Lesli's Live Long and Strong WISH Journal

[kardiebelle]

lesli you are doing. Great job passing the chips. Your reports on your days are very inspiring to me. You type what I think but am to busy to type it. Right now I have 3 kids sitting by me waiting for lunch and it's only 11:15 a.m. So next time you are typing something I feel I am going to refer my readers to you o.k. Just Kidding. Thanks for being true and typing everything for us busy mothers and FATHERS out there!! Have a great day. SMILES

Kardiebelle

 

[rcyannacci]

OK, Leslie. I *finally* got through your epic trip reports, and I have decided that you should write my dissertation for me. I'll come up to Chicago, take care of your kids and house for a week and you can write... I figure, with the pace you write, a week should be plenty of time.

Seriously, I love the reports! And your 4 month summary is very motivating. I think there's a certain clarity that comes from writing everything out here. Congratulations on your success so far, and here's to another successful 4 months!

 

[Lesli54]

Time to get back to the WDW reporting. I did forget to mention that I found a nice hat at Sea World. Wide brimmed without being too wide and a black ribbon. Very nice. Definitely a "walk along the beach" hat. So that is my mini reward #7. Guess, I better lose another 2.5lbs. to earn it.

Oh yes, the trip.

Another late start. Everyone was tired and DH just didn't know if we should try to go to Kennedy Space Center or just go to the beach. Finally, we decided to go towards the Space Center, but just find a beach to walk along for a short while. The tropical storm was moving in and we didn't know how long the weather would hold.

For breakfast, I ate a doughnut. We are on vacation right? So we relaxed around the villa for the best part of the morning. I think it was good to not be in a hurry. Then we thought we would grab a quick lunch before we drove East. For lunch, I ate a tuna wrap and a salad. Very tasty.

Actually, driving East, the weather looked pretty good. We drove out along the port where the Disney Cruise Line docks. Then headed South towards Cocoa Beach. What a dump. No offense to anyone living there or having relatives there. It looks like it hasn't been updated since Major Anthony Nelson found Jeanie in a bottle. Some of the ocean front properties are just now getting an update, so maybe it will be different in a few years. Anyway, we found a beach just south of Cocoa Beach. It was alright, but not a really clean beach.

The kids had fun though, which was the important thing. DS loved the ocean, but the waves were very strong and powerful that day so we had to hold onto the back of his lifejacket to keep him upright in the water. DH told him that he could only go in a little ways, but DS is brave and kept going til the water was up to his chest. DD7 loves water, so she had a lot of fun and ended up with sand in places where sand shouldn't be. The older girls made sand castles, until DS knocked them down. We were out about 45 minutes and everyone got pretty sunburned. The sky was overcast, so we just didn't really think about putting on sunblock. I know I know better.

We started to head back to WDW and noticed that the storm clouds were pretty big that direction. We did hit some heavy rain, but eventually drove back out of it. For supper, we decided to go to Pizza Hut in Lake Beuna Vista. We ordered 2 of the 4 square pizza deals. It worked out well since everyone could have something different. I ate 1 whole deluxe (the squares are the size of personal pans), 1/4 of a cheese, 1 breadstick, and some pepsi. Alot of food, but it tasted so good. Sometimes you just can't stay in control at pizza hut. But I did push the rest over to the girls who gladly polished it off.

Then we headed back to the villa. I guess it rained pretty good while we were gone. That makes leaving just a bit better. It was getting late and started raining again. We drove past Port Orleans French Quarter to check it out a little, before going back to BCV. It seems ok, but DH and I decided that we prefer the hotel feel of BWV and BCV. We didn't really like how the doors to the rooms open to the outside. But to each his own. We will probably go back to check out shops and restaurants sometime though.

Back at the villa, we relaxed. Later after the rain let up, the older girls went for a swim in the quiet pool and I went shopping in the Marketplace. It was nice to have a little time to myself. I had to buy something for my display cabinet. I have a mug from YC (last stay), a shot glass from BW, so I needed something from BC and I found a really neat coffee cup with a handle that looks like a rope. Cool.

I went back to the villa and DH was eating popcorn with DD7 and DS, so I had some too, after making another bag. I ate about 1/2 the bag. Yes, I was concerned about sticking to my weight loss plan and not eating late, etc. But I did relax some on vacation and it felt good. I figured that if I was good 1/2 of the time, it was much better than being bad all the time.

