yesterday afternoon, so at least I got off my tush and walked around a little. I bought some glow stick necklaces for our trip to Disney and some other fun stuff from the dollar section at Michael's to give to DH's friends kids when they go to Disney at Thanksgiving. It was fun to get out and wander around the stores some. I am not a major shopper but I go through my phases and I LOVE a bargain :thumbsup2

Today we got up REALLY late! Then I was still really tired and was craving a big ole IHOP breakfast! So, I convinced DH to take me there. I was BAD and had my favorite.... chocolate chip pancakes!! :love: YUM!! with grits, eggs and sausage... but the only thing I finished was the pancakes. And lots of coffee of course ;)

When we got home I did convince DH to go for a "stroll" with me since it is nice and overcast here today. We went and did two laps around the lake. Not much, but better than nothing I guess.

I know that I have gotten myself into a jam lately. I have gotten out of the habit of exercising and I'm really drained and tired ALL the time. I know that if I would exercise then I would feel better, but I'm too tired to want to exercise. Then it gets to be a cycle :rolleyes1 But, I know I have to do better. If I don't then I'm gonna be pretty miserable when it comes time to do all that walking at Disney!!

So, tonight we are having red beans and rice. We have leftover spaghetti, chicken curry w/ lentils, and chicken and sides from last night. That should take care of most of our dinners this week. They are all mostly healthy also (all the mashed potatos are gone :thumbsup2 ) Now, I just have to eat good lunches, not go out for coffee treats, AND exercise at least a few times this week!!

I know that I am capable of getting back on track!!! I think this week I don't have too crazy of a schedule :wizard: (I hope) So I should be able to get some exercise in!! WISH me luck!

[kmp1191]

Amber - I can totally relate right now!! Between the not eating right (not even close) to not getting ANY exercise...I am heading for a major letdown when I step on the scale....(which I will be doing in about 5 minutes!!)
Let's get back on track....no reason not to!! Today - more water and no fast food!

baby steps...right??! :laughing:
marie

[Foxfiregrrl]

Baby steps all the way! I agree.

Ok, yesterday was a mixed bag.... I had some leftover snacks from the weekend and they got the better of me.

B- kashi w/ milk, coffee
L- HC tv dinner, grapes, coke
S- mini carrots in lite ranch, 2 C.C. cookies w/ milk
D- chicken curry w/ lentils
S- 3 more cookies w/ milk :sad2:
Exercise - over an hour of walking w/ mom and then mom and DH... during part of that we were waiting for him to get ready so we went up and down my back stairs a bunch. We did just over 2.75 miles! :cool1: Way to kick it back into gear!

So, exercise = good, cookies = bad.

Today so far
B- kashi w/ milk, coffee
S- mini baby ruth - coworker filled candy jar and other coworkers pointed it out while we were waiting to go to lunch :rolleyes:
L- Olive Garden - soup, salad, and breadsticks, sweet tea (coworker's B-day)
D- will be... red beans & rice or chicken and sides :confused3 not sure yet
Exercise - well... I am feeling a bit shaky this afternoon... and lazy. I started to do a pilates routine, then thought better of it. I did do a few situps and these knee bend things from one of the workouts I do. Not much, but baby steps right? :thumbsup2

I drink a good bit of water daily, but I want to start keeping better track so that I can ensure I'm getting Loads of water :thumbsup2 Maybe that will keep me from eating as much :lmao:

I have right at a month until DragonCon and just under two months til Disney, SO I really need to kick it into gear!!!

I think the last week or so I've been rebelling about getting back on track and doing the "better it it now" thing, since I know I can't eat EVERYTHING in sight and be "on track". BUT, I've gotta get seriously down to business!!!! I don't think that I have been able to take away even ONE mickey head since I made my mickey heads to count down my weight loss!!! :eek: That's not good!

I will be exercising tomorrow for sure. Dh likes to do every other day and I find it much easier when I have someone else to help motivate me. We may go for a shorter walk this evening.... We'll see.

K, guess that is it for now. Just wanted to report that I'm sorta kinda trying to be back in the right place.

[Foxfiregrrl]

Wednesday - we did end up walking for just over a mile. :cool1:

Thursday - I did badly. There was birthday cake at work :sad2: then Dh & I went out for dinner,cause he's on call this weekend and we don't usually go out when he is on call. I did try to be good when we went out. I had a fajita chicken salad in one of those giant fried tortilla bowls. It would have been pretty healthy if I hadn't eaten most of the bowl :rolleyes1

Friday - food was good for breakfast and lunch, but ended up having Taco Bell.
When DH came home from work, he ended up bushhogging our entire yard. He was just going to figure out how to use the tractor and then do it Saturday morning, but once he got started he just did it all. So, then it was like 9:15 before we were ready for dinner. We tried to get California Style Burritos, which are a tad healthier, BUT they were closed! Who closes at 9:30 on a Friday night :confused3 So, needless to say the dinner was more calories than I should have eaten the whole day :scared:
I did walk over to my grandparents house and back a few times, which is something, but I wouldn't call it good exercise.

Yesterday -
We got up pretty late. I had half of a leftover burrito and some lentils for lunch. We worked on the room in our house that is still full of boxes. We spent most of the afternoon and got the majority of it out and sorted. However, it is all now just laying in piles all over the room :confused3 Our plan is to try to work on it some more today. Mostly there is a lot of stuff that we are not sure where to put it. We do have about 3 boxes of trash though, so that is a start :thumbsup2
DH REALLY wanted Sushi last night and I usually refuse to go to the nice sushi place, so that is where we went last night. I had ordered VERY badly there before and was reluctant to return. Last night was pretty good though. I ordered Age Doshi Tofu and Mixed Tempura for appetizers. Both were really good. The Tempura was fried shrimp and a couple of fried veggies. It was my favorite of course - cause it's fried :lmao: My meal was chicken terriyaki and came with miso soup, salad, and rice. I am not too fond of the soup but ate some of it. The salad was good and I ate it all. Dinner was decent, but because we had so much other food, I only ate about 5 bites of it and brought the rest home. Dh had a large platter of sushi. I historically don't eat sushi, but I did try two of his rolls and they were edible. I don't think I'll be getting a sushi platter anytime soon though.
Then I topped the day off with some wine while we watched Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.

Today - I have no idea what we will do. I will try to get at least some exercise in. I think we are having curry tonight for dinner.

See ya'll later!

[Foxfiregrrl]

Yesterday was pretty bad on food - Lunch was 4 different casseroles! :eek: :eek: I don't know what my grandma was thinking!! :confused3 (she made 3 of them!!) Dinner was not too bad - chicken, peas, corn, cornbread

I was SO proud of myself this morning. I slept very poorly last night and ended up waking up REALLY early this morning. I am NOT a morning person and normally would have laid in bed until I fell back asleep & then not wanted to get up at my regular time :rolleyes1 BUT today... I got up and did a Total Body Sculpt routine!! :woohoo: :cool1: :cheer2:

After that I ate breakfast and drank my coffee (and read Harry Potter :thumbsup2 ) while waiting for time to go into work! It was so nice to know that I had accomplished my workout first thing in the AM. And I'm glad too, cause work today was BAD, BAD, BAD and by the time I got home a work out just wasn't happening. (If this court case doesn't end soon I think it's gonna be the end of me :crazy: We've had 2 full days of hearings and still have at least 1 more - BUT there are at least 2 weeks between each day!! :mad:)

I ate out for lunch, but did good for dinner. I am however gonna have a couple of glasses of wine this evening (to calm my nerves :cool2: )

So all in all probably not a Great weight loss day, but better than wine and no exercise, right? :thumbsup2

I just had to check in and gloat about my getting up early... Since it is probably the only time it will EVER happen :thumbsup2

See you guys later... time to go enter a wine induced stupor :drinking1 :faint:

[lindalinda]

Amber I am so impressed! I never get up early to exercise and if you can get in that habit it would be great. I remember when kevin was a baby and I was losing the baby weight I used to get up at 4 and do the nordic track for 45 mins before work ( I was on a straight 7-3 shift then). I couldnt even imagine it now!

I hope your court case ends soon so you can get in the groove again.

be sure and tell me what you think of HP when youre done with it! (I loved it!)

later!

:hippie:

[Foxfiregrrl]

Amber I am so impressed! I never get up early to exercise and if you can get in that habit it would be great.


:rotfl2: :lmao: :rotfl: I am not thinking that is gonna happen anytime soon!! In fact, loosing so much sleep that night is one of the reasons that I am enjoying a Lovely sick day today!

I think I ended up getting maybe 4 or 5 hours of sleep that night and that was very fitful (I was dreading court and dreaming crazy Harry Potter dreams :rolleyes: ) Then Monday I was SO wound up after crazy court that I couldn't sleep till late. Yesterday at work I was not feeling great and kind of zombie like. I left at 4:30, which is only a little early... and I was already in overtime so not technically early. I came home and napped for over 1.5 hours and still felt cruddy. I've been feeling my throat getting sore for a few days and my head felt awefully swimmy last night (NO, I didn't drink). So, I took today as a sick day and just lounged around and ate soup :thumbsup2 I find that if I take time to get extra rest and pamper myself when I feel myself getting ill, then it never gets full blown :goodvibes That is good, cause I hate being sick!

So yesterday:
b- kashi w/ milk, coffee
s- apple
L- sandwich, glass of chocolate milk (didn't end up eating until I got home at almost 5 :eek: )
d- cheesy meat, veggie, and pasta dish
s- WW ice cream sandwich
No exercise

Today so far:
b- kashi w/ milk, coffee
l- can of veggie soup
no exercise.

I am a little hungry now, but will try to hold out til DH gets home. He is going to want me to help him work on the yard :rolleyes2 I don't want to, ever. I had said I "could" help him... that didn't mean that I actually wanted too :confused3 We'll see.

I have got to get my little tushy into GEAR!!! I have a good day or a good moment, but then fall right off the wagon again :sad2:

I may have to resort to drastic measures like slimfast or prepackaged foods. :scared: ;) I was even thinking about those metabolite pills this morning, but I don't think I'll go there. Last time I tried them I didn't like the side effects - rapid heartbeat, sick feelling if I didn't have enough food on my stomach.

K, gonna go read some more Harry Potter now. See ya!

[Foxfiregrrl]

You know I have no idea what I have eaten over the last couple of days. I have been trying to make decent choices, but only doing average. I did work out Thursday afternoon for about 25 minutes.

Today we had sandwich and soup from Panera for lunch, coffee, and then Japanese steakhouse for dinner. We took one of DH's friends out for his birthday. I had some tempura veggies for an appetizer and then chicken & shrimp hibachi w/ rice. Also 2 glasses of wine. No exercise except housecleaning and walking to the mailbox and back.

Oh, well. I really want to lose weight, but have not been able to get really motivated lately. Right now I'm just trying to make sure that I don't gain any more!!

Maybe I'll actually get some exercise tomorrow:confused3 We'll see. I'm still trying to finish Harry Potter. I am not a very fast reader and we have also been trying to rewatch the movies as we go along. I am on book 6 now, so almost there!! We bought the new book today and now I can't hardly wait!!! :yay: :yay:

[lindalinda]

I just looked at your ticker and saw its only 1 month til Disney! Wow! That will be here in no time!

I hope it cools off a little bit before you go. Its so freaking hot here I cant stand it! And I am way north of you guys!

Check in if you come up for air from that Harry Potter book. (hee hee, I know the ending)

:hippie:

[lindalinda]

Whats a glow in the dark pop party?


and dont tell me if its something dirty:woohoo:


:hippie:

[Foxfiregrrl]

The Glow in the Dark POP party is a meet up of a bunch of Disers staying at POP in September on the free dining plan. We will all be wearing lots of glow in the dark stuff and drinking "glow juice" which is really just whatever alcoholic beverage we concoct. There are like 100 people signed up to come, but I'm sure not that many people will show.

Well.... still not done with Harry Potter. I finished book 6 the other day and Cried of course :blush: I have not had a lot of time lately though to read. I am also reluctant to read it cause I don't want it to be over!! :sad1: I'm lucky so far that I haven't ran into any spoilers, but I know I need to get on w/ it or I will end up w/ it spoiled. I could tell my sis wanted to tell me something earlier today. I was like SHUT IT!!

I have not been working on my diet or exercise lately at all :guilty: In fact we ate out like everyday this week :rolleyes: I feel lucky that I have managed not to gain anymore weight lately. I am at a steady 183 - 185... My lowest that I had been was 180.8... So that is not too much higher. The one part of me really wants to get back on track, but the other part of me has been too busy/stressed/lazy to bother.

