Lab Results....not sure what is going on..

I had a peach mango low fat, no sugar scone for breakfast.  I was working the day away anf had just finished my noon meeting and looked at my cell phone and saw that my doctors office had called.  So I called back and finally got to talk to a nurse.  She told me that my cholesterol was normal and so were my triglycerides, but that my good cholesterol is low...I know I need to exercise.   Then she told me that my hormone, TSH, and cortisol levels are normal., but that my vitamin D level was extremely low and the MD was calling in a prescription for a high dose supplement that I have to take once a week for 8 weeks and have my level rechecked.  I also had blood in my urine, so she want to repeat that test.  So I hung up before I thought to ask for her to also order the Glucose Tolerance test I wanted in addition. My mind is reeling trying to figure out how I could have an extremely low vitamin D level.  I go outside and get sun light.  So what is a girl with a computer to do, that is right start the google search.....Not a good idea!!!!

So now I am sitting in LA swearing that I either have Renal Failure or Lupus...I am kicking back and forth in my head whether to call the office tomorrow and have them add the test that I want since I have to go back to the Lab anyway on Friday.

Lunch was a Kashi bar, and Dinner a salad with 4 grilled Shrimp on it and side of grilled veggies.  I even had some bread with dinner.  It was my splurge, since it smelled so good, but I did not add butter.   I ate my grilled veggies first and then a little bread and then the shrimp.  I had some salad, but my stomoach was saying it was full. so I only at half of it.

Trying to turn my mind off...I can not do anything about these lab results right now and worrying is not good for me...

Talk to you later.

The airplane story..Funny story...

So I was telling the story of the last time I flew home and the person said that story is priceless you really should share it on the blog...

So a week and half ago I was flying home from LA and I was were my pants that are my original size.  They are really loose, but I can still get away with them.  After sitting on the plane, for the second flight to home, I got up out of my seat and my pants are falling down...like literally half way down my butt.  I grabbed my pants, but as soon as I let go they would start sliding south.  So here I am at midnight trying to get my roller bag out of the over head bin with one hand because I am afraid that if I let go that the hundred people behind me are going to get a show and I personally have no desire to have a picture of my butt on the internet.  Finally a guy helps me get my bag looking at me weirdly that I refuse to move my left hand that is grabbing a handful of my pants.  I am walking down the concourse pulling my roller bag and suddenly I feel my underwear that is also my original size begin to slip as well. Ah crap I am at the point that I am passed the police and can not turn back to go the bathroom so I am trying to subtly reach into my pants to retrieve my under wear and hold it along with my pants to go the rest of the way to baggage claim. 

There is NOT a subtle way to do this....after finally managing the task.  I bet down to the baggage claim and it hits me...I have to get my other bag, my carry on roller bag, and myself to the taxi stand without my pants slipping off in the middle of the airport and I need a hand for each suitcase...CRAP I need a third arm....So instead the hand that carry on bag is holding it and my pants...I am occassionally hitting my foot with the carry on because it is so close.  That causes me to say ow...NOW I am sure that the people all around me thought I had enjoyed way too much alcohol on the plane...but for me there are worse things that could have happened....

A new milestone...

This may be hard for someone that has never been obese to understand but airline traveling is not fun when you are obese.  You worry about so many things as they run through your head.  The worst thing for me was the moment you sit in the seat and grab the seat belt and the two ends won't meet, because that means that an embarassing conversation with the airline attendant will follow.  The one where you trying not to announce to the world that you are so overweight that you need the extender.  It never fails though that they make you repeat it several times and then make a point of flashing to what seems like the whole plane before they hand it to you.  My solution was to get my own so I never had to ask, but that meant that I had to make sure that I had it when I traveled...not fun.  Well todaywas the end of that!!!  I did not get upgraded today and was in coach and I grabbed thouse two pieces of fabric and pulled them towards each other and heard that click at the two metal ends met and locked.  Not only did they meet but it as loose, so I grabbed that belt and tightened it...and the extender stayed in bag unused as I traveled across the country. I celebrated my accomplishment silently for a couple of seconds and then promptly fell asleep....

I hwoke up just in time to have one of non peanut based Kashi bars before we landed and then it was off to work.  The guys I work with wanted to have italian for lunch so I declined and got a salad and had a Kashi bar for lunch.  Dinner was a salad with boiled lobster.  It was super good. 

Now I am exhausted and ready to go to bed.

Talk to you later...

Feeling like Paula Dean!!

I write on here day after day about all the changes that I am making and for the the most part my family is coming along for the ride.  Tonight though they were  craving a german classic of Pork with Jaeger sauce  ( translated as a hunters sauce).  So tonight I was cooking with butter, heavy cream, and frying pork.  I tried to make it slightly healthier, like I cut the cream in half with water, sauce was still thick and tasted the same.  Instead of home Spatezle, which is a homemade egg noodle made with white flour and  eggs, I used rotini pasta.  Needless to say, I did not have this for dinner tonight.