We wished that the beach had been better, but it was nice to drive across Florida and see more of it. Next time, we are going to actually go to the Space Center on one of our off days.

I did not count any exercise since we drove alot and water was really bad.

 

[Zela]

Hey Lesli

Great job on the additional 1.5 pound loss! Your trip reports are very good (they make me so anxious to go back : ). Have a good day!

 

[Mykelogan]

Hi Lesli!

Another great report! When you said:

"No offense to anyone living there or having relatives there. It looks like it hasn't been updated since Major Anthony Nelson found Jeanie in a bottle. "

I nearly spit out my ice water! hehe Great visual!

Have a great night!
Mike

 

[kardiebelle]

hey lesli, Great report I feel like I am with you walking on the not so great beach. Enjoy your time. You deserved the donut too. SMILES kardiebelle.

 

[Lesli54]

I am glad to bring a little entertainment to you all as you read the trip reports.

Good news! The scale now reads 197! The further from the Terrible Two's I get, the safer I feel if there is a splurge or a bad day. That puts me only 37.5lbs from the 150's! Hey, I have already lost that much almost. I know now that I am going to make it. I did try on a pair of size 16 shorts that I have, this morning. Well, let's say that I can get them on, but they are not overly flattering, yet. Probably another 5-7lbs. and they will look much better and I will be able to breathe. But hey, it's getting there. I remember it wasn't really that long ago when I thought that I would never actually put on that small of a size again. Wow.

So yesterday was hectic. Here I was in the middle of getting the payroll taxes done and DH comes in to tell me that I have about 10 minutes before I have to leave to take the Sequoia in for it's scheduled maintenance. Ok. Thanks for the warning. So no AM snack. As it turned out, he decided to go with. It took over an hour for them to get the vehicle done since it was close to lunch time and they had to rotate tires. The natives were getting restless.

Then we went to a local deli for lunch. I had a small turkey and cheddar sandwich w/lettuce & tomato, as well as a side salad. Next we had to run to Staples for some supplies and then go shopping for DD17's birthday, which is tomorrow. She gave me a wishlist before she left and I must say, it is easier to do some practical shopping. Also much cheaper, so I was able to cover most of the wants on her list, which are all things she needs for college, like hangers, pillows, storage containers, etc. On the way home we stopped to do some banking.

The PM snack was a little late and I wasn't very hungry. I ate 1 oz hard cheddar and 2 crackers. We didn't have any fruit, so I substituted a little something. Supper was a LC spaghetti dinner. It tasted pretty good. The problem is, we ate too early and about 9:30 or so my tummy was growling. Not enough food during the day and not spread out enough. So, I debated about having something that will tie me over long enough to go to bed and get to sleep or just skip since I am doing the 100 Day cheat free and I said no unplanned snacks. Finally, I decided that it would be better (even though it was late ate night) to get a little of something or I wouldn't be able to sleep well with a growling tummy and I would be slowing down my metabolism. So I ate a Tbsp of PB. Not the best choice, but I knew it would stick with me and at least it wasn't ice cream or alot of food. It worked well, but now I am wondering if I should count it as unplanned or not? It feels like I cheated. I didn't plan for it earlier in the day, but I did contemplate it for a bit in order to figure out if it was really necessary, which is a big plus, but I don't know.

Breakfast: 1 c. raisin bran & 1 c. milk (we are out of eggs, we are out of alot of things)
AM snack: green peppers & cheese
Lunch: grilled chicken breast w/ salad (I am going to skip the bun and just bring home the chicken from the cookout)
PM snack: maybe some strawberries
2nd PM snack: maybe some cottage cheese (this is if I need it to get to supper tonight, which is always late on Sat)
Supper: ?

Goals for day:
1. Exercise. (I have been really slacking off on this one)
2. Stay sane as all children will be back in the house
3. Make a birthday cake and don't taste test
4. Get some cleaning done.

Well, I think we have the college finances figured out for now. It seems that whether you pay for it out right or get a loan and make monthly payments, you are breaking the bank. I really wish that America had a better system for putting kids through college. Those who are stuck in the middle (make too much for grants and not enough so the expense won't hurt too bad) are really the ones stuck with the short end of the stick. Oh well, we will get through, people do, and I would much rather that she have an education than sit at home making min wage trying to make ends meet.