Also lately around here it has been over 100 degrees like EVERYDAY!! With heat index between 108 and 110 most days :scared: :faint: Which does not encourage exercise. I can exercise indoors, but that goes back to the busy/stress/lazy part :confused3

I have a lot of things going on in the coming weeks. My sis and I have to work on my costume for DragonCon... I'm trying to do this image of Tank Girl:
http://www.twisted.org.uk/tg/pix/cov.dh1-1.jpg
Which is proving somewhat difficult. I think the bra is going to involve 2-liter bottles and paper mache :cool2:

Then I'm having a party at my house for the girls from work next Saturday. So I have to ensure that the house stays clean and prep some appetizers for the party.

Then Labor Day weekend is DragonCon, then I get to full on prep for Disney which is Sept 22 - 27th!!

I feel a tad overwhelmed, but I also like to stay busy so it is not All bad :thumbsup2

Well, I'll try to get back here sooner rather than later! Hope you guys are having a great weekend!!

[lindalinda]

:rotfl2: :rotfl2: :rotfl2: :rotfl2: :rotfl2: :rotfl2: :rotfl2:

If you make that costume you now we have to see the pics right?


:hippie:

[kmp1191]

Holy crap!!! I thought I was gonna have to delete the cookies on the computer....gonna have some porn start popping up!! :eek: :lmao:

That outfit is gonna be great!!

marie :hippie:

[Foxfiregrrl]

:cool2: well.... if I ever get the costume done.... I'll consider posting pics :thumbsup2 My sis was suposed to come over today and help me with it, but she wasn't home and to be honest I wasn't in the mood. I'm SO not creative which can be problematic. I really want to have the costume though and the only way is to make it myself, so I better get on it soon.

Tank Girl was originally a comic and then was turned into the movie w/ Lori Petty, and just this year I think they are coming back w/ more of the comic.... unfortunately the artist is different & that is part of what made the original good :snooty: She wears a variety of wacky and outlandish costumes, but this happens to be the most recognizable one :thumbsup2

I did manage to exercise briefly yesterday. I got up a bit early and went for a walk. It was already an estimated 90-something though :scared: I walked a mile then headed back inside. I did do a couple of sit ups and push ups when I came inside though.

OH, YEAH... I also finished Harry Potter yesterday!! I read most of the weekend! It was really good. I'm so sad that it is over now though :sad1: I loved how she really had it action packed and tied everything together. I think today I'm a little depressed though... it is kind of like coming home from a big vacation you've been planning for awhile... like what now :scratchin :sad: We also watched the Order of the Pheonix yesterday! So it was Truely a Harry Potter weekend! I agree that Umbridge was not as I had pictured her at all.... but I thought the actress did a really good job. Also loved her kittens on the walls!!popcorn:: Overall I think they did a decent job with the movie. I think that IF they do book 7 as a movie they will end up COMPLETELY butchering it, cause there is just Way too much to cover.

Oh, I just have to say that my sis was here Saturday afternoon and I said I was working on book 7 and she said well you can finish it this weekend (she's already read it) and I said No, I don't think I want to read it ALL this weekend cause then it will be over. THEN I turned around and did just that... I couldn't put it down though!

K, have a good night!

[lindalinda]

Hi Amber. Glad you finished HP! I loved it, and yes, I was kind of sad its over too. But we still have a few movies to look forward to too. the Order of the Pheonix movie was great. I know they left out a lot, but it was still great. Umbridge was exactly as I pictured her and I just about busted a gut oer those kittens!:lmao: It was Luna that I really loved tho. Nothing like I pictured. I kind of thought she would look like Trelawny. But she was perfect! That eerie dazed thing was great!

And another thing to look forward to is Universal getting Harry Potter. I was thinking that dueling scene at the end of OOTP would be perfect for where Poseidons Fury is now. It all looks very cool. I really want to have a butterbeer and some chocolate frogs!

Have a great weekend!

:hippie:

[goldcupmom]

Trying to catch up, Amber. Looks like you're doing very well! WDW one month away or less! Wow! Time has flown!

Hope you're having a good weekend!

[Foxfiregrrl]

Wow, I didn't realize that I had been gone so long. Been pretty busy around here.

We spent all of Saturday getting ready for the party that I was having for work. Well, it was sort of a bust. I had invited around 20 people. Only 2 people showed up!!:sad2: They are my two closest coworkers at my current office and we had a really good time together. But I was a slight bit disappointed that the others didn't bother to show. Probably about 8-10 had said they couldn't come, but I was still expecting a small group of my closer coworkers from the other county. Oh, well. What's done is done.

Sunday my sis came over and we spent ALL afternoon and evening working on my Tank Girl rockets! We got the paper mache part done, now I have to paint them and put together the rest of the details. :scared:

Monday I left for a two day training in the Atlanta area. I ended up getting to my hotel at 9pm that night :faint: I took my work laptop, but forgot the power cord so I ended up not being able to DIS while I was gone.

I did get on the treadmill at the hotel. I did about 35 minutes. I ate pretty bad all week though :confused3 so still not on track at all.

Got back into town yesterday at 4pm, but had been told by my sup. that I had court if I got back to town in time. I ended up being in court until 8pm last night :faint: The DH & I went out and I had a few drinks :drinking1 :thumbsup2

I am SO backed up at work that it is hard to see how I'm gonna stay on top of it w/ DragonCon coming up and the incredibly short month I have in September. But I know that I will be able to get the important stuff done. The rest will just have to wait.

I was still holding out hope that I might get back on track before Disney and get at least a couple more pounds off, but it's not looking too good right now.

One positive possibility is that my 2 coworkers, L & M, that came to my party have joined the NICE local gym. They are going 3-4 mornings a week before work. I have been talking with DH about possibly joining also. If DH & I joined then I could go sometimes with the girls and sometimes w/ DH. It is a little bit on the high side though. They have an indoor pool though, which is kinda nice.

K, enough rambling on for me tonight. I'm gonna try to get on this weekend and catch up a bit. Last weekend before DragonCon :woohoo: party: :drinking1 :faint: (that last one is me passing out ;) or falling over from the weight of my Tank Girl rocket ****s!)

[Foxfiregrrl]

OH, YEAH, AND 30 DAYS TIL DISNEY!!!!!
:cool1: :yay: :dance3: :cheer2: :rockband: :dancer: party: :dancer: :jumping1:
:jumping3: :jumping2: :Pinkbounc ::MinnieMo ::MickeyMo :ccat: :tinker: :simba: :dumbo: :stitch: :maleficen :goofy:
:tink: :mickeyjum party: :dancer:

[Foxfiregrrl]

Well, so much for catching up on the boards this weekend. I ended up spending Most of the weekend trying to finish up my costume for next weekend. I have the major stuff done now and just have a few details to follow up on. I painted for like 5+ hours yesterday :faint: Today my dad (of all people) helped me to hook the bra parts to it so that I can wear it.

I have a good bit of my stuff packed which is VERY unusual for me, but I know that I am going to end up having a CRAZY BUSY week and did not want to be up all night Thursday packing and running around like crazy.

So, I don't know what the chances are that I will get on DIS again before leaving, but I'll try.

I did manage to get up and do my Total Body Sculpt for 40 minutes this morning. That is about the only thing though. I REALLY wish that I had stayed on top of the diet/exercise thing.... cause my belly shows in the Tank Girl costume and it is not Nearly as pretty as it could be :rolleyes1

Well, see you guys and if I don't make it back before the holiday have an AWESOME Labor Day Weekend!!! and Happy Birthday to me!! Sept. 1st - I'l be wearing my costume that day too :thumbsup2

[lindalinda]

:cake: pixiedust: pixiedust: pixiedust:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMBER!


How old are you anyway?

Hope you all have a great time at Dragon con, take pics!


Are you guys near Warner Robbins? Saw those Little Leaguers won the world series today!

nite

:hippie:

[Foxfiregrrl]

Thanks, Linda! I'll be 29 on Saturday. And I'll be in my Awesome Tank Girl outfit on my Birthday :cool1:

We are about 30 minutes from Warner Robbins, so everyone here was pretty excited about the Little Leaguers (sp?).

Well, wrapping things up and getting my last minute stuff together! We leave around 10:30am tomorrow. We should be checking into the hotel around Noon. I get back Monday and took Tuesday off of work.

I will try to get online and give a nice update on Tuesday!

Have a GREAT HOLIDAY WEEKEND you guys!! :dance3: :cool1:

[Foxfiregrrl]

We're back from DragonCon. We had a really great time and I had an Awesome birthday! I wore my Tank Girl costume all day Saturday and was even in the parade (I'll post a pic soon) Lots of people took my picture in my costume and it was really cool! I got Lori Petty's autograph and got my picture taken with her! It was FUN!

The CON was super crowded this year though, so it caused a few problems. When we arrived we were told that the Hyatt had overbooked and did not have a room for us. There were 4 of us sharing a room. They wanted to put us 2 blocks away!! :furious: :furious: I was Seriously MAD! We had reservations since late last year. AND the way they approached us was WRONG, I was accosted as soon as I stepped out of my car! Anyway, we went into the hotel and I said a few choice words and that I wanted my "F"ing room now. The girl got the manager and we ended up with a King room & double rollaway bed. The room was Large so it was still pretty roomy w/ the rollaway in it. They comped us one night. All in all it worked out ok, but I told the manager right then that the Hyatt will NEVER get my business again! Next year we will stay at the Marriott which I've heard does not treat the Con goers nearly as nasty as Hyatt does. OK, rant over.

This year we had a somewhat large group of friends who came for all or parts of the CON. This had pros and cons. The nice thing is having people to hang out with and enjoy the CON with. The bad part is trying to organize and accomodate all those people. The worst thing was that several of the others that were with us refused to think for themselves or branch out away from DH & I. Our roommates, another couple, had things that they wanted to do that DH & I didn't necessarily want to do AND they woke up earlier than us Every morning. However, they almost refused to go anywhere without us and would wait in the room instead of going by themselves. Another of DH's friends was only there for one day and wanted to play some games, but wouldn't go because noone else wanted to play with him :confused3 I told him you spent your money on this CON don't let us stop you from doing what you want, GO, Do it! One of the main things for me is that I don't want to feel like I'm responsible for your good time. I'm there to have a good time doing what I want to do, and I'm gonna do that. I was willing to do what the group wanted some of the time, but I also had certain things that I was absolutely doing even if it meant going by myself. By Sunday I spent a couple of hours just finding things that I could intentionally do by myself and DH & I were pretty annoyed.

Next year we are considering just getting our own room, but we'll see. I just want everyone to be a little more independant.

I got to see Lori Petty twice during Q&A sessions and then meet her at her autograph table. I didn't get to see the "Weasley twins" or "Neville" at all :sad1: We tried to go to one of their panels and it was full, the other one was at 10am on Sunday. Considering we didn't get into bed until 4am Sunday, we missed that one too. I went to see them at their autograph table, but they were gone for several hours. Oh, well. I had seen the "Weasleys" before, but not "Neville".

We ate really bad and drank a lot while we were there. I did walk what seemed like several miles everyday though. The parade had to have been at least a mile and a half by itself. I didn't gain anything while there, but I sure didn't lose any either.

DH & I went to the store today (we actually got back last night) and bought healthier stuff for lunches and dinners for this week.
We HAVE to walk LOTS and LOTS between now and Disney cause DragonCon kicked our butts!! I could tell we are WAY not ready for Disney!!

ONLY 18 Days til we leave for Disney!!! I don't know whether to be excited :yay: or really freaked out:scared: cause I feel like I have a lot to do before we leave. I think I'm gonna go w/ EXCITED! :thumbsup2

See ya soon!

[kmp1191]

First of all....HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY!!!
Sounds like you had a good time at CON!!
I agree....next year just get a room for you and DH...or tell the people up front that they can do their thing and you'll do yours. I've never gone on a trip with other people...(cept my sisters)...and I don't think I will....too much drama!!

So...let's see those pictures!!!
ree:)

[lindalinda]

Hi Amber! Glad you had fun at Dragoncon. I saw a bit about it on tv and thought about you. I am really waiting to see the pics tho. Dont think we are gonna forget about that, aint gonna happen!

