Survived 2 weeks on the road!

We just got back from 2 weeks away. We left June 28 and got back July 13. I'm thrilled to report I weighed in at 175! Woo hoo! I totally thought I would have gained. I'm fairly comfortably in a size 14 shorts. I'm hoping to trim down more this fall.

I've been getting some muscle balance work done with the kinesiologist and thus haven't been doing any strength training. Ok, and honestly, I haven't been working out either (work pretty much does that for me). The water park is going to weekends only soon and I'll be cutting back my hours again. Great timing for a work out routine to start.

Still alive...

I know, I haven't posted in forever. I'm doing well, still losing weight, just not on Smart for Life anymore. I have a summer job (a bit of a change from my current) that I need to be conditioned for and it was time to condition.

I'm still using metformin and have continued to chip away. Only 3 pounds, ok a little more, since I did go out of town and pick up a couple pounds. Once I went back down though, it's been pretty steady. Not nearly as dramatic as SFL, just ounces at a time now. I'm also doing the SFL concept of steady blood sugar with eating frequently. I'm just smarter (than I was) about the calories I put in.

I actually had to go out and buy new underwear. You know you've done some serious weight loss when your drawers are falling down all the time. I'm also needing to do some clothes shopping. Yeah!

Ok, I'm not trying to be dramatic but...Smart for Life really did change my life. Following the diet changed my mental eating patterns. I'm quite certain it also helped my body to figure out that my set point doesn't need to be so high.

Last big change...I'm seeing a kinesiologist (basically a chiropractor that works with muscles). I'm wondering if seeing him is changing my shape? I know my posture's getting better. I've had quite a few people in the last week ask me about my weightloss. My dramatic loss all stopped early last month (and I've seen them all since then). I'm not complaining or anything, just an odd coincidence. :)

I'll now be updating as I work on exercise and toning. If I get through the summer and still haven't reached goal (which as more to do with BMI than actual weight), I plan to go back on SFL. :)

Missing box!

I've somehow misplaced the box containing my skinny tops. I put on a new pair of capris tonight that MIL gave me. Kind of bittersweet. They're really cute, but already too big. Who knew?

I really need to get orgainzed and dejunk.

As it is, at this very moment, almost midnight, I'm playing muffin catch up. I went in for a fasting lab this morning that turned out to be a misunderstanding with the doc as to when I was supposed to go in. I ofcourse had no appetite at that point and popped on over the the grocery store. When I finally did eat, it was about noon. BAD! Definately not good for the metabolism. I only went from bad to worse though. DD had a school thing tonight and I had a hair appointment right before it. I didn't end up eating dinner until after 9. I had planned to munch a muffin and sip on Crystal Light during, but there were signs up prohibiting food/drink. So much for that idea.

Tomorrow's a new day. :)

3 more down!

I'm at a total of 43.8 now. I'm feeling really crappy though. I think I nailed it down to the cause though- magnesium. I started it the day after I went full strength on the metformin. Tomorrow morning, I'm skipping the magnesium.

Getting out the skinny clothes!

I was a little shocked this morning. Out of curiousity, I pulled out a couple pairs of my "skinny" pants. Oh, MY. They fit. The jeans I wore on my 30th birthday (when I had lost a lot of weight) not only fit, but are a little on the baggy side. And again, there was much rejoicing. :D

Do the happy dance with me!

I lost track of what week I'm on, but I lost 5.8 pounds this week! That makes a total of 40.

Off to weigh in...

Wish me luck. I'm off. Sick kid in tow...

IV Caffeine?

Ok, so seriously, I'm dragging. I've had sick kids and started working part time. Uhm, yeah...oh and throw into that doing something nasty to my back and I've really hit the trifecta. I tried to get my back fixed yesterday and ended up walking out after waiting an hour. The oh so thoughtful "assistant" didn't think it was any big deal. She could have at least faked it...not to mention, I was nice, instead of the grump I wanted to be.

If the scale is accurate (in comparison with the Smart for Life office), I'm cruising on the loss this week. As of last night, it was about 4 and a half pounds- that's with cheating on Friday for my birthday dinner! As of tomorrow, I'll be full dose on the metformin as well. I hate to say it, but I really think it's helping. Now, hopefully, it will kick in for what I'm actually taking it for.

Better run...need to get me and the kiddos ready for work.

Brief check in...

I had an inservice this morning. Not so bright and way too early (seriously, it was dark when I got up). It ended with swimming 500. Thankfully, after swimming part, my boss pulled me out. She knows about Smart for Life...smart move on my part. ;) I'm tellin' ya, I'm the total geezer lifeguard and it's the perfect mom job.