For breakfast, I had a Kashi bar.  Lunch was some Grilled Veggies, that I picked up at Whole Foods.  Dinner for me was a weight watcher meal, because after cooking all that food for F and C, I was worn out. 

I fly to LA tomorrow and the crazy month and a half begins...Wish me luck..I will survive this and hopefully continue to lose weight as I spend more time in LA then at home, which means more eating out....Yuck....

Talk to you later.

Weigh in day...

Today was weigh in day and yet another successful day on the scale...I lost another 5 pounds.  That puts the total at 76 pounds.  I am almost at the weight I was when I got pregnant with C.  So in the last 14 weeks, I have lost the weight that it took 8 years to accumulate.  

Yesterday was a challenge but I am proud of the choices I made.  I had a fabulous smmothie for breakfast and Oatmeal for lunch.  C had a soccer game at 7:00pm so I had dinner of chicken and veggies stirfry.  Our team lost for the first time in a year, but they did not play like they usually do.  It was hard on C, she takes it so personally.  We went to a pizza place after the game and I did not have any.  It just not worth it, but the company was good.  There was some drama afterwards that I am just letting go of, I have more important things to focus on.  Sadly it is affecting C, but she knows we love her and can not control other people. 

I am so happy to be making progress every week.  At the soccer game was the first time that someone who is not reading my blog came up to me and asked if I had lost weight and that I looked good.  It was that cool moment that I needed to reaffirm that the progress I am making is noticable.  

The 2 size smaller pants I bought a couple of weeks ago are starting to get loose...

Talk to you later and take care...

Win some and lose some

Today, was my physical appointment and according to the scale at the MD's office I have lost another 4 pounds. I went in the room and after the nurse squeezed my arm so hard with the blood pressure cuff that I made a face.  I waited for the Dr.  F.  I have not seen since July, she is my PCP and I have not had reason to go to her...Anyway when she walked in the room and did not say a word.  We talked about our daughters, both of whom are 8, and then she started going through the review of systems, when she asked has there been any unexpected weight loss, I answered "No all  71 pounds has been worked very hard for."  She looked over at me a said..."How much"  so I repeated and she said, "that is great, I lost 30 pounds"  We compared some things that we had been eating..she wasked about my smoothie recipe.  Anyway on through the physical exam and on to the to more questions about the last time I had certain tests done.  I am overdue for a bunch, I know bad me!!!  I had to get my tetanus shot done. 

So then she asked if I had anything I wanted to discuss..I started talking about wanting to get a workup done for Polycystic Ovary Syndrome.  She kind of rolled her eyes, then said okay I will add some hormone levels as well.  Here is where the new me came out and I said actually I have a list of labs I want run and I pulled out my piece of paper.  I had asked a friend that has PCOS and happened to be a Lab Person in a previous life (thanks CR) what tests I should ask for, and I started listing lab tests.  She was fine with most of them except the Glucose Tolerance Test, because she says that she can not justify it for the insurance just based on me wanting it and the symptoms that I was pointing out.  I did not back down though, I told her that this is my life and need to know that I am taking care of my body.  So she agreed, that if any of my other labs were borderline or abnormal, then she would order it immediately.  I think just to punish me, she added 3 basic labs, a urinalysis, and a mammogram. I must have grimaced when she said mammogram!!  She pointed out that I had a diagnostic done over 3 years ago and had never gotten my follow up one done.  Okay I admit that is true, but I moved in the meantime and they said it was fine...So after 10:00 tonight, nothing to eat for me and I have to take C to school in the morning and then head straight to the lab for blood work and a diagnostic mammogram, what a way to start my day..  She also mentioned that within the next 2 years, I can expect to have a colonoscopy...I immediately threw my husband, who is older than me and also sees Dr F, under the bus pointing out that he did not have to one.  She pointed out that I had a family history of Colon Cancer...I told her that my brother and father had been haing them for years and at least one of them refuses to have them done anymore. 

Really I think my colonoscopy phobia, comes from working, with a certain department when I lived in VA.  They were the bane of my existance and I have yet to meet a GI Doc that was nice...Ok it is an excuse I just do not want to do it..She said it is not this year, but within the next 2 years.  Ok, note to self over the next two years do stuff to distract her from ordering this test...

So there we go...I won some battles and lost some battles. 

I had a smoothie for Breakfast, Oatmeal for lunch and have not had Dinner yet...

That is it for the update....Taking care of my health is goal number one..

Talk to you later..Take Care.

I am getting nervous....