I know you are busy getting ready for your disney trip. Best advise (from someone who has been 10 times in the last 11 years). Slow down and smell the roses (figuratively speaking). Dont race around like a crazy person in order to wait for an hour in a certain spot to see a parade! Have conversations while waiting in line! Its a lost art.:lmao:

Hope everything is going well at work.


nite

:hippie:

[Foxfiregrrl]

Hi, guys! This weekend I managed to check in on other threads, but forgot to come and actually post on my own thread. DUH!

I started coming down with a cold about Thursday or Friday. It got worse over the weekend and has continued through the week so far. :sick: It started w/ sore throat then coughing now runny nose + the previous stuff. yay what fun. AND I've had too much going on at work (and too short a month) to be able to take off and rest to recouperate. I did take it easy all weekend, but that didn't seem to help. Earlier today I thought it was starting to ease up some, but later I think that I had just been keeping myself well medicated, cause when it started to wear off I'm now pretty miserable. I took more medicine, but it is not really helping :confused3 Oh, well, I HOPE I'll be all better before we leave NEXT FRIDAY :cool1: :woohoo:

I haven't forgotten about the pictures, I've just been lazy. I HAVE to put them on my puter before we leave so that I can clear my memory card. I will try to get one up here before we leave also, but we'll see. The costume came out pretty good. I actually have seen a clip of myself in the parade from some footage on YouTube and there are at least 2 pictures in other people's picture files of me in the parade. I Hate one of them because I'm standing strange and have a BIG fat roll between my rockets and my shorts :sad2: :scared: I was hoping to find some of the pictures that people took of me later in the day. I swear I could barely walk 10 feet without stopping to have my picture made :cool2: Anyway, I'll get a couple good ones and post them.

When we were at DragonCon we kept saying how badly we need to walk to prepare for Disney. When we got back we were already less than 20 days away, so not much time to prepare. Well here we are 9 days away and we have yet to walk once. We are planning to walk tonight though and it rained so it is cooler. I told DH yesterday that since we are the young and spry ones on this trip, that maybe we shouldn't walk to prep... that way we will slow and tired like the old folks :lmao: But, then again, I don't want to be slow cause I'm over tired and miserable!

Linda, I agree that is good advise. My dad keeps saying that he is going to take it slow and enjoy himself. We have all been except MIL, who is NOT going to want to rush either. My big problem is that I know me and I know that I'm just a BIG KID inside and when I get there I'm gonna wanna GO, GO, GO and make sure I do everything!!! I will have to remind myself that this isn't my first trip and it won't be my last! Maybe that will help me to stay calm and go with the flow. I am capable of that... I think :thumbsup2

I am hoping that the crowd level will be low again this year like it was when we went in Sept. 05. That will really help a lot! We hardly waited in any line for anything. We have the dining plan so that is at least 2 hours just for eating one meal. Not having the lines makes that not seem like it takes away as much of your day.

I kind of have a plan, but I'm trying to keep it really loose. Here are our basics:
Sat - check in - MK all day - Ohana's at 9:20pm :eek: that was the only time I could get
Sun - Epcot Chefs de France dinner @ 6:10pm
Mon - Animal Kingdom Late lunch at Whispering Canyon Cafe @ 2:40pm
Not sure what we will do afterward - would like to see Spectro and this is the only night we may be able to, BUT it is EMH at MGM, so that is a possibility also :confused3
Tues - MGM Mama Melrose dinner 6:10pm
Wed - probably Epcot Late lunch Coral Reef 3:20pm
Thurs - undecided but probably MK or MGM Boma dinner 7:30pm this is our last day, but we will stay another night in an offsite hotel and drive back Friday. We may go to Downtown Disney Friday before leaving.

So that is our happy little plan! We got the Park Hopper option, but I'm not sure how much we will use it. I wanted it though to give us that flexibility.

Well, gonna go get ready to walk. I'm not gonna try to lose any weight before going, but I am going to try not to gain anymore!! I'll try to check in this weekend some also!

See ya later!

[Foxfiregrrl]

Ok, so....drum roll, please :rockband: Here it is!!!


http://a765.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/75/l_5420ead3787964b42f1e36d62784c544.jpg


Boy I REALLY wish I had lost more weight before DragonCon!! But, all in all I'd say I look Pretty darn good! :cool2:

Other than getting this picture up I haven't done a whole lot today. I've been pretty sick since my last post. Thursday and Friday were pretty bad and I ended up taking most of Thursday and all Friday off from work. I went to the doctor on Friday and she gave me a Z-pack, samples of Allegra and a sample of Nasonex. She knew that I didn't have allergies, but I guess it was for the SUPER runny nose :upsidedow Today I'm mostly feeling better, but still sort of weak and run down.

I got out some of my clothes to prepare for packing, but that is about it. I'm also working on decorations for our hotel door and window. I've been reading about others who decorate and it sounded like fun. DH says I went overboard (well, his real statement was indecent for the boards :rolleyes1 ) I don't care though :)

K, gonna go get ready for bed now. Hope you guys enjoy the photo pirate:

[lindalinda]

:lmao: Amber that is awesome! Does your back hurt? those look heavy!

Seriously, looks fabulous, I bet it was so much fun. What did you DH wear?


Are you ready for disney yet? Its getting close, just about panic time!

[lindalinda]

4 days!




Time to panic!


:hippie:

[Foxfiregrrl]

They actually ended up being pretty light. It was a BLAST!! Dh did not dress up, but this convinced him that he Absolutely wants to next year! I got lots of picture requests! and lots of comments... my favorite was "those are weapons of mass destraction!" and the most annoying was "you're gonna poke someone's eye out with those".

Yes only 4 days and actually we leave right after work Friday night to drive down, so only 3 days :scared1:

I'm trying not to panic! I have almost everything packed already. I just have to do bathroom supplies and my window/door decorations. I think everything else is set... I hope :scared:

I talked to my mom on the phone Sunday and my dad was talking in the background. I thought our plan was to drive to Orlando Friday night (5.5 hours-ish), but then dad starts talking about how we'll stop for the bathroom and gas and it will take more like 6.5 so we should stop before Orlando :confused3 I was like, uh, it doesn't take that long to get gas, etc. He said that because we will be kind of cramped in the truck that he will want to stop several times. Blah, blah, and I couldn't convince him that driving on down would be better. He kept saying we'll be there a whole week :sad2: So, it looks like we'll stop in Ocala for the night which is about 1.5 hours away. The only arguement that I have been able to come up with against it is that it is going to cost a good bit more for the hotel rooms if we stay in Ocala :confused3 don't know why, but I can't seem to find a cheap hotel in that area. Oh, well, we will probably just go with the flow and see how far down the road we get.

I am SO EXCITED though!!! :woohoo: :cool1: :cool1: :yay: :yay: :cheer2: :cheer2:

BTW, work has actually not been too bad lately! I've managed to stay calm about being gone for a week and not stress myself out :cool1: :cheer2: That is really good for me, cause I had expected to be losing my mind and working LATE most days this week. Yay me! :cheer2:

K, gonna go try to calm down so that I can actually sleep tonight! If I'm not back before we leave then I'll see you guys when I get back :hippie:

[lindalinda]

:cool1: :cool1: :cool1: :cool1: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :cool1: :cool1: :cool1:
:cool1: :cool1: :cool1: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :dance3: :dance3: :dance3
: :yay: :yay: :yay: :yay: :

Have a great trip Amber!


Drive safe! Takes lots of pics! Take time to enjoy everything!


:hippie:

[Foxfiregrrl]

Hey, just thought I would do a quickie post since I'm back from Disney.

We got home last night around 7pm. We had a really good time and everything worked out really well. I will either write more here later or do a trip report... I haven't decided which yet.

I am in a super funky mood today though :confused3 guess I'm sinking into the post trip depression early this time. :sad2: Earlier I was talking to DH about whether or not I'm going back to school to get my masters degree or going ahead and starting to try to have kids and I just burst into tears :confused: DH said "I knew I shouldn't have taken you to Disney" cause seeing all those kids would make me want one NOW :lmao:

Then, I read that Marie may take some time off from the boards. :sad1: and Linda has been so busy lately and not on the boards as much. I don't really talk to anyone else the way I talk to you guys on here. I know that is pretty sad and lame, but it is what it is. I have come to rely on you guys and I don't know what I would do without your support! :grouphug: Thanks for hanging in there with me!! :grouphug:

I know that this board is supposed to be about getting healthy and losing weight. I also realize that I haven't been focusing on that for Too long.

DH & I have been discussing that all the exercise that we got on our trip is a good jumping off point for getting back on track. I gained about 4 pounds on the trip, which isn't that terrible considering all the food (and especially desserts) that we ate. Dh said that he is up about 10 pounds from the last time he weighed in (which had been awhile). So, we are both going to work on doing MUCH better.

I don't really have a plan in mind yet but we have set a start date for Tuesday. The reason for Tuesday is that the rest of this weekend is relaxing and getting over the trip, then Monday will be the first day back at that dirty "W" word :scared1: So, Tuesday it is.

We will initially start out walking and working on eating right and not eating out All the time, like we had been doing. I am considering whether or not we will join a gym. I think it could be a good thing, but haven't decided yet.

We went to the grocery store today. We bought LOTS of fruits and veggies and other healthy items. Then... we bought beer (for Dh) and wine :sad2: I know that I have to do better about the wine also! No since in working so hard just to sabotage myself by drinking too many calories!

I will eat Kashi cereal for breakfasts, a sandwich & apple for lunches, and then we will make healthy dinners! Our dinner plans for this week are Shepard's Pie (tonight, then leftovers 1 or 2 other nights), Italian veggie beef soup tomorrow night (plus leftovers), and porkchops w/ black bean and avocado salad another night. That should get us through the week with all the leftovers. If not, Dh will make red beans and rice another night. It is not the healhiest, but the only bad thing is the sausage which will be half regular and half lower fat - so not too bad.

The exercise has been our major downfall lately. I am going to make an effort to ensure that we get that flowing again though. I think it will help that my DH has seen the scale go up on him and he is not happy about that at all! I find it much easier to be motivated when he is :thumbsup2

K, so with that said, PLEASE don't leave me!!! I need you guys during this time of getting back on track so that I don't slip again!!

Hope you guys are having a great weekend!! I promise to come back w/ more trip details soon!! I'm just not there right now, if you know what I mean.

[kmp1191]

Yeah....no guilt there girl!!!
I'm not gone for good....just regrouping and getting positive again. I'm almost there....so hang in there!!!
I'm thinking of starting another new journal...we'll see.

Anyway, get on track now and stay on track!!! I live closer to you now and have no problem driving to where you are and kicking your butt!!! Now-get out there and start walking again!!! Do I need to throw a challenge or 2 your way???

Whatever you decide...kids or school...you do what's best for you!!!

Ok..I'm not posting again until I get a Disney Trip Report!!!

later chick!
marie

[lindalinda]

Hey Amber! Glad you had a good trip! My sister is down there right now, and, no lie, she callled me this morning and asked me what to do!!!! :lmao: She has never been before and had no plans. But I am sure she was fine.

And btw, I am still here, just lazy (and fat!). I too, have to get back on track. Mostly exercise. I think about it alot. It seems like it should be easier than it is.:confused3

As far as bursting into tears, heck we all do that. I burst into tears friday night because Flower died on Meerkat Manor. ( I am tearing up a little now just thinking about it) Personally, though its absolutely no business of mine, you did bring it up, I think you should have the kids. The time just slips away so easily, and suddenly you get old. Not trying to scare you or anything, you are just a puppy yourself. But I had Kev at 30. Hes 15 now and I'm freaking old! 15 is HARD. Oh yeah you arent too old to have a baby at 35 or 37. Thats no problem. Its the having teens at 50 something that sucks! JMO.

And anyway, you probably are just tired coming home from vacation. Its exhausting.


I want to see pics!

nite

:hippie:

[Foxfiregrrl]

Thanks for coming by guys!

I'm still in kind of an off mood, but doing better today. I am not yet ready to recap my trip, but I am going to start working on it soon. I am considering uploading most of my pics to my Photopass account and making a photobook through the site. If I do I will send you guys the link so that you can check out all of our pictures.

I am debating doing the actual trip report or not. I am just not sure how interesting my adults only trip would be compared to all the fun family trips w/ kids and lots of pics. This being our second trip in 2 years we didn't really take that many pics. Whatever I decide I'll let you guys know.

Btw, on Wednesday I discovered that I have Ringworm on my chin :scared1: I am pretty sure that I got it from one of my foster kids :sad2: So, I looked online and read that you can treat it with Lotramin. I bought some yesterday and started putting it on. Now, my chin/cheek is swollen on that side :confused3 I plan to call the doctor tomorrow to ask what I should do. Ugh.