I better get going. Busy busy day. I have to go fill in at the cookout, make a cake, pick up the older girls, and much more. Everyone have a great day!

 

[pearlieq]

Buenos Dias!

Sounds like a good day yesterday. Don't agonize over 1 little TB of peanut butter (all of 100 calories)! You were hungry! Honestly, legitimately hungry, not upset or bored. I know how uncomfortable it is to go to bed hungry--it makes it really hard to sleep.

I know you're a very hard worker and very commited to the challenges you undertake, but your body knew what it wanted and made a reasonable request last night and you did the right thing by responding to it--challenge or no challenge.

So happy to hear you're down to 197! Way to go!!

Have a great day today!

 

[goldcupmom]

What an AWESOME week you've had!

Hope you have a great weekend! New clippie on the way!!

 

[Mykelogan]

Hi Lesli!

I am with Pearlieq on whether the PB breaks the challenge. You did realize earlier you might need something and it was not like you sat for 30min with a jar and a spoon going to town. You were conscious of getting something that would satisfy and be portioned. Good job!

I am sending all of the good vibes I can your way on the college finance front. It is not easy these days make it all work nicely. College costs are getting out of hand. I am excited for your DD17 though, heading to college is such an amazing time of learning and growth! Can you tell I work primarily with first year students?? hehe!

Best of luck staying sane as you want to with all you are doing this weekend!!!!

Mike

 

[rcyannacci]

To PB or not to PB...I think you did great, like Mike and pearlieq. But if you're worried about what is or isn't cheating and how flexible you can be, I had someone tell me once that when you find yourself in this situation, sit down for 5 minutes with a piece of paper and a pencil. Write about what you are feeling and if after that 5 minutes you still decide to eat something, then generally it means you really are hungry and need to eat. Anyway, that might be a good way to help you determine if you're cheating or not, but could give you a little bit of flexibility in terms of planning snacks.

BTW- thanks for your comments in my journal yesterday.

Hope you have a good weekend!

 

[pearlieq]

Good morning!

Hope everything went well yesterday and that you had a great day!

Hope today is wonderful too!!!

Keep up the great work!

 

[Lesli54]

Ok. So I was thinking that you guys are right. The PB wasn't a big deal since I did contemplate whether or not I was still hungry and all. So, I was still on track with the challenge, until........I ate the chips.

Yesterday was ok. There was a lot that I didn't get done. Basically, I had tons of energy up to the cookout, then after I was done........I fizzled. Being out in that heat (with water & shade), just takes it's toll on you. I came back exhausted. Then I picked up groceries. If my family complains that there isn't food in the house, then they aren't looking hard enough. Lot's of good foods, just maybe not what they want. By the time I got home, I was tired and hungry. I didn't eat at the cookout, but did bring home some chicken. Then thinking that I had to pick up the older girls, I took out DD18's (that was weird, almost typed 17) presents and brought them into the house. Well all the groceries and presents landed just inside the door. I had to get some food fast.

Started making my lunch and DH came home and I felt guilty about not putting anything away, so he helped me clean up a little and put things away. Then finally, I sat down to eat. I think it was about 2pm. I didn't grab the AM snack since I went up to the store early, so I was starving. I ended up making a chicken ceasar salad. A salad plate size. It was so good and I was full. The PM snack was 1/2 c. cottage cheese & blueberries. I love blueberries. Then since I was still hungry, remember lunch wasn't much, I ate a Tbsp of PB. Supper was 1/2 turkey sandwich on 7 grain, 1/4 c. potato salad, 1 sm banana, and 8 potato chips. They were sitting there (DH brought more in the house) and I tried to resist, but didn't, knowing that I would blow my challenge, I ate them. So, I guess I am starting back at the beginning. Actually, the seemed even saltier than last time and not really that good. Oh well.

About 2:00pm, DD18 calls to say that they will be getting a ride home and that I won't need to pick them up. Yeah! They were leaving between 2:30 & 3:00. About 3:15pm, she called and said that they had a blowout on the rental van and were on the highway just outside of camp, but should be heading home soon. Oh. Guess, they will be a little later. About 4:30, I called her to check their status and she said they were on their way, gave me a location, and I figured that they would be home in 45mins. Well, they finally showed at 6pm. Don't ask me why it took twice as long to drive a 45 min drive. But at least they were finally back. Then I had to run one of my GS's (also went to camp) out to her house to pick up clean clothes so she could spend the night since her parents were not going to be home until early this morning.