I did in fact lose this week. Not a huge loss. It was either .4 or .6. I'm actually really ok with that. I didn't make good food choices and was just hoping not to have gained. Last night, we went out for my birthday so again, I was non-compliant. I'm getting back on track.

I started metformin...think I already mentioned that. I'm up to 2 pills/day now and doing rather well. I totally expected it not to go as smoothly- my doc told me it's typically hard on the stomach. I'm really excited about what it might do for me. If you're wondering, no, it's not to help with the weightloss and I'm not insulin resistant. It's to treat PCOS, which probably contributes to my weight issues.

At any rate...I need to go work on a project. My client has been more than patient and I'd like to hand it over on Monday. :)

Temptation struck...

I was an idiot. +3 pounds worth.

I've got to get back on track. Tomorrow is the follow up with the endocrinologist. Should be interesting to finally get my hormones in line (I know, don't expect it all at once)...

I'm starting my job on Wednesday. :D

Beyond not smart...

I derailed myself this weekend. Bad. More than stupid. We had a date night on Friday. Then, MIL came into town and we went to PEI WEI on Saturday for lunch- which I was in fact reasonable. But, I had a migraine. With pain, I crave sugar. I caved. Then, this evening, we celebrated my 2 year old's birthday...cake. I could kick myself, but it wouldn't do any good.

Well, back in the saddle again tomorrow.

blerg.

It happened....plateau week. I lost .2. Darn hormones! I'm pretty sure they are the cause.

I was bad today. I decided that I would enjoy a small token of Valentine's Day. Chocolate....sugar. A nice little break.

Next week will be better.

Exercise...

OMG, I totally get why they don't want you to work out. I did. I was working on lifeguard certification. Stop laughing. It wasn't that funny. I know I'm not typically who you'd expect to go after that, but I think it's going to be a great job. I'm really excited to start.

So, after swimming what felt like a hundred miles (which my awesome new boss swam with me), and all the other physical things you do, I was shaking. In serious need of protein. So, I called the Smart for Life office to pose a "hypothetical situation" and ask for "hypothetical advice." ;) Yes, I was in deed correct, supplement some protein. So, I had 120 cal soy protein shake. When I was still shaking 25 minutes later, I had a small handful of nuts. I know, they aren't on the list. I wasn't all about to make anything that took effort and they were on the counter (thank you DH who also btw, had me drive his car last night which had a stash of hershey kisses with toffee on the passenger seat- cruel).

Oh, the other interesting part of my week...I'm apparently allergic to the adhesive in bandaids. I've tried a few brands. It hurts.

Confession is good for the soul?

I totally blew it tonight. I went to Bunko. I had chocolate. It was SOOOO good. I know, will power. But, it was one of those "ya gotta live" moments. I'm sure I'll work it off tomorrow. I'm going to certify for, are you ready for this, lifeguarding. :D

Really, I'm not getting paid to say this...

but I totally love our George Foreman grill. DH did chicken breasts on it tonight. For the psychological effect, he splits them with a filet knife- looks like so much more on your plate. Thanks to the Foreman, they're nice and juicy without the effort of brining them. Nice. :) I had some of the Gates BBQ sauce with mine. Not too bad, but a little too zippy for me.

On an "oh how sad" note...I really like canned greenbeans. I know, it's a sickness. The texture and the salt....I dunno. My kids love them too. Most veggies, I prefer fresh. Hmmm.

I went back to the dermatologist today (who btw is wonderful). The real culprit to the pain is the fact that I'm allergic to the bandaids/adhesive. The incisions still look wonderful. Where the bandaging has been OTOH is nearly raw and was almost bleeding tonight. Yes, there is such a thing as almost. But no, I'm not photographing it. ;)

Busy busy day between appointments and kidlets and getting a job completed. Oh, not to mention, pending I pass certification, looks like I have myself an ongoing PT job. Yes, I'm excited. :) Maybe more on that later. ;)

unbelievable...

Ok, so I was in the salad dressing aisle the other day at the store and looked up at bacon bits. No, I don't really care for them...now real bacon chunks on salad, oh yeah...anyhow....I do occasionally miss pork flavor. Y'all know I'm a sucker for good seasoning/spices. Well check this out: Bacon Seasoning! I had no clue it existed. I'm seriously tempted to order some. And to those making their first visit to that website, totally check out her books- lol funny.