I also started w/ the sore throat and coughing some around late Wednesday and Thursday. My mom gave me some Airborne and then I bought myself some yesterday. I'm taking it at least once a day. It seems to be helping.

Ok, so WHAT is up? I am usually Never sick and here w/in a month I'm like sick and yucky all the time :confused3 Vacation is supposed to relax and recharge you not make you sick! ;) Unless you go to Disney I guess :rotfl:

Well, we started out pretty well today. We opted not to go to my grandma's for Sunday dinner. I still had to go over and visit, but I was able to avoid all the bad foods. I walked over and back, but that has been all my exercise for today. Baby steps.

Food:
B - 2 cups coffee w/ sugar & milk
L- Amy's tv dinner - some Indian veggie dish - 300 cals & 12 fat grams (there were nuts in it though)
S- 1 Hobnob (british cookie from Epcot), half bottle of Superfood juice
D - will be - Italian veggie beef soup
I will probably have some chocolate snack later too. We have British chocolate bars, Hobnobs, 2 choc. eared mickey rice krispy treats, and 1 PB choc. cake thing leftover from Disney still. We will be eating heavily on that stuff over the next couple of days. I want to enjoy it, but also get it gone so that it is not tempting me once we start the actual diet/exercise routine again.

Well, gonna go for now. Have a good week!

[lindalinda]

I hope you are feeling better Amber! That is probably why you have been feeling a little down. Did you go to the dr? Your chin seems a really strange place to get ringworm. Are you sure thats what it is? I guess not really tho. I mean I guess you could come into contact and then touch your face. I hope the medicine works fast!


Its wednesday, so I guess that humpday for you. All downhill from here, so have a nice rest of the week!

:hippie:

[Foxfiregrrl]

I am feeling better, that Airborne really did the trick. On the ringworm, I'm pretty sure that is what it is/was. The foster kids have been passing it back and forth and they are really lovey and like to hug me. Anyway, the Lotramin seems to be working pretty well. I can't really see it anymore, but I read that you should continue treating it for a week after you can't see it. I didn't end up calling the doctor, cause the cream seemed to be working.

It was a pretty busy week. Not bad at work and not too much going on at home, just getting readjusted to everything.
I struggled with my eating really bad this week. We went from eating EVERYthing and having dessert w/ every meal at Disney to cutting calories way back. It just didn't work for me. I did Better than I had been, but not as well as I would have liked. I still had Loads of sweet snacks leftover, but have pretty much demolished them now. I ended up eating lunch out twice this week with my friends at work. That is bad on two levels - the first for my diet and secondly because we are supposed to be working on our budget :sad2: I wasn't as bad as I could have been on either count though.

We walked on Tuesday & I walked at lunch on Monday, but we didn't get any exercise for the rest of the week. It has been rainy everyday here. I know that's no excuse, but it doesn't help any.

Today-
Dh & I cleaned the kitchen, went through cookbooks and planned our meals for the week, shopped for the ingredients, and set up our budget for the month. :cool1: We were pretty busy, but it feels good to have the healthy menu set and the budget set :cool1:

Monday night I went w/ my mom to a financial class that they are doing at her church. It will be every monday for the next 11 weeks. We missed the first class because we were at Disney, but it was the basics that I pretty much already know. Last week was budgeting, so that was a great jumpstart. We had said once we got back from vacation we would set a budget and try to keep a better eye on our money.
I have to admit when we did the budget today we were both kind of upset when we finished it. We had expected to have more saving money left when we were done. However, we have a low mortgage and have been making double payments on it every month so that is a large amount that would normally go into savings. Once we looked at that it helped our mood a good bit :thumbsup2 Dh said that if we paid double every payment we could have the house paid for in about 10 years :cool1: but I'm sure once the kids come along the extra payment will drop significantly. Anyway, I think we will be ok with the budget we set. We cut back our eating out money BIG time!! but we each get some money to just blow each month and we have Entertainment money. I think with us trying to eat better we will do ok w/ the limited eating out money. Dh cooks better than most restaurants anyway :thumbsup2

So, tonight for dinner we had California style burritos. We split a chicken breast and then DH made this Avocado and black bean salad (something he just came up with). Then we had whole wheat burrito shells that we put the chicken and salad mix on. We each had 2 burritos. It was YUMMY!! and pretty darn healthy, too!

So, I think I'm planning to do an official Trip report, but I keep wavering back and forth on that. I kind of want to, but I am concerned that I will end up getting halfway through it and not finishing it. I'm gonna try to start typing it on my computer this weekend and if I can get a couple of days done, then I will do it on DIS.

I have Monday off :cool1: :cheer2: :woohoo: It is a holiday and I'm excited because I feel like I could really use the extra down time or cleaning time or I might go to the fair :thumbsup2

Ok, enough rambling for me today. I'll Be Back!

[lindalinda]

Amber is that class called Financial Peace? Dave Ramsey course? Churches give it a lot, I took it a few years back at church. If so, its really good. And I think you will feel really good when you get it all figured out. They will ask you to do an emergency fund tho, and probably tell you to stop doubling your mortgage payment until you get that set up.

Ahem, I should probably look into doing that again myself:rolleyes1 I have fallen off the wagon, and I am taking a 50% paycut in 3 years!


Those burritos sound delish! It sounds like you are getting settled back into the grind. It always takes me awhile too.


Have a nice weekend!

:hippie:

[Foxfiregrrl]

Yep, it is the Financial Peace program. Mom and I have taken several other financial courses in the past and always enjoy them. I think I learn something new at each one and it helps to be reminded of some of the points. I think we are pretty set on the emergency fund and we both contribute to our 401ks (probably should do a bit more in those though) and no debt besides the house. I am not really sure where we got it from but both of us have traditionally been good savers. We've just fallen off the wagon recently. I feel very blessed to look at our financial situation and realize how far we have come at such a young age. I look around me and hear other people's stories and am glad that I'm not in their boat. On the emergency fund thing... w/ the bills we have & the mortgage I don't think DH and I would be able to sleep at night if we had less than the initial minimum they recommend in the bank :scared: but that is just our personalities.

It is Way too easy to fall off the wagon and wind up spending way more than you think you are. I couldn't believe how seriously our eating out was hurting our budget until we wrote it down!

You can get back on the wagon :cheer2: I know you can. I'm gonna bug you periodically to see how it's coming :thumbsup2

[Foxfiregrrl]

Did pretty good today. Got up on the early side (for a day off :thumbsup2 ). Did a 25 min kickboxing workout from FitTV. Later in the afternoon I walked over to mom's house and back which isn't a whole lot, but it's better than driving.

Food:
b- kashi w/ milk, 2 Big cups of coffee
l- peanut butter & jelly sandwich, broccoli dipped in Ranch
d- Vegetarian Taco Salad
no snack yet but I feel a bit of a rumbly so I may have something small.

Gonna go try to relax now so I can get some sleep tonight. For some reason last night it took me about 2 hours to go to sleep :eek:

Have a Great Day!

[Foxfiregrrl]

Let's see... I really want to get back to posting my food everyday.

Tuesday -
b- kashi w/ milk, coffee
l- PB&J, broccoli w/ ranch
s- small skinny striped mocha latte ( it was a rough day)
d- pork chop, Orzo Artichoke & Red pepper salad
later - vodka & coke zero

Wed-
b- kashi w/ milk, coffee
l- orzo salad, chick. sandwich
d- tuna casserole w/ water chestnuts and broc. in it
later - wine - 2.5 glasses

Today -
B- kashi w/ milk, coffee
S- cinnamon thing from McDonalds (coworker brought them for our unit :sad2: )
L- peanut butter and Jelly sandwich, broccoli w/ ranch
D- vegetarian taco salad - pretty good
After dinner - wine... 1 glass so far, prob 2 more to come :guilty:

So, I know there is this bad pattern of Booze every night! But, I've been PMSing BAD this week. and for me that means I get depressed and feel like my life is crashing down around me :upsidedow not much fun. Every afternoon at work has been like torture. I just feel like I don't want to ever do anything at all again. I keep telling myself that I Like my job, I Love my life, so what's the deal. I even know it's just the PMS, but that isn't really helping. So, I'm just trying to deal until it passes, which it will.

So, crazily enough, I'm doing really well at work. I thought I would be Totally behind when I came back from vacation, but I'm actually almost completely caught up. I still have a few things that I need to do and a few more that I should do to keep from getting behind again. But all in all I'm on top of things :woohoo: but part of my personality is to get complacent and slack off when I get too close to on top of things :sad2: then something happens and I'm drowning again. :confused3 Ah, well, thus is my life.

Exercise... Tuesday we walked even though it was very damp and soggy outside. Last night, DH had a friend over and TOM had hit me so we slacked. Tonight, I was in a funk and really trying to convince DH to take me out, but he was in a bit of a funk too and stuck to his guns about not eating out :confused3 what's up with that? :thumbsup2 Anyway, we took a middle ground... We figured we ate healthier (since we stayed home), but we wouldn't exercise tonight :3dglasses That works somewhere right? :confused3 Baby steps.

So far the budget thing is going pretty well. And our meal planning worked this week so far. Today at work I didn't do well at resisting the cinnamon things, but I had been looking forward to a "snack fest" all week. We were supposed to all (30 something of us) bring in breakfasty and snacky things for our Program Directors birthday. Then yesterday they ended up canceling it :eek: So, I actually ended up being better than I would have been :upsidedow I guess.

I think one of the hardest things is that the girls around me eat a lot of junk and REALLY like to share it. What is crazy about that is that two of them are the ones going to the gym 3-4 days a week :eek: :confused3 They are two of the worst 3 about bringing junk to share :confused3 They are also the 2 heaviest of the group. I have to admit also that willpower is not a strength of mine :scared: I'm gonna work on that one.

I am thinking that I'm gonna probably start a new journal. Maybe in November or just a bit before. I really need to refocus. I also think that I need to work a little bit harder to expand my support group. I Love you guys and you have helped me get this far :grouphug: but I also think I need to get some additional accountability going again. Every little bit helps! I want to try to join the challenges again and really post at least every couple of days about what I'm doing right and wrong. I hope you guys will come with me to my new journal!!

I really see that my life seems to be coming into a better focus, even through the fog of the PMS funk. I feel like I'm working on a lot of things at once, but I thrive under pressure, so maybe I need a lot of things going on at once :confused3 we'll see.

Have a Great Friday!!! I have a massage scheduled for 5pm, so I'll be counting down the hours, then minutes :thumbsup2 See ya'll Saturday!!

[lindalinda]

I think its a really good idea to start posting your food and stuff again on a regular basis. I hope I can get back into it too soon. I think when kevins schedule lets up a little (november) I will start again with a vengeance.


Sorry about the PMS thing. I swear, I actually scare myself sometimes from it, I get so mean! Like I' m looking at someone taking over my body:rotfl2: If its too bad tho, you should talk to your dr.

I thought your new place had weight watchers or something? Or did that go away? Maybe a buddy system or something. I have not found that to work where I am tho. It seems to me if people know you are on a diet, they seem to try to get you to eat MORE. So I dont tell anyone anymore. But maybe thats just me:confused3

Tell your hubby I'm proud of him for sticking to his guns about eating out!


Have a good weekend!

:hippie:

[Foxfiregrrl]

The PMS has let up now. Thank goodness! I usually lasts a little less than a week, but sometimes it just hits harder than other times. :confused3 I was thinking of trying to see if there are any natural remedies that might help to control the hormonal swings?

I was thinking about the Weight Watchers thing at work Friday actually.... I'm not sure if they are still doing it or not? I think I will look into it. I agree with what you said. I think that they try to tempt me more because I said I was trying to eat right again. Also I made the mistake of telling them that I am trying to budget and going to try to cut my eating lunch out Way down. Then they tried to get me to eat out like everyday :mad: Not cool!

I'm proud of him for refusing to eat out Thursday also. He Very often gives into me WAY too easy princess: Can be good and bad :thumbsup2

So yesterday...
B- kashi w/ milk, coffee
L- pimento cheese sandwich, half a can of soup
D - FONDUE!!! cheese course, salad, entree (steak, chicken, & pork, w/ various veggies), and Chocolate course!!! and 3 glasses of wine.