Tomorrow is my physical appointment and I am getting nervous that yet another physician is going to tell me that I am not capable of doing this on my own and beat me down again.  I have not had the best luck with MD's over the last 3 months.  She has been my doctor since about 6 months after I moved and she has always been wonderful to me.   She never said anything about my weight in any of my appointments.  She has also always been very open to any suggestions that I have regarding tests and such, but I think I am little gun shy.  I am trying to get in the right mind set and I am making a list of tests that I want ran. 

I had a smoothie for breakfast.  I had a nice salad for lunch.  Today was soccer practice and I fed C before we went, but I was not hungry so I did not eat before practice.  About half way through practice I started getting hungry.  C took a bath and I cooked my dinner.  Chicken with brown rice.  It was really good.  Now I am watching American Idol and laughing...

Talk to later...take care..

Do I get a 90 day chip?

It has been over 90 days since I hae any candy, junk food, or fast food.  If I was an alcoholic in AA and I had gone 90 days with out drinking I would get my 90 day chip.  My addiction was to sugar and fat and I am 90 days clean and sober.  I have not dosed myself with my drug of choice sugar and fat to put myself on that sugar high or  felt that sedative effect that comes from gorging of junk food.  I think I am going to make my own...

Yeah that should do it.  I am really looking at this last 3 months as being a major detoxification and rehabilitation program.  Now my body is free of this junk and I no longer crave this junk.  So now it is all about continuing to live my life free of this addiction.  The question that I am facing right now, is does this mean that I can never have this food again or will I someday be able to have it in moderation?  I am nowhere ready to try it and see if I can handle moderation, I still consider this type of food and fast food to be my "gateway drug".  That once I have a little, the binge that will follow will be downward spiral, especially if I had some and still managed to lose weight. 

On to Phase 2....so the plan was always that I lose weight but that is only Phase 1 of the plan.  Because just losing the weight is not enough, in order to truly be healthy I need to be active and strength my body.  Because you can be skinny and not healthy,  so this means the much dreaded exercise. 

Yeah I am not an athlete!!!  I do NOT like to go to the gym and lift weights and run on a treadmill, stepper, or glider.  When I have tried a gym in the past, I spend the time on the machines and treadmill thinking about all the things that I could be doing that I would enjoy so much more or thinking about work and other things that I need to get done.  I usually last about a month at the gym before I start coming up with reasons not to go!!  There is also tht self-esteem issue that comes from being surrounded by people that  look like they have never had a weight issue and feeling like a beached whale in comparison.  It is really hard to voluntarily put myself through that and be happy and enthused about it.  In addition, I look like a walking disaster in an aerobics class.  If someone taped me, I am sure it would be a instant winner on America's Funniest Home Videos!! Swimming right now is not an option, because just the thought of having to put on bathing suit and be seen by anyone is enough to send me under the blankets in my bed.  Yeah I know that these are excuses, but I have to put them out there and face them to make the change right.  SO I HATE EXERCISE!!! 

That said I need to get fit and I want to look outside the Gym box to get started.  Walking is part of the plan, because I can do it anywhere I am at and it does not cost anything.  Since I am planning on doing the 5K I have got to start walking and build up that ability.   It is a great cardiovascular exercise, but it does very little for my core muscles.  I know my core sucks, it has been insulated in fat for so long that I am sure the muscles underneath have starved for activity.  So I am going to try yoga!  Yeah you heard me Yoga! I found a studio close not far from where I live and the website with the instructors sound like they are knowledgable about making modifications to the poses for overweight people.  I am hoping that trying this will have a multi layer affect of one strengthing my core and improving my flexibility while also allowing me to find that mental balance that they say come with yoga.  I live in stress constantly and do not know how to turn off my brain ever, which is why I live on about 4 to 5 hours of sleep a night.  I am hoping to find a way to turn that off.  When I do it, I want to buy a package because if I spend the money the guilt of wasting it would make me use the classes.  I do not want to do one class and then say nope not for me because that is too easy an excuse.  I have a friend CH down here who says that, she is willing to go with me.  More motivation to go, because I do not want to let people down.  The same studio also has a belly dancing class...which is intriguing to me because I always wanted to look like Shakira!! Maybe I will give it a shot once I have gotten my core strengthened a little.   It was funny I was talking to someone about doing Yoga and C heard me and started begging to do yoga too.  She had seen it in some show and wants to try it.  I will have to check for a kids course.  The Yoga is going to have to wait until Mid-March because my travel schedule over the next month and half is crazy!!  Between prep for go-live and the actual go live I will spend more time in Cali then I do at home.  YUCK!!  So something to look forward to is that as soon as go-live is over I am signing up for Yoga!! Wish me luck!!  I am also considering hiring a personal trainer for a 8 weeks once I am ready for regular exercise...you know someone to kick my butt and bug me when I try not to go to the gym.  I would love to have Bob Harper or Jillian Michaels, from the Biggest Loser, but I can not afford them and this is not going to be someone that I can just pick out of phonebook.  I need to interview them and tell them what I need.  Any body who is,  knows about, or has ever  had a personal trainer , please feel free to give me advise. 