Ok, back to me. ;)

Today was again, a little harder. Not really temptation wise, but pain wise. I don't recall if I wrote about it or not (thank you pain meds), but I had moles removed last week. 2 of the 3 haven't formed a scab yet. Apparently that's what makes them not hurt so much. Who knew?!?! My whole body hurt when I woke up this morning. Taxing. That said, I totally didn't cheat today. I so could have too. Score one for will power. ;)

I'm off to read me some more of that book, SPQ Guide to Raising Children for fun and profit.

Comments...

OMG, insert red face here. I was just looking over settings and realized that I didn't have it set to let me know if I had comments. Seriously, I haven't intentionally been ignoring anyone.

I'm always happy to answer questions. Always want to encourage anyone else on the journey.

Smart for Life has been life changing for me...this ofcourse is not to be dramatic, it really has. 34.6 pounds since December 1.

Rock on!

I weighed in today...a day earlier than normal because I needed to see the doc for a check up. I'm down 4.2 more!!! I love seeing the scale do that.

41 days?

Ok, I know it's silly, but I track my weight daily. It's fun to watch trends (even if it does occasionally go up instead of down). DH has a lovely little spread sheet he keeps for me. He just projected it out to 170 (a reasonable goal) and at my current rate of loss, it should take about 41 days! I'm a little stoked.

I think I can...I think I can...

Ok, I'm feeling like the Little Engine that Could. See, my body wants to cheat...I'm having some pain from biopsies yesterday and my body thinks that chocolate would be the perfect solution. Really, like a pound of chocolate. My brain on the other hand is smart enough to remind me that I do in fact have a weigh in tomorrow and I do in fact have a goal that I'm sure as heck not gonna meet if I eat the chocolate I think I want. So, please, someone, will the pain relievers to work, ok?

I've having an Egg Custard shake at the moment. I have to admit, it's really not bad. In fact, it's tasting good. Nice, sweet little fix. I didn't even monkey with it today. Yesterday, I threw a spoon of orange marmalade into a vanilla, man was it good. :)

At long last...

Pictures and an update.

These were taken on my 8 week weigh in. Forgive the bad hair day. It's a great cut, I was just in no mood to fuss with it and manage my almost 2 year old.


I was only down 1 pound for the week. Which doesn't bug me at all. Being sick, I wasn't working on the SmartFoods. More importantly, I feel great. I feel like I actually have a shape again. A nice, curvy shape. :D

I think we are finally done with the nasty bugs in our house...knock on wood. My oldest came down with it again this last weekend- and I was thankful for a carpet cleaner. I've just felt (for the past couple days) that I'm digging out...laundry, cleaning, etc.

I made a fabulous purchase with my food last week- Walden Farms Orange Marmalade (calorie free). It rocks. I had it on muffins with a little butter spray. Oh my gosh, it tasted so good...totally felt like I was being naughty. ;) Today, I used it when I mixed a chocolate shake with coffee- mocha valencia anyone? :)

We had it again this evening in the sauce mix for our baked tilapia. It was good. It had rice vinegar, orange marmalade, ginger and I don't know what else (wonderful DH cooked dinner).

I now have a goal date. I want to be at or close to goal by early April. We have a wedding to go to.

Got my labs back today...

Not surprising, there is an elevation of male hormone. It pretty much confirms what the doctor thought with polycystic ovarian syndrome. I'm kind of anxious now for the follow up appointment to get here.

Nothing too exciting to report today. I had one of the Healthy Choice steamers for dinner. Those are great for nights I just don't want to deal with cooking. The family had pizza. What can I say, it was just one of those days. DH called late this afternoon and suggested it was a good night for pizza...which like never happens.

I also should mention, it was Sherri's birthday! If you're reading this, I hope you had an awesome birthday and enjoyed your cake. :D

And we're back!

Yep, full day. Done. There were times I felt a little carb withdrawal (seriously, high fructose corn syrup is evil- but is part of my "sick food" diet). But, most importantly, I made it through the day. Ok, so maybe, just maybe I drank a pot of coffee by myself. We'll just let that slide for today. Even with that, I had one heck of a time keeping up with the kids. Tomorrow's a new day.

FINALLY!

Yep, it appears the nasty flu is finally gone. I'm back on the smartfood. :)

For what it's worth, the gatorade did it's just and rehydrated me. Not that I'm thrilled with the amount of sugar that went in me...but, we'll just detox that right out and get back to losing weight. :)

Switching to chicken soup.

Blah! I've had it to hear with puke. The littlest apparently has what I do.