SO, we totally blew the budget last night :sad2: :rolleyes1 We had planned to cook at home last night and get take out tonight because the guys are here all day today. When I got home though I really wanted to go out and do something, which didn't have to be dinner. I was thinking something like a movie. DH suggested that we go to dinner and then he could cook tonight. Sounded good to me.

This new Fondue restaurant just opened here in Macon, before now we would have had to go to Atlanta for Fondue. So, we decided to go there. We knew that it would be expensive, but we were hoping it would be a little cheaper here in Macon... apparently NOT! So, we ended up getting the meal for two. It was very nice and YUMMY! We were there for two and a half hours too! The feast includes a glass of wine per person, but you can use that to get a credit toward a bottle of wine, so we did that :thumbsup2 We had a great time and would definitely go again, just not very often at all!

Anyway, that one dinner was more than our whole eating out budget for the month. So, we agreed to take the majority of it out of our entertainment budget. I think the entertainment budget is a bit high anyway so that will work out hopefully. We have enough money in our dinner budget for one more dinner out basically.

I'm sure it was WAY over my calorie budget for the day, too. Oh, well, I'll do better today.

Today so far-
L- pb&j sandwich, 2 cups of coffee
Uh, just realized that is all I've eaten... No wonder I'm HUNGRY!!
Gonna have Red beans and rice for dinner, hopefully soon.
Wine will also be partaken of tonight. The guys are all here drinking, so I'm sure I will join in sooner or later :dance3:

No exercise today or yesterday. Tomorrow we will be walking around the fair all day, but then we will also probably eat fair food (entertainment budget :thumbsup2 ) so it will not do much good.

I have to tell you guys about my day so far :sad2: Dh & I got up and were getting ready for the guys to come over. Low and behold who shows up but my MIL. So, I've been creating a Photobook online through Disney's Photopass website and had said I would make her one too. I specifically had not invited her over to see it yet because I WASN'T DONE YET!!! But, here she was. My plan for the day had been that I would finish my photobook and maybe start on hers, but I had other things that I wanted to do today also. But, here she was. So, I figured I might as well just go ahead and make her book today and get it finished and then I won't have to deal with it anymore. That ended up taking us the better part of 6 hours :eek:
I'm glad that we got it done and I don't really spend much time with my MIL so it is not that bad. It just derailed my plans for the day, so I wasn't all that pleased. What's done is done though.
Then my mom shows up like 10 minutes after my MIL leaves. This was just not meant to be my day to do what I want. She only stayed like 20 minutes though, so that wasn't too bad.

Anyway, just had to get that off my chest. WOW, I'm really long winded today! :coffee: Hope you brought your coffee to this reading session :thumbsup2

Tonight the guys are here, so I'm gonna spend part of my time on the computer and then hanging on the couch watching tv and planning menus for the week. Boy I live an exciting life :rotfl:

K, enough ranting and rambling for one day. See you guys tomorrow, probably.

[lindalinda]

Hi Amber. Sounds like you are working on your budget. I think its perfectly fine to use your entertainment budget for a nice dinner. It sounds great too. I have never been to one of those fondue places. I bet I would love it too. Cheese and chocolate. Basic food groups for me!:lmao:

I am so feeling sorry for your 6 hours with MIL. I would have freaked out. Really. But does that mean we will see some vaca pics ?

Do they have those fried oreos at your fair? I love those. Its bad I know, but I do!:rolleyes1

nite

:hippie:

[kmp1191]

Hey Amber....sorry I haven't been on your journal in a while. Been a little selfish and focusing on me lately. :guilty:
I took the Dave Ramsey Financial Peace course, and I also read both his books...(really liked Total Money Makeover..actually I'll probaly go buy it again and start a "do-over"!) ( i gave the first copy to my sister)
Anyway, he is pretty much the reason I became a photographer! Took a second job to pay off the credit cards...found something that I liked doing and it worked out pretty well...4 years later I'm a professional photographer...and the credit cards were paid off until this move came along!

ASIDE from the fondu night...your food looks good...keep it up!!!

later girlie!!
marie

[Foxfiregrrl]

Wow. Sorry it's been over a week. I have been meaning to check in but just haven't had it in me.

I had a pretty rough week at work this week. Just emotionally draining things that are going on with one of my cases. It is the one I've been in court over for like 3+ months. It just didn't go the way we thought it would and has reeked a good bit of havoc. I am not being blamed for anything cause most of what happened was before I took the case, but it is still just crazy. Sorry I can't be more specific.

So, anyway that kind of threw me off and I ended up allowing myself to drink wine several more nights than I would have normally :rolleyes1

We are doing pretty good on sticking with our planned meals and not eating out for dinner! :cool1: Lunches for me have been difficult. We had a birthday lunch planned for a Co-worker on Wednesday. She is a BAD planner and ended up not coming to her own party! :confused3 :sad2: So we all went anyway and then they are planning to take her out this coming Tuesday. I will probably go to that one too, even though I know I shouldn't cash-wise. It is my whole unit that goes so it would be really weird not to. Then Thursday, one of my coworkers had a girl who is aging out of the system (and doing REALLY well) so we took her to lunch and did presents for her. So, neither were all that great for the budget or the waistline. I'm not over budget though so I'm doing ok on one :thumbsup2

I had the work thing and DH came down with a cold, so we didn't end up with any exercise this week. :sad2: Gotta work on that big time!

So, I have to tell about our Friday night! DH had the day off so he went grocery shopping, cleaned up, and cooked dinner :love: The dinner wasn't ready when I came home, but that was planned. We sat on the porch and drank some wine while it cooked. Then we had (canned) Minestrone as our first course. He made goat cheese chicken cutlets w/ lemon butter sauce :cloud9: (DELICIOUS!!) & then white wine roasted tomato and herb sauce over angel hair for the side dish! :cloud9: :cloud9: OMG!! It was SO Awesome! I was seriously thinking this man should be a Chef! It was really nice to because we normally would have gone out for dinner, spent way too much money, and not had a meal half as good! Plus his dinner was actually pretty healthy and not too fattening. The only fat was the butter and the goat cheese and there wasn't really much goat cheese.

Yesterday was an interesting day. I woke up at 4:45 am and could not go back to sleep. Finally I got up at 6:45 :eek: I don't get up that early during the week! So, I watched the sun rise and just chilled for a bit. Then I worked on my trip report. I have decided that I am going to put one together. I want to get a little further into writing it out before I put it online though. I MAYBE will start it officially next weekend, depending on what we end up doing.

Then Dh got up and we went to two little artsy markets that were going on this weekend. We bought a little pepper plant that has really cute purple and red peppers on it (it was partially a farmer's market also). I was most proud of us for coming home to eat lunch rather than eating out :cheer2: We had the leftover pasta and tomato sauce from Friday and DH cooked a little bit of leftover HC sausage to add to it. It turned out Really good and was another example of how eating at home can be way better than eating out.

We had Dh's best friend and his family over last night for dinner. This is the wife that I am not too sure about. She was very surprising last night though. She was actually easy to talk with and was not Negative every other word! :upsidedow very different from what I'm used to with her. She talked about how she has been looking for a job, but is having trouble finding one and she actually said "but I'm not going to be discouraged about it" (normally she would go on FOREVER about how horribly depressed she is about it) AND she talked about her husband in a normal way that wasn't what a horrible husband he is and how he doesn't make enough money! :woohoo: I was amazed that it went as well as it did. If she keeps this up I might could actually enjoy getting together with them more often than once every 6 months! The girls (4 & 6) were the really well behaved kids they always are and they even cleaned up after themselves when it was time to go! :cool1: They stayed for about 4.5 hours total and it was a really good evening.

Oh, yeah, we had steak (hotdogs for the kids), potato salad, corn on the cob, chips (they brought them), and chocolate pudding cake. I made the cake from the American Heart Association Meals in Minutes cookbook that I've been using for everything lately. It was pretty good. The cake was a little less sweet than I would have liked, but it had a really yummy "sauce" that is at the bottom. I am taking the rest of it to work tomorrow because I forgot to take snacks when it was my turn for snack day last Thursday :confused3 Yeah, they instituted "snack day" every Thursday, conveniently they took that vote when I was off! I have agreed but I am going to try to bring healthier snacks or lower fat stuff. This time the cake is at least lower fat, but I'm also taking some cheese rounds that I made. They aren't exactly low cal/low fat, but at least it isn't fast food!! Usually the other ladies bring donuts or sausage/chicken biscuits. I WON'T GO THERE!

Today has been mostly a chill day. I had a leftover hotdog, corn, & potato salad for lunch. Dinner was Spanish shrimp & peppers over rice, with a guacamole salad on the side. The guacamole was homemade, YUM! DH at work again! Also, no cheese on the salad, just guacamole and lettuce. I LOVE guacamole salad :love: This was a Really healthy and well balanced meal. We each had 1/8 a pound of shrimp and just a handful of rice. The rest was all veggie! :yay:

We have the rest of the weeks meals planned out too! We will have shrimp burritos w/ the leftover shrimp dish from tonight. The leftover rice will go into a pork fried rice which will be two dinners. Then we will have chili also. That should get us through the week pretty well.

I really want to get moving on my exercise again. I think this week should go pretty good. I love what the weather is doing, it is so nice outside!

I am going to do my best to post more often so that I can stay on track better!!

Have a great Monday!!

[Foxfiregrrl]

Oh, yeah, after all that rambling I realized I didn't answer you guys' most recent questions :hippie:

Linda - I didn't see any fried oreos at the fair, but I did see that they had fried snickers which was really tempting. I had not eaten yet though. Fried Oreos would be Awesome though because Oreos are my Favorite cookie! I usually Love to get one of those Giant cinnamon rolls they have though. I was proud of myself for not getting one :cheer2: We didn't end up staying at the fair long though.
Disney pics.... I'm gonna work on that along with the trip report. I've just been moving slowly. I did finish my photo book today and ordered them. I'm excited to see what they look like :yay:

Marie- just wanted to say that it is not selfish to focus on yourself! You need to sometimes especially when you have so much going on! I think that it is really cool that you got into photography because of the Dave Ramsey thing! I am really enjoying it so far and it is helping DH & I with the whole budget thing :woohoo:


Again, I thank you guys for sticking with me :grouphug: I feel like you guys give me WAY more support than I could ever give back in return! :love:
I feel like we've all been having a rough time lately. :upsidedow We're all gonna get through this year! I Promise!! :goodvibes

See you guys soon! :hippie:

[lindalinda]

Hey amber! Sounds like you had a great weekend! I hadnt checked in in a couple of days because of working.

I know I told you about kev wanting to try out for a DCI corps. Well the 2 that were reasonably close BOTH decided to go inactive next year. Capitol Regiment and Southwind. So he is bummed. The others are really too far away for me to get him for all the practices (one weekend a month). He is considering Memphis, which is a smaller corps, but we will see. Thats still a long drive! :confused3

Sorry you didnt get to try the fried oreos. If you ever see them...give it a try, they are awesome!


I havent been postin much on my journal, mostly because I am so off-track! I have a plan though. Just a couple of weeks more of slovenly behavior, then I'm back on the wagon!


Have a nice week!

:hippie:

[kmp1191]

I know I told you about kev wanting to try out for a DCI corps. Well the 2 that were reasonably close BOTH decided to go inactive next year. Capitol Regiment and Southwind. So he is bummed. The others are really too far away for me to get him for all the practices (one weekend a month). He is considering Memphis, which is a smaller corps, but we will see. Thats still a long drive! :confused3


:hippie:

Not meaning to hijack....but Linda....how far are you from Memphis? Would the practices still be one weekend a month? Let me know....maybe I can help ya out.....

marie

(pm me...or call...you have the info!)

[Foxfiregrrl]

Well, if Linda's coming to Memphis once a month, then I'm coming too!! Seriously though if all the planets align correctly then we should all get together one of those weekends!

K, so I was gonna do a real post tonight about all my food since Sunday. But then my mom and dad came over at 8 and stayed til just now :eek: And they were supposed to be out of town until Sunday :confused3

I think they are trying to con DH and I into going on vacation somewhere with them again next year. I don't think DH is falling for it though :lmao:

K, see ya tomorrow

[kmp1191]

Ya know....:scratchin ....this could be doeable......
of course, I have to get back to memphis first!!!

I'm sure we'll be talking more about this!!! :thumbsup2

[Foxfiregrrl]

We'll definitely have to keep that discussion open.