By the time everyone was back home and fed, we just all sat, watched a movie, DD18's boyfriend popped by after work, and then we finally went to bed. The older kids were exhausted. At least they had fun and DD18 has a job at resident camp next summer if she wants it. Good to know. She enjoyed being staff since she didn't have to do all the clean up that the campers do, gets to tell people what they can and can't do, gets to sit at the head of the table, etc.

Needless to say, the cakes didn't get into the oven yesterday, so I was up at 6am (woke naturally, and decided to just get up) and had those cakes in by 6:40. Then while they were baking, I went and did my belly dance workout. I really contemplated skipping and just having breakfast since I was still tired. After the workout, I was wide awake and ready for breakfast. Note to self: Exercise can wake up up, so get out of bed! Cleaned the kitchen partially, the rest will wait until the cakes are done. So far it has turned out to be a productive morning.

Breakfast: 1 egg omelet w/cheese, 6 strawberries, 1/2 slice 7 grain toast w/jelly, 1 sm donut hole.
AM snack: turkey & celery
Lunch: chicken, salad
PM snack: cheese & cucumbers
Supper: pizza and

Goals for day:
1. Exercise (already got in 35 min, would like to add some more later)
2. Stick to my food plan and enjoy my fattening supper in moderation.
3. Some cleaning and bookwork.
4. Enjoy spending the day with my first adult child. (boy does that seem weird)

Oh, yeah. My friend stopped to pick up her daughter a few minutes ago and I noticed how much smaller I was compared to her. This is probably the first time that we have really seen each other all summer. We used to be almost the same size and seeing the difference made me really realize what others were seeing and how big I really had gotten. Granted, I have a long way to go, but I will get there.

Better get going, I have to start decorating cakes in about an hour. I love this hobby, it's relaxing, fun, and creative.

Everyone have a great day!

 

[lillygator]

Hi!
Looks like you have great goals for today and congrats to DD on her 18th birthday!! ahh...to be 18 again!! Have a great day today!

 

[rcyannacci]

Happy Birthday to your DD!!! What a productive morning! Potato chips, schmato chips- accentuate the positive

Have fun decorating the cake! I would love to get back to doing that; I never took a class, but got some books a few years ago and did manage a nice basket-weave decorated cake for my first anniversary. But, I'm way out of practice.

Have a great Sunday!

 

[pearlieq]

Hi! Me again...

Just dropping by to wish your DD a very happy birthday!

The festivities tonight sound fun! Enjoy yourself!!!

 

[Zela]

Hope you had fun at the party!

Pizza and ice cream sounds really good right now!
Oh yeah, and congrats on getting down to 197. It seems like anything under 200 is a party doesn't it!

 

[kardiebelle]

Hi I hope you had a great day today. But I was thinking about you because my DH just finished med school 1.5 years ago and we have tons of bills coming in now. But I was wondering if your DD17 (no 18 now ) filed for financial aid. I know that she will probally not get it but you can always try. Then after she does this they sometimes offer students loans from the government that she is able to pay back after she finishes school. They will also offer her a work study job on campus. I had 2 work study jobs to help me you can work as many hours as you need for extra money through the week. I only worked 5 hours a week at one and about 10-12 hours a week at the other. And they fit your schedule. They are great. But if she hasn't filed for financial aid try it it will really help you. My DH just had to start to pay his all ($90,000) back now and the government let him consolidate them all together with a low intrest of 4.3%. I know that you apply right over the internet now. So if you haven't try it, it will not hurt. Good luck. Have a great night. SMILES kardiebelle

 

[pearlieq]

Bonjour!

How are you this balmy morning? I hope you had a great day at lots of fun last night!

I'll check in on you later, but just wanted to stop by to say good morning!!!

 

[Lesli54]

Ah.......the birthday day has passed. Can we say, "Please give me lots of calories along with a side order of high fat foods?"

I am up a little this morning, but then I figured that I would be and I am not worried about it at all. It will go away and then some by the end of the week. Needless to say, I did not stick to my plan, which was ok, and I really enjoyed every bite. Good thing it doesn't happen every day.