I was trying to use my SmartFood today. I finally called the office and asked my wonderful friend that has helped me do this what she would do. She confirmed what I was hoping. Go off the food so you don't associate it with the stomach flu. So, I'm doing it. Switching to chicken soup and saltines.

Please, pray. We need to get over this quickly.

Rule modification. (Sort of and maybe tmi)

When everything is evacuating your body as quickly as it goes in, it's time for a little rule change. I'm thinkin' stomach flu? I dunno. But it sucks. So, I had tomato soup for dinner. HFCS be darned.

Hopefully this will be short lived and I can be back to normal tomorrow. Oddly enough though, with the "issue" I've had today, 3.2 pounds down.

Gonna Git-R-Done...

I spoke with a very wise (and skinny ;) ) friend this morning. Basically, I walked away with- just git r done. The longer/more I vary, the longer I'll need the diet. Seriously. Structure is good. I like structure. But I've honestly been wanting to just break away and eat whatever. I know, stupid. I'm getting results and feeling good.

Today, I totally feel like I'm gonna yak. I've been having headaches and now waves of nausia. I think I'll have it checked out on Monday. However, my guess is that the wine and sweets on Friday night might have contributed to the nausia- my body is detoxing itself.

So, here I sit...SmartSoup and mint tea in hand. I love the soups. You can totally monkey around with them. This one has balsamic, ginger, garlic powder & onion powder. They are totally tolerable plain, I just like to monkey. The tea tends to be a saving grace for me. I don't notice near the cravings when I'm consistent with tea- whatever kind it may be.

On a side note...this morning, I mixed a vanilla shake with coffee. Wasn't half bad...very do-able, kind of latte-ish...a little.

Another great weigh in!

I wasn't expecting to lose this week. I still lost 2.2 pounds! :)

I'm not feeling all that well tonight...nasty headache again. So, I'm keeping this brief. I will say, aside from the headache, I'm feelin' good. :)

Bad to the bone...

It's not as easy as I thought it would be to travel and diet. Saturday night, I had pizza, really.good.pizza. It was a family dinner. I felt hungry when I shouldn't have...MIL reminded me, sugar and dairy. Darn it!

Then, on Sunday, we took the kids to the new VeggieTales movie. I had popcorn. OMG. Loaded. FWIW, I also had a stomach ache afterward. Now, the thought of it makes me want to puke.

I'm back on track and may actually still have a couple pounds lost this week- after gaining 3 over the weekend. I so should have just had a salad.

Happy Dance!

I'm down 4 more! Woo Hoo!

I have some stuff coming up this week....I don't expect as big of loss. But, we'll see. I'm going to try and eat smart at dinners out.

I'm going to start doing pictures every 2 weeks, rather than every week.

Maybe I should just stay fat

DH and I were having a conversation at dinner tonight. Basically about some drama, or more appropriately, Frama going on in some of the lives around us. He commented that men just don't get into those things, that it's gotta be the hormones. I then asked well, why am I different? He referred me back to the conversation with the endocrinologist- in the fatty tissue (like the excess around my middle), the weak estrogens convert to male hormone. So, according to DH, I am somewhat blessed.... ? Ok, whatever, I think I'll stick with the program for now. ;)

Dinner tonight surprised even me. I made the family a childhood favorite- kind of a mock tamale pie, but with ground turkey. I had no clue what I'd do for me...so, I sauteed up some onions and ground turkey. Reached for the garlic and wondered to myself if I could possibly cook without garlic (or the Johnny's Garlic seasoning), so I did. I threw in some oregano. Saw the balsamic and put some in. Then thought of the worteshire (I so can't spell this) sauce. It smelled awesome but lacked a little in flavor...got a little happier with that last ingredient and then pulled out one of the bbq rubs. Oh yeah! It was a little zippy, but still really good. Then, I had a spinach salad on the side with cucumbers.

So, I weigh in tomorrow...I can't wait. :D

Pictures and endocrinologist update...

This was the week I think I see the most difference. Amazing what 5 pounds does. ;)

I had my long awaited visit with the endocrinologist today. He's confirming what I've thought for awhile- PCOS- PolyCystic Overian Syndrome. He also, and this surprised me, was extremely supportive of the smart for life plan. He said to keep it up as it's clearly working. :D

Still rockin!

Last week's weighin gave me a high- 5.2 pounds! I went in thinking that maybe I'd have 3. I'll try and get to pictures later tonight. My poor camera is probably lonely. I've been having a fibro flair and haven't been much for shooting.