So, I have been doing better on my eating for the most part, but still drinking more than is good for a diet :rolleyes1

Monday - my food was pretty good for breakfast and lunch, dinner was soft tacos made w/ the leftover spanish shrimp and some black bean and avocado salad. Overall Very good calorie day... Then, I had a couple of glasses of wine :sad2:

Tuesday was a bad food day all around - coworker's bday party meant lunch at Red Lobster, then I forgot to set the meat out so we went out for dinner (it was cheap at least :thumbsup2 ) Then a little wine

Yesterday was my first good day :yay:
B- kashi w/ milk, coffee
l- 1 slice leftover pizza, black bean and guacamole salad
d- homemade pork fried rice
NO Wine!! :cool1: or other booze ;)

Today
b- kashi w/ milk, coffee
l - pb&j sandwich, bb & guac. salad
d- leftover fried rice
no wine... yet? :rolleyes: We'll see though

We have yet to get back on track with the exercise thing. I have had a lack of motivation because I've either been getting home late from work or simply been too drained from work. It has been kind of a high emotion couple of weeks. I am hoping it will get better pretty soon.

Weather is kind of good for walking... except it almost got too cool too fast :confused3 can we have some sort of in between time here? it used to be called Fall :confused3

We got our photobooks in from Disney today :cheer2: They are really cool. the only thing I would do different next time is that I would take way more pictures (both personal & photopass) then I could add extra pages! It costs $1.50 extra for each additional page, but I think it would be worth it. The book just seems so flat and thin. That is the only negative about it though. the pictures came out really nice and the backgrounds are cool. Most of all I like that we have a completed scrapbook of our trip and we haven't even been back a full month yet :cheer2: :cheer2: I still haven't done anything w/ my wedding pictures and that was 5 years ago! :scared:

I haven't really had any time to work on my trip report since last weekend, but I am going to set some time to work on it this weekend. Then I will most likely start trying to post in w/in the next week. I think once I actually have a thread then I will be encouraged to work on it more diligently. :laughing: I hope.

So, I went to this Halloween store today and looked at all the really cool Sexy costumes and that made me wish that I had been more diligent all this time at trying to lose weight. They just aren't as sexy w/ big fat rolls hanging out of them :crazy: I may buy one and hang it on my closet door where I will see it everyday! Maybe that will motivate me! :lmao: Then I could put a picture of me wearing it on the fridge to gross me out before I open it to eat :rotfl2: K, so maybe that's not the best of ideas :confused3

K, that is enough silliness from me tonight. See ya!

[lindalinda]

I am not sure how far exactly it is to memphis...maybe 6 hours? The trouble is, I have to take kev down on friday for the camp, drive back to work saturday, then drive back down on sunday to pick him up. I am not exactly looking forward to that, but I guess I will at least let him go to the first camp and see if he likes it.:confused3 I would have to have split days off, and spend both driving 12 hours. ugh. We'll see. Maybe I can get a few saturdays off and spend the weekend tho. That would be fun, I have never been to memphis.

I am totally in the same boat as you Amber, on the exercising. Just not quite there yet. Soon tho.

Keep up the good food choices, and the rest will come.

Nite

:hippie:

[kmp1191]

Amber - get your butt in gear and start working out!!! (there, that's all the lecture I have in me for now!!)

Linda - i'm gonna pm ya....

[Foxfiregrrl]

You know if I stay at home my food choices are great, but when I go out I am Horrible :sad2:
Friday I went to Stevie B's pizza buffet for lunch w/ my coworker :sad2:
Saturday - DH & I went out to a new place "The Shamrock" which is an Irish pub. We shared a cup of Irish Stew, each had a salad, and shared the Shepard's pie & green beans. I would say that this was not too bad though. Could have done better at home, but not bad for out.

So, the other thing that I really feel I need to work on in order to start losing again is WINE :scared: :faint: Thing is I enjoy my couple glasses of wine. I just don't think my waistline enjoys them :rolleyes1

I also know that I have to get back on track w/ the exercise. I just feel like there has been SO much going on lately. I am going to work my way up to it. I am going to try to get DH to walk around the lake after lunch some today since it is such a nice day.

Well, we are in the last few days of the month... budget had been going really well all month. However, going to that fondue place really put a hurting on our entertainment and eating out budget. next month we don't think will be nearly as bad cause there isn't much going on, dh is on call twice, and its thanksgiving. So, we ended up stealing from Nov.'s food budget for dinner last night. We had gone to MIL's house and stayed to long and were just overly hungry. So, we also may steal from Nov.'s entertainment budget for a haunted house either tomorrow or tuesday. We went to this one last year and it was really good. It is supposed to be better this year. I :love: Halloween so I really wanted to do something cool. We aren't actually going on Halloween though because we did that last year and the wait was 2 hours:eek:

BTW, WOW Linda, I didn't realize how far Memphis was from you! :eek: I figured maybe 3-4 hours. Maybe someone else from nearby will be going also and you guys could trade off driving down? Long shot, but you never know.

K, think that is it for now. See ya soon!

[Foxfiregrrl]

Ok, I was trying to work on how many calories a day I should allow myself. At one point when I was really counting, I had been allowing myself about 1600. But I wasn't seeming to lose much. Then for awhile I was doing between 1000 and 1200. That seemed to work for a bit, but I was really hungry.

So, I was looking at some calculators today. All of them say that to maintain my weight I need 2000 or more calories :eek: So then why wasn't I losing when I was doing 1600?
My fitday says that my basal metobolic rate is 1672 per day.

This is what one site said:

You need 2238.6 calories per day to maintain your current weight without exercise.

You need 2149.3 calories per day to reach your goal weight slowly and maintain that weight without exercise.

If you reduce your current caloric intake to 1738.6 calories per day you will lose one pound per week without exercise.

If you increase your current caloric intake to 2738.6 calories per day, you will gain one pound per week.

Exercise and Calorie Needs

If you exercise for 30 minutes each day, you may increase your caloric intake to 2488.8 calories per day and still maintain your current weight.

If you exercise for 60 minutes each day, you may increase your caloric intake to 2801.6 calories per day to maintain your current weight.

If you exercise for 30 minutes each day, you will be able to reach your goal weight with 2388.7 calories per day.

If you exercise for 60 minutes each day, you will be able to reach your goal weight with 2688.1 calories per day.

:confused3 :confused3 That seems like a LOT of calories! That is about the numbers that all of the different sites show.

I am 5' 9" and a medium build. I have a mostly sitting job. I weigh 191 right now. (BTW, I've been at least maintaining that for most of this month :thumbsup2 )

What do you guys think? According to these numbers I'm thinking maybe I should go back to around 1600 calories a day and try to exercise 3-4 times a week also. I am wondering if w/out realizing it I was putting my body into starvation mode? It doesn't seem like it though :confused3

HELP!

[lindalinda]

Amber, I really suck at figuring these things out. I would say definitely go back to the 1600 cals. But maybe make sure they are the good stuff, protein, whole grains, vegetables, etc.

I KNOW I have destroyed my metabolism, and I dont want you to do it!

Plus, this is your "prep for a healthy pregnancy" journal


nite

:hippie:

[Foxfiregrrl]

This week was not a good week for the diet. Halloween was rough. We had loads of candy at work, because the daycare next door trick or treats through the office. Then a coworker made caramel apples and chocolate apples. YUM

Thursday - a coworker brought in pigs in blankets and I ended up munching on them all day. I did end up skipping lunch though :confused3 somehow I don't think it balances out.

Friday I had fast food for breakfast (no milk in the house :sad2: :rolleyes1 ) & lunch (had to take a Foster kid out) then junk food for dinner :sad2:

Mom & I went to a scrapbooking crop last night. The lady said dinner was included that ended up being pimento cheese sandwiches, 7 layer dip, and candy/dessert :confused3 not really my idea of dinner. We had a really good time though and I got some scrapbooking done. We will go to the next one, which probably won't be until after the holidays. But I will know to eat a light dinner first.

Today we went out to try to buy some Halloween props on sale but didn't really find anything that seemed worth it. I would really love to decorate the house and yard really well next year and have a cool Halloween party. I've been looking online though and I think we will likely end up making most of our props/decorations. It seems fairly cheap and easy especially compared to the outrageous prices on already made stuff.

So, other than that I'm taking it easy today. Hooray for the time change tonight! :cheer2: Hopefully that will help me to actually get to work on time next week for a change :rolleyes1

K, well, chat w/ ya later.

[Foxfiregrrl]

Oh, by the way. I still need to work toward my "healthy pregnancy" regardless. But I still have not officially decided whether or not I am going back to school or not.

I kind of think that I will, because I plan to work for the most part & I want to stay in social work. SO, it really only makes sense to get the degree. I would get a 10% pay increase once I got it too (plus they would pay for it). Also w/ my masters I could get a job in the school system as a school social worker (down the road) and that would give me the same holiday schedule as my kids :cool1: which would be really nice! Summers off would be FAB. I also understand that school social workers make good money! another bonus :thumbsup2

But, I really need to get my tush into gear if I'm gonna do it! Ah, well, there's always tomorrow ;)

[Foxfiregrrl]

So, Sunday I was all pumped and proud of myself. I got up a little early and did a Total Body Sculpt video for 25 minutes and then convinced DH to walk a mile w/ me.

THEN....

5am Monday morning, DH gets paged for work. He falls down the stairs landing hard on his rear end. I jump out of bed to check on him just in time to watch him stand up, then faint and fall straight back. He hit his head on our laundry room door (which luckily is hollow, so cracked and came off the hinge) :scared1: Then once he was on the ground he started convulsing :scared1: :scared1: I called 911 and had them send an ambulance. The ambulance couldn't find us and in the meantime DH decided that his head didn't hurt (he didn't remember the second fall) and all that was wrong was he hurt his butt. The ambulance came and looked at him, but didn't make him go to the hospital. I had forgotten to tell them though that he had what I thought was a seizure :confused3 not sure why that part slipped my mind :confused3
So we went back to bed, but didn't sleep much. He goes into work and talks to a buddy who used to be a nurse. The buddy says he needs to go to the hospital. :scared: So I took him in. They did a CAT scan of his head and an X-ray of his butt. They said his brain is fine and that most likely the fainting lead to the convulsions and he'll be fine. However, he did crack his tailbone. So, he's been pretty miserable all week because he sits at his computer for a living. And he has to put up with "Broken Butt" jokes for at least a month :lmao:

So, anyway, I haven't really done anything this week cause I've just been kind of taking care of him. In the evening he just wants to lay down on the couch because it takes the pressure off his tail and his back. So, we've been watching a lot of TV.

I got off work early today because we had kind of a retreat :cheer2: It was pretty fun and it's always fun to get away from the office :cheer2:

Oh, yeah, also we got word this week that my great uncle is not doing well. He had throat cancer Many years ago and has just had Loads of complications off and on ever since. They had given him 6 months a few months ago, but he has taken a turn for the worse. His son is my age and is in the Army overseas. They said the Red Cross is trying to get him home in time :sad1: Mom and I are most likely going up on Saturday if things go well until then. I hope so.

Not much more right now... not sure if I'm gonna get back on track at this point with the holidays all coming up so quickly :sad2:

[Foxfiregrrl]

Just a quickie for now.

My great uncle actually died on Tuesday evening, but no one told me until late Thursday evening :confused3 So, the funeral was yesterday. Mom and dad went up Friday for the viewing and stayed the night. I drove up yesterday for the funeral. It was good to see my cousin. He is my age and lost his dad :sad1: I just can't begin to imagine. He is also in the military and is supposed to go back to Iraq (for the second time, a year after returning from a year in Afghanistan :eek: ) in two weeks. I feel so bad for his mom to lose her husband and then have her son away too.

DH is managing w/ his broke butt. He actually got his Rxs on Friday and is using them some to help w/ the pain. He'll be fine, but he just says its miserable having to sit all day at work.

I'm off work tomorrow :woohoo: I think I'm gonna drag out all the Christmas decorations to see what all I have even though DH won't let me put them up until after Thanksgiving. :rolleyes:

K, that's all for now. See ya!

[Foxfiregrrl]

Didn't end up getting out the Christmas decorations. Did 3 loads of laundry instead :upsidedow

I came here today to whine about how I've been grumpy at work lately - like since we came back from Disney and how I think I'm depressed. BUT, I read Linda's journal first and watched the video and realize I've got nothing to be whining (sp?) about.

I just can't seem to shake the "I don't want to work" blues lately :confused3 I like my job and I'm not overwhelmed... I just don't want to be there... ever :rolleyes1

So, I came home today and went outside for a walk. I walked a different path and it was nice. I'm going to try to make myself exercise more because I think that will help with my energy level and moods.