Decorating cakes took the better part of the day, since we were spiffing up and trying to keep little ones under control at the same time. DD7 was misbehaving for a good portion of the day. DS thought he needed to lick everything and kept trying to steal the cupcakes that I made with the left over batter. In fact while I was letting the cakes cool and sometime after DD18 got up, he decided that it was time to celebrate her birthday, so he ran and grabbed some big Easter candles and shoved one in each of the cakes. She came around the corner and caught him (after the damage) and he told her that she had to make a wish. Now, I know that is cute, but not when you are still trying to make the cakes. Needless to say there were huge holes in the cakes. Good thing I made those cupcakes. I was able to cut out "plugs" to fill the cakes. My cakes are so moist that it worked pretty well. No one ever knew.

I did get my AM snack as planned. Lunch was another story. I thought about having the salad, but I really wanted a brat. After much debate with myself, I decided to eat the brat w/ a bun and 4 chips. I figured that if I didn't eat that stupid brat that I was really craving, then I just might eat the whole darn cake later or continue eating while trying to avoid what I really wanted. It sounds silly, I know. But, I can forgo the rest of the brats in the fridge now. Yes, I did taste test the cake and frosting as I made them. Part of me started to worry about that 100 day cheat free challenge again and I started to feel constrained. Then I started thinking about the fact that it's just food and it is not worth getting worked up about. Finally, after much debate, I decided that I was going to enjoy the day and not worry so much about food. I knew that I was going to be up on calories and I knew that I would stay in control for the most part and I knew that this celebration only comes along every once in awhile and I knew that today, I would be back on track. So I just let myself have some freedom from the food wars in my mind and I am very glad I did.

The PM snack was skipped. DD18 ran off with a friend to pick up pizzas. Then I quickly got cleaned up, wrapped presents and decorated before she got back. Thankfully, we are in the middle of no where and it takes time to get over to the next town to get pizzas. Does stepping up and down off a chair to hang streamers and balloons count as exercise? Does blowing up 20 balloons (18 for her and 1 ea for the little ones) count as exercise?

As soon as DH and DD15 came home from work, we started the party. Just a nice quiet gathering of family and DD18's close friend. The boyfriend was working, but came by later. We had fun and good conversation. I ate 3 pieces of deluxe pizza w/ thin crust. Actually, I realized that I could have easily stopped at 2 and been satisfied. How strange is that? Then I had a small piece of cake with 1/2 scoop of ice cream. Just enough to enjoy and I was very satisfied. All the presents this year looked huge, so DD18 thought it was great! She got things for college, pillows, storage totes, hangers, etc. It is what she wanted and she was very pleased with it. Not too many 18 year olds would want all that for their birthday, but she knows she needs it and it is easier to have someone else buy it than to go buy it all herself. She got some birthday money that she is going to use to put on a decent desk chair so she doesn't have to use the wood straight back chair from the college. This kid is ready to go, you can tell?

After cleaning up, I was so exhausted, so I just relaxed a little, went back for another small piece of cake (of which, I probably won't have anymore) and then read some before I went to bed.

It was a good day. The hardest part that I had was when I actually wrote "18" on the cake. It was strange to think that so much time has gone by so quickly. But, I am better now and I know that she is moving on as she should.

Breakfast: 1 fried egg, 1/2 7 grain toast w/jelly, 1/2 c. blueberries. (Do you know that that is a lot of blueberries? I loved every bite )
AM snack: celery & turkey (grab before going to dr.)
Lunch: tuna and salad
PM snack: cheese & cucumber
Supper: long grain rice, green beans and chicken

Goals for day:
1. Run errands
2. Exercise
3. Start getting the house in shape before school starts (utter chaos afterwards if not done now)
4. Bills
5. Order those Disney photos, before they disappear

I have decided to finish Dr. Phil's book. Some of the things, I have been able to master quite well (such as support for weigh loss), but some things, I still need to work on to make this success stick. Kind of a way to rededicate myself, as I move closer to being 1/2 way to my goal. I think I might let the 100 day challenge go for now. I just can't deal with thinking of it as a constraint and wondering if I cheated or not. I think that the healthy approach would be to continue to build a skill where I can contemplate whether or not I really need that extra snack from time to time and learn to get past having some chips from time to time.

Better get going. I have to run DD15 to the dr. for a sports physical. DD18 has to run DD7 to swimming lessons. Think I will drop of DS with DH, things would go much faster.

Everyone have a great day!