Tonight's dinner was really good. I picked up a couple of the new Healthy Choice steamers. I ofcourse added some seasoning, but when don't I? I had a spinach side salad with it w/honey mustard (no cal) dressing and a little bit of sugar-free strawberry preserves (they fit the dressing criteria). I have one more cookie/muffin to have yet tonight (but that's normal).

The craving that really wasn't....

I thought I was craving sweets and fat. I made candy (Christmas Crack to be specific) for DS' teachers and ofcourse thought I should probably sample a small piece- after all, I made a small modification to the recipe. Well, it tasted good at first. But, by the time it hit my stomach, I was pretty sure I could yak. Then, the taste it left in my mouth was just ick. The sugar was not my friend. Small victory, I guess.

Dinner tonight was boring. I made a scramble with egg whites, chicken (yes, that's right, I blended my lean protein choices! :D ) broccoli, onion and garlic. It was ok, but didn't have near the flavor I expected.

Wednesday....

Nothing too exciting today. I felt pretty yucky this morning (nothing to do with my diet) and really didn't want to eat for the first part of the day....which ofcourse makes cookies not so fun.

Dinner was quick tonight. Weight Watchers SmartOnes- something fajita w/extra chicken thrown in for protein. I also made a side of veggies to go with it- zuccini & onions w/Johnnys and balsamic. :)

My own little vulture...

Tonight, there was a serious lack of fixin's for food. So, I made the family pancakes...which of course got me the coolest mom title from my two older kids. Then there's the little one. She's 23 months old and as different as different can be. She picked at her pancake while I made my dinner...

Chicken stir fry w/carrots and zuccini and garlic. I made the sauce with rice vinegar, soy sauce (low sodium), water, ginger, cinnamon, mustard, lemon sub and stevia. It totally rocked...pleasant surprise since I had no real clue what I was doing.

So, DD sees me with this bowl of chicken and veggies. Up she climbs back in her highchair. "I.try.MOMMY!" I give her a few pieces. Devoured in seconds. She then assumes the position. Her little elbows on the table, leaning toward me asking about my chicken. I shared. That'll teach me...

Cravings galore

I've got to be PMSing or something. I'm having cravings for everything. It sucks.

I was good for dinner last night. I made broiled tilapia w/ a mayo/dijon/balsamic & dill coating. DH's had sour cream/mayo/dill/mustard and saltine crumbs. The carrots rocked. I sauteed them in the fat free spray, then put some butter spray on and tossed in dill. Then, when they were close to done, I put balsamic vinegar on and covered them. Totally carmelized yumminess. To save time, the second veggie was canned beets.

As I wear a pair of lowrise jeans today, I'm encouraged to keep on...my butt actually looks good in them.

Picture Slideshow

Slow and steady...

I'm down 3 more pounds! :) As much as I'd love to lose quicker, I'll take what I get.

I've been doing great with meals and have figured out supplementing grams of protein in freezer meals, etc. Oddly enough, it also fills me up to have those little meals...who knew? ;)

I'm going to try and post my transformation slide show in another post. For some reason, it didn't come through in this one.

Meh.

I had a "meh" day today...no energy and just plain tired. Might have had something to do with no sleep last night. Between staying up late playing games with DD and the littlest not sleeping, I didn't wake up feeling the greatest.

So, last night, I made this great soup for dinner. I used a packet of the smart soup, 6 oz of canned chicken (98% fat free & packed in water), 1/2 c onion, 1/2 c carrot, 12 oz water and a small handful of spinach at the end for color...oh and some garlic seasoning. At the table, it was good, but missing "something." If I had balsamic vinegar, I'd have added a tsp of that...in it's absense, I added a tsp of A1. It rocked.

Today on the other hand, I was so beyond non-compliant. I did great all day with smart food and water....then, that mean ol' DH made homemade Mac N Cheese- not just any either, Alton Brown's recipe! To add to that, it was made with 3 cheeses, one from NewYork. Yeah, it was a holiday meal and worth the dieting fudge. ;)

I don't know that I've lost much this week...Friday will tell. Which, speaking of, I forgot to update from last Friday. 2 pounds. Probably a lot of water weight as I'd been craving salt.




I forgot to take my camera with me to SFL, and had my mom snap a couple at home. I definately feel my shape changing. My jeans are loose and somewhat baggy. And, ok, TMI here but some of my underwear is literally falling off! :D Ok, and I know, the slippers in the pic are fabulous! One of my favorite Christmas pressies.