K, that's it for now. See ya'll later.

[lindalinda]

Sorry you have had the blahs Amber. I have too a little bit. Its good you got out for a walk, I havent even done that. Too tired all the time. I did buy stuuf for salads today tho. So hopefully that will make me feel better.:lmao:

Your job seems like it could get to be a real grind. I usually pick something to plan for so I can look forward to something. Otherwise I would probably lose it!

Maybe we need another challenge? I really really have to get going, I am a BLOB! As my dad would say (hes a comedien, ha ha) If I was 2 inches taller I'd be round!:rotfl:

Ok, I need an exercise challenge, but I need to start slow or I wont do it. Wanna try one?


nite

:hippie:

[Foxfiregrrl]

Linda, I think an exercise challenge is a great idea. I have been needing a little motivation and wanting to at least get back to some exercise. DH is refusing to do any since he has his broke butt... even though that really doesn't keep him from walking :rolleyes: So, I have to be somewhat self motivated :guilty:

So, what were you thinking of? Minutes, miles, or number of days per week? I am leaning slightly away from miles for myself, cause I may try to do my exercise tapes some. I also was thinking today that I should try to actually take my breaks at work and walk around the outside of the building. I was thinking part of my challenge should be to walk at least 10 minutes 4 out of 5 workdays per week :confused3 but I need more than just that... suggestions?


Ok, today at work I did a little bit better. I think the walk yesterday and coming here to whine helped some. Plus I only had about 3 hours in the actual office :thumbsup2

I think one of the things that has been weighing on me lately is the whole back to school thing. I know that we briefly discussed it here, but basically this is the deal... If I go now (May 2008) I can have my Master's degree by May 2009. If I wait and go later then I have to do it over 3 years and take classes that I have already had. DH's opinion is basically that if I intend to have a career, which I do, then I should go ahead and go to school now. I know that if I don't go now then I probably won't go at all or not for like 10 years. So, I had pretty much resigned myself to going to school whether I wanted to or not. Then it felt like I didn't really have a choice and then I started to really hate the idea of going. I told DH yesterday that I know the smart and logical thing to do is to go to school, but I really want to go ahead and have kids NOW. He didn't really respond. Then like an hour later he said, "well whether we have kids now or later I guess it's time for me to start reading" - meaning all the parenting books I've stockpiled :upsidedow

So, I thought about it further today while driving. If I start school in May 08 and graduate in May 09... then I could get pregnant in Oct 08 or later and not deliver until I'm done w/ school :thumbsup2 Then the whole getting pregnant part would only be about a year away. Now, I do realize that I can't plan what month I will get pregnant, but we could start trying then and go from there.

It is still the decision to go back to school, which I'm not 100% excited about at this moment. And it still doesn't keep me from wanting to go ahead and get pregnant Now. But it is manageable and doesn't seem That far off.

PLUS that would give me just over 6 months until I start school. If I start now REALLY getting on top of my diet and exercise I would be able to work on getting a good bit of weight off before starting school. Then I would just need to work at maintaining the loss once in school (lets be honest, I'm not going to be able to concentrate on weight LOSS while working full time and going to school full time). Then I'd be all ready come Octoberish.

The only slight catch to this is I've been "working" at my weight loss for going on 2 years now and haven't lost nearly as much as I'd like. BUT, I always work better under pressure and I'm kind of getting to crunch time here.

SO.. What do you think? :confused3 Have I totally gone crazy? :dance3:

I know that regardless of what I decide the holidays are going to be a challenge. I think that my goal for the next couple of months is going to be to start exercising consistently and being more mindful of my eating. I think that is enough to start with.

[Foxfiregrrl]

Btw, I had a milkshake today and it upset my stomach... that should keep me away from junk food for a few days at least :lmao: I haven't gotten up the courage to eat dinner yet either as a result :rolleyes1 I know I'm not lactose intolerant cause I have milk everyday, but I must be ice cream-intolerant because lately it gets me more times than not :confused3 Oh, well, shouldn't be eating it anyway.

[lindalinda]

Well it sounds like you should go back to school. I hope you can fit it in. How much time are you talking about? Do you work and go at night , or would you take time off work to do it?

I loved school. Loved it. I plan to go back after I retire just for the heck of it. Crazy I know. Take silly classes like "louisville architecture" and "environmental botany". Throw in an "Authurian literature" for good measure and I'm happy as a clam.

I'm sure you'll figure it out Amber, and once the decision is made, just go for it.


:hippie:

[Foxfiregrrl]

They have this really neat set up for the school that they call a Web based Hybrid. The school is about 3 hours away. So you go to classes one weekend a month - Friday evening and Saturday most of the day. Then there are assignments and discussions online for the rest of the stuff. I also will have to do an internship, but I can do it at my current workplace. I will have to choose an area that I'm not working in though (like CPS or diversion or Foster parent training, etc). My job will give me time off to go to class and during the internship I can use like 10 of my work hours toward it. But I'll still have all my regular work to fit into less time. Oh, yeah, it is my understanding that not only will the state pay for my school, but I can also get reimbursed for my travel to an from class and my hotel on the one weekend a month :thumbsup2 That helps some.

I'm pretty sure I'm gonna do it, I just have to get excited about it. I did enjoy college the first two times. I just think that I got really burned out when I got my BSW. I had started right out of high school and went for right at two years, then quit to work full time. I planned to go back, but it took 4 years to finally do so. When I decided to go back I determined that I was getting my Social Work degree from GSU in Atlanta. When I talked w/ the advisor he told me that the SW program starts in the fall semester and you have to be done w/ all but 1 or 2 core classes before you can start the SW program. I was planning to start in the Winter/Spring semester and I still had I think 9 core classes to take. So I took 6 classes my first semester and 2 over summer semester, and then a full load the rest of the time including at least 1 summer class. I started in Jan 2003 and was finished with school May 2005. By the last semester I was really struggling to finish and really sick of school. I haven't quite gotten over that feeling. I was lucky enough to be able to only work parttime during that school period at least.
The thing that I keep telling myself about this is that it is only one year and then I'll be done with school :woohoo: AND that if I don't do it now I have to spend 3 years later AND take classes over that I took during my BSW, which REALLY does not appeal to me.

I do think that it would be fun to just take some classes that are interesting for the fun of it though. I can't think of any right now, but your list sounds fun. I do love architecture although I don't have any interest in learning to be an architect. I like reading about the history of it though :thumbsup2

Ok, so life history completed... back to the WISH portion of this journal :rotfl2:

I didn't take my break yesterday at work :sad2: but I did go up and down the stairs at work a LOT and walk the length of our building several times. I ended up not taking the break because I felt like I was already up and down and away from my desk enough. I feel like I did do at least 10 minutes of walking around inside the building throughout the day though.

Food yesterday was pretty bad though:
B - kashi w/ milk, couple swallows of coffee (stomach still iffy)
s- chocolate chip cookie
L- chili w/ crackers & a little cheese
s- chocolate chip cookie (coworker brought them :sad2: )
D- double cheeseburger & fries (DH wanted to get dinner out - it was at least a small step up from fast food - 5 guys)
s- cup of hot tea, another cookie :sad2: I'm so bad that I brought two home - one for me, one for dh :rolleyes1

Today so far I'm doing somewhat better - baby steps right?

I got up this morning and went for a 25 minute walk :cool1: I walked to the lake and did 4 laps then walked back, so about 1.25 miles. :yay: It's a start.

Dh made brunch for us. Grits, eggs and sausage. I had some milk and now have coffee.

DH's friends are here today & it's one of their birthdays so we will go out for dinner. Not sure where yet. They were talking about Red Lobster, but that might change. I will just do my best not to eat too much.

K, that is it for right now. See ya'll later!

[Foxfiregrrl]

Went to Linda's journal which reminded me that I should do this.

Restarting weight: 191 (least that's what it said this morning - it was like 194 earlier this week :eek: - we'll stick w/ today's weight ;) )

I want to get to between 160 and 165 by May 2008. So that is 30 pounds in just over 6 months. That is 24 weeks. So 1.25 pounds a week. I should aim for more like 1.5 to 2 pounds though so that I have some wiggle room.

My strategy: more exercise, less booze, less junky foods, more veggies and fruits.

My exercise challenge goals: 15 minutes a day this week, 20 minutes a day next week, 25 minutes a day the following week. I am sure that I won't exercise Every day, but my total for the week has to at least average that many minutes a day.

Ok, I think that is a good start!

[lindalinda]

Go Amber! You can do it! Your goals sound good.

Why did you pick May? Just for summer time shorts and such?

I hope to lose some before vacation, we'll see.

Have a nice Thanksgiving!

:hippie:

[Foxfiregrrl]

I chose May because that is when school would start and I probably won't be able to focus on the weight loss after that... just maintaining at that time.

So, Sunday I got up and walked 35 minutes :cheer2:

But the work week has been pretty crazy. I didn't get any exercise in since Sunday. Monday I did go up and down the stairs a lot and around the office, but not all at one time.

I'm off now until Monday, so maybe I can make up some exercise time. I just have to not let myself get derailed during the week.

Yesterday I ended up working 11.5 hours though, so that makes it pretty hard to want to do anything :faint:

I also don't think that "being mindful" about what I'm eating is going to work for me :sad2: I know what I'm eating, but I gobble it down anyway :rolleyes1

K, that is it for tonight. Happy Thanksgiving!!

[lindalinda]

Oh I see, May for school. The set-up for the school sounds pretty good tho. I guess you should get it over with as quickly as you can. Unless of course you end up with more 11.5 hour days!:eek: Its illegal for me to work more than 10 hours. I guess I need to quit whining so much!:lmao:

You having turkey at your mom and dads tomorrow?
Hope its wonderful!

Happy Thanksgiving!

:hippie:

[Foxfiregrrl]

We actually had Thanksgiving at my Grandma's. We had 19 people total (I think). We had a Huge spread. I was pleased that we had a bit more variety this year too. I'm sure that I don't remember everything, but here is some of what we had:
Turkey, ham, dressing, giblet gravy, mac n cheese, potato salad, butter beans, green beans, crunchy coleslaw, ravioli & tortellini in sundried tomato alfredo sauce, garlic bread (my middle sister who doesn't cook brought these last 2), mushrooms wrapped in bacon, broccoli/cauliflower salad, pumpkin polenta, corn on the cob, deviled eggs, & jambalaya (vegetarian) w/ basmati rice. THEN there were several desserts. The only one I cared about though was the cheesecake that my sister made. I sampled as much as I could, but I somehow managed not to overstuff myself. My cousin was disappointed because there was no sweet potato soufflé :confused3 Dh & I made to go plates and ate half of them for dinner.

Today I was off, but DH had to work. I was undecided whether or not I wanted to shop today. I woke up at 10:30 and decided to go for it. My mom went with me. I think we picked a good time to go because it was not all that crowded. I was able to get some of my shopping done. I still have a LOT more to do, but at least I accomplished some of it. We were gone from like 11:30 until 5pm :eek: I really thought when I left the house that I would get to the shopping center, see that it was a madhouse, and turn around and come home. I REALLY didn't expect to be gone all day.

I also found a great deal on some storage baskets for under my bathroom sinks. I have been Needing some organization and had actually measured the area last week. It was at Ross and they only had 6 of them. I bought them all, but really could have used 2 more for my downstairs bathroom. I came home and promptly organized my junk :woohoo: I felt good to actually get that done finally! :yay:

I also bought a cute little mini iridescent white Christmas tree to go on my desk at work. I got a tiny set of lights and balls to go on it too. It is gonna be so Cool! :cool2:

Two of Dh's friends are over tonight. One of them lives 1.5 hours away but his family is here. When we lived in Alpharetta he was like 20 minutes away and used to spend like Every weekend at our house. So, when he is in town we usually have him here.

My food for today:
b- kashi w/ milk
l - all beef hotdog, pepsi, popcorn
d - 1.5 jalepeno poppers, chicken alfredo pasta, salad, 2 glasses of wine
s? - wine .... not sure how much yet as I'm still drinking :rolleyes1

Exercise - 5 hours of shopping :confused3 And we parked Way away at first and walked back to the car at least 4 times before we moved to a different area of the shopping center :thumbsup2

K, I'm gonna go watch the movie that I have dvr'd that I thought I was gonna watch while DH was at work today.

Have a Great weekend!!

[Foxfiregrrl]

Ok, this week so far has been pretty bad diet/exercise wise. The scale is showing it too.

We ate out Mon, Tues, and Wed. :eek: I also haven't been taking my breaks and walking like I said I would :confused3 no real excuse there.

the food isn't likely to get better until Monday at the earliest.

DH's birthday is Saturday and we are having the guys over. I'm getting off of work early tomorrow and we are going to get ready for the party. I'm gonna make a BUNCH of appetizers/snacks and desserts. I think for dinner we are having low country boil (the guys requested that) Anyway, the plan is to have a big games and snacking fest all day :cool2: I accidently came across this really cool thread that lists all kinds of quick and easy treats to make for the holidays. Most of them are chocolate :cloud9: my favorite. That spells Major trouble though! :scared1:

I'm gonna enjoy myself this weekend and then try to really refocus. I promise.

[Foxfiregrrl]

So, I'm really not doing well with my new goals :sad2:

Saturday ended up being a snack-fest w/ no dinner just appetizers and desserts. We made 14 items total :eek: and I ate some of almost all of it :guilty: Then drank a Bunch of wine. We had a really good time, but I think I literally gained about 5 pounds this weekend :scared1:

So I looked back at my new goals and this is "My strategy: more exercise, less booze, less junky foods, more veggies and fruits." Hello! Blew that one to pieces! I couldn't tell you the last time I actually exercised either.... unless a cooking marathon that lasts more than 4 hours counts :confused3

I am in training 3 days this week, but it is in town. The one benefit is that they have a walking track in the building where we are training at. So I PROMISE to at least walk during one break and try to get in there for 10 minutes or more at lunch time each of the days that we are there!! Plus we usually get out kind of early so I will try to come home and exercise at least one day (trying to be realistic here :thumbsup2 ).

As for food... all the meat/appetizer stuff got eaten, but there are still Lots of sweets left. So, I'm not promising anything foodwise. Of course everything is chocolate and that is my Weakness. See the thing is I almost refuse to make anything that I wouldn't want to eat myself, which means almost every sweet I make is Chocolate :thumbsup2 :guilty: I did at least take some to work today to try to get rid of it.

K, that is my check in for now. I will try to update more often. It has just been kind of busy around here lately. I'm sure all of us are getting pretty busy though with the holidays and Marie w/ your move :eek: Good Luck!! And like I keep telling myself... the holidays are supposed to be fun and enjoyable. Do your best to slow down and enjoy them :goodvibes

See ya'll soon!

[lindalinda]

Amber, when I have extra sweets leftover, I take them to work and throw them on a table, and they always get eaten, then at least they arent in the house!

I agree, slow down and enjoy yourself! Hope you had a good week!

:hippie:

[Foxfiregrrl]

I did take a good bit of the leftover goodies to work to get rid of them. It worked on the ones that DH let me take. We have just a little bit left now and I've managed to pace myself and only eat a little bit of it.

I did get some decent walking in on two of the days that I was at training. That is about it for this week though. Food was pretty bad.

I tried to get DH to walk with me this morning, but he didn't want to, so I ended up not going either.

I just haven't really been motivated lately. I keep trying to get myself moving, but it just isn't sticking. Oh, well, step by step day by day.

Not doing too much today. We went Christmas shopping yesterday and got most of it done. We just have a few things to order online and then we will only have one present left to get. Not too shabby.

Gonna go order my stuff now and try to chill the rest of the day. Got a busy week ahead of me at work.

[kmp1191]

Hey Amber~
Thanks for...keeping up with me....I haven't been too good with that lately, but I'm working on it!!
Good job on getting the walking in! (more than I've done in 2 months!!)
I agree....step by step, day by day!!
Good job on getting most of your shopping done....come do mine now!!

marie

[Foxfiregrrl]

Ok, so I have basically fallen completely off the wagon for now. I have not exercised at all in like what feels like forever. I have been drinking more than I should and eating loads of junk. I have gained weight instead of holding steady.

We have a total of 3 Christmas parties at my work :confused3 not that I'm really complaining, but it is a lot of junk food. The Great part is we get at least two hours of goof off time for each party :woohoo: and the party we had yesterday started at 11:30am and we were told to go home when it was over :cool1: :woohoo: Even though I ended up staying until 3:30 and then delivering Christmas gifts until 4:30... So I didn't end up with that much time off, but it was a Great day. No complaints here!! :santa:

So, we got pretty much all our Christmas decorations up the 30th of November before DH's birthday party. I have been really enjoying our Christmas tree! :love: We have always had a small one in our apartments, but this year we went and bought a new one that is 7.5 feet! It is really pretty and full. I'm usually pretty anti fake christmas trees, but when I saw this one I knew it was the one I wanted. About half of the limbs have frayed tips so that it looks kind of snowy. I know that doesn't make much sense, but anyway it is cool. The thing I love about it is how full it was before we put anything on it. It is Way better than our Charlie Brown tree that we've been using. We put the new one downstairs in the game room and the old one is upstairs in the living room. It looks SO pitiful after you see the new one :laughing:

I have done almost all of my shopping. My sisters and I still have to decide on my parents' gift and buy it. They want a carpet steam cleaner, but are being pretty specific about it. The thing is that it cost more than we normally would spend. But, it is really all they have said that they want. So I think we are going to get it. I'm just hoping that I can give my sisters my money and let them go buy it :thumbsup2 Then, I would be officially DONE!! :woohoo:

I haven't even begun wrapping stuff though. Oh, yeah, and there is the matter of the gift that Dh & I are getting ourselves/each other... we want a Wii but they are IMPOSSIBLE to get!!! So, I don't actually have that yet either. I heard a rumor that Game Stop will be doing rainchecks for them on the 20th and 21st. If that is the case then we will get a raincheck and then hopefully get it soon after Christmas.

I think I'm coming down with a cold. I started coughing pretty bad last night and have had a sore throat today. I'm gonna try to take it easy and hopefully it won't get any worse :scared: I have a lot to do Mon - Wed. of next week, so I don't need to be sick right now. I am taking Thurs and Fri off so that I can rest and prepare for the holiday weekend. Last year was SO hectic at Christmas, that this year I decided that I'm going to take it easy and Enjoy my holiday!!

We are having DH's mom, brother, sil, best friend & his family over on Saturday for our Christmas w/ them. Sunday is Christmas lunch w/ Dh's dad. Monday DH has to work, then that evening is Christmas supper w/ my immediate family at my parent's house. Christmas day is my extended family at my grandma's house. :faint: Whew! That makes me tired just writing it all out!! And to think we normally do all that on just TWO days :eek: At least we are able to spread it out this year!

Well, I'll try to get online this week and update on how everything is going, but I probably won't be on very much.

Hope everyone has a WONDERFUL HOLIDAY week!!! :grouphug:

[Foxfiregrrl]

Two Christmas gatherings done Two more to go.

I have gained Way too much this holiday season! :eek: I got on the scale this morning and I am up to 199 :scared1: I REALLY did not want to hit 200, but it is going to be really hard not to at this point. Maybe I'm just retaining a lot of water:rotfl:

I'm gonna get back on track soon, I swear!!

Well, gonna go finish up some of the last of my Christmas wrapping and gear up for tomorrow's gathering.

:santa: MERRY CHRISTMAS!!:santa:

[kmp1191]

Merry Christmas Amber!!
Have fun with the family!!

marie :santa:

[Foxfiregrrl]

:sad: Christmas is done :sad1: And I have to go back to work tomorrow :sad: :sad:

We had a really great Christmas. All of our gatherings went smoothly. DH & I got some pretty good loot too :thumbsup2 We just finished piling it all on the table and taking pictures of it :lmao:

DH bought be Bob Greene's Best Life Diet. I plan to read it and start on fresh on the diet & exercise Officially January 1st!

Well, Dh wants to play the Harry Potter Scene It game he bought me for Christmas. So I'll see you guys later! :hippie:

Hope Ya'll had Great Christmas's too!! :santa:

[lindalinda]

I think I have that Bob Greene book. Or maybe another one by him. I will have to look. I know it was good tho. But hard.

Do you get monday off too, or do you have to work? I dont get any off this time, but hey, I will get paid a bunch. Oh well. I am going to really try to cut back on the 6 day work weeks, I think they are just too much for me.


Dont party too hard on new years, and drive safe if you do!


(have you written your resolutions yet?)


:hippie:

[Foxfiregrrl]

Hello.

I had to work today, but I left early just because I could. We are having the guys over tonight, but we are all going to meet up and go out for dinner first. DH got off early too.:thumbsup2 So we went to Target because he was just Dieing to buy Guitar Hero III (he played this weekend and fell in love). We also hit the Christmas isle and got a Bunch of wrapping paper, garland, and cards for CHEAP!:santa:

I have read through a good bit of the Best Life Diet book. I think that I am going to kind of use it as a guide and my minimum guidelines. I am really ready to kick it into gear and get motivated. :cool1:

The girls in my unit at work are all talking about doing a unit challenge and working together to loose weight. They are talking about regular weigh ins, taking walk breaks, and maybe taking turns bringing in a healthy lunch periodically. So, I'm hoping that will help me some. Two of them go to the gym several mornings a week. I am seriously trying to decide if that is a commitment that I can make... :scared:

I'm also going to join the Biggest Loser Challenge thread here on WISH. I think that I can use all of the push and motivation that I can get. :yay: I'm gonna start a new journal for the new year tomorrow also, just to get a fresh start.

So these are my goals/resolutions:

1. Workout a minimum of three times a week for thirty minutes each. Ultimately/Ideally get up early and workout most mornings Monday through Friday and still do a workout on the weekend.

2. Eat three well portioned meals a day and one or two healthy snacks. Eat more Fruits and Veggies. Try to get a minimum of 3 servings of veggies and 2 fruits a day.

3. Stop eating two hours before bedtime.

4. No Alcohol for at least the first month:scared: but according to the Best Life I'm supposed to cut it out for the first two phases which is at least 2 months...:scared1: we'll just have to wait and see on that one.

5. Take at least 5 yoga classes (getting a 5 class GC for a belated Christmas gift). I've been wanting to do yoga for awhile now and just haven't.:rolleyes:

6. weigh in at least once a week and measure monthly. I'll do this officially tomorrow.

Ok, I think those are enough resolutions/goals for now. I really feel like I'm ready to do this and having multiple people around me who are wanting to change also helps!

DH has agreed to exercise on Tuesday and Thursday evenings and one or both weekend days. So that should get my minimum days in. I also recorded several 25 minute workouts from Fitday and am going to try getting up and doing those in the mornings for a couple of weeks. If that goes well, then I am definitely going to join the gym that my coworkers go to. If I don't end up getting up early (hmm... I really shouldn't give myself the option:sad2: ) then I will most likely still join the gym, but I may end up having to commit to going by myself mostly. Because the girls only go in the AM and Dh has said that he doesn't want to join at this time. He has said that I can join if I want to though. I'm only reluctant because it costs twice what our last gym was. However, this one is Super nice w/ an indoor pool, walking track, and all the other usual stuff. They also have a raquetball court, which I really enjoy, but there is an extra fee for that.

For my diet, I haven't set any exact diet plan. I may go by the menus that are in the BLD bk, but I haven't decided yet.:confused3 In the first phase it really just has you eat 3 meals plus a snack daily and doesn't restrict calories or specify foods to cut or add. I think that I am mostly past that because I already eat my 3 meals. I do usually skip the healthy snack though and I know it will help to put it back and keep me from getting too hungry.

My main food goal will be to increase my fruits and veggies so that what I'm eating is healthier. Also a main component that really helps me is to plan our dinners out ahead of time. I am also going to try to make an effort to plan my lunches to give me a variety so that I'm not as likely to want to eat out. DH & I did sit down Sunday and plan enough meals for the next two weeks. We don't plan the day, but just the recipes that we want to make. Also most recipes will cover two meals which helps since we both work.

So, I think that is it for the start. I'm gonna need a lot of help to stay on track, but I feel good about this. :goodvibes

Now, it is time for me to enjoy my last day of 2007 and party hard. The diet DEFINITELY doesn't start until tomorrow! :rolleyes1 :thumbsup2

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

[Foxfiregrrl]

oh, yeah. I meant to post here earlier today.

I started a new journal and reposted some of my post from yesterday over there.

The new journal is called Amber's Best Life Journal. Please come join me!!

psst... I'm struggling a bit already :rolleyes1 I just didn't prepare for today really. I am getting it together though!!! I swear!!

See ya'll on the new journal!