Breakfast was a smoothie, lunch was salad and V-8 juice, and dinner is lord knwos what!!  C has dance class tonight and I have a  hour conference call all around that time frame.   2 hour conference calls should be banned as unhealthy!! So I will have to eat when I get home after 8:00 pm.  But whatever I come up with will be healthy...

Talk to later....

Preparing myself for a couple of things...

I am preparing for my doctor's appointment this week for a physical and of course I am going in with expectations of tests that I want run.  Thanks CR for helping me out with some of the specifics.  I am hoping to get a bunch of lab tests done to rule out any physical factors that could be contributing to my weight issues, so that if there are any I can fix them now.  I will let you know how everything goes, I think my appointment is Thursday..

I am also preparing for a nasty work schedule that is coming up over the next month and a half..  I usually work every other week from home, but February I will be flying to CA every week for at least a couple of days of week.  On top of that I will be spending 2 weeks straight in CA in the beginning of March.  I hate this part of my job.  But this is also hard on my eating habits, because during this time I will be in the actual hospital with catered meals.  Of course, they can not order a special low fat meal for me, so I am going to be really stuck.  So far my plan includes taking Kashi Bars with me and having those for lunch.  I am also planning on taking my morning break and walking the two blocks to my cafe with the low-fat scones or smoothies depending on my mood.  Any other suggestions, would be appreciated, but the area I will be in will not have a fridge, so I can not bring anything that needs to be kept cool, which limits my choices. 

This morning, I woke up late and had a "brunch" of some left over German Potato salad.  F was making fun of me because it contained a little bacon and I was carefully picking out every single piece so I did not eat any.  He was the total would be less than a strip of bacon, but for me bacon while it does taste good, has very little redeeming value.  It is all fat, nitrates, and salt.  Nothing that contributes to my health.  Afternoon snack was an avocado  and some grapes  Dinner was a weight watcher meal, because it was late and I was starving. 

I am really looking foward to a smoothie tomorrow morning.

Talk to you later...take care!!

To Reward or not to Reward...Opinions needed!!!

When I was young and in school, I was always jealous of my friends that got paid for grades.  You know those kids whose parents would give them so much for an A and so on.  I got good grades and my only reward was a "good job" and smile from my mom.  C does not get paid per grade but if she makes the all A honor roll, then I she gets to pick out a DS or Wii game as a reward.One the other hand C knows that if she does not do well on her report card, that she will lose an afterschool activity since that would mean that those things are getting in the way of her education.  

The reason why I am telling you all this is a conversation I had with a co-worker this week where they stated that I needed to reward my self for a certain weight loss, like once I lose 75 pounds I should get myself something as a reward.  At the time, I loved this idea but the more I think about the more I wonder if it is truly a good idea. 

1. The first issue is that any thing that I could get myself for a "reward"  is something that I could get if I really wanted it any way. 
2. Second, I really think that for me my health is my reward.  The ability to look in the mirror and see myself and know that I am as healthy as I could possibly be is the reward. 
3. If I am rewarding myself for losing weight do I have to have consquences for gaining weight? 

On the other hand, I see where the reward could be a motivator too.  I mean look at the Biggest Loser, they are losing weight for the ultimate reward of winning the money, but they gain healthy habits and health too. Would they really work out until they puke and put up with being screamed at by trainers, if not for that reward at the end? 

So I want your opinons, do you think I should reward myself for losing weight?  If you think that I should what kind of rewards do you think make sense and at how many pounds do I set the reward cycle? 

I lost a pound today, it was probably more but I am retaining water from flying.  If anyone has a cure for that please let me know that as well!!!

I had a Kashi bar for breakfast, a small serving of German potato salad for lunch (the kind made with broth and vinegar, no mayo). and dinner was chicken and peppers over brown rice.

I can not wait to hear your opinions....

Take care and stay healthy..

Saying no is getting easier

Today I had a Low fat, no sugar blueberry almond scone for breakfast, a Kashi bar for lunch and a grilled shrimp salad for dinner..

My co-workers went out to lunch and I was not really hungry so I said no.  It is empowering to say no and not just follow along...I want to be healthy and eating out is a challenge.  I do not have control on what what added to the dish during preparation. So I am allowing myself to say no. 

I am finding that eating healthy is so enjoyable that it makes things easier.  I have a physical net week and for the first time I am actually looking forward to it. I want to show that I can do this and surprise everyone.

Talk to you all later...Take care..

My life depends on this..

It is one of those things that I have come to realize.  This change I am making is something that could mean the difference between life or death.   I am (still at this point but hopefully not for long) morbidly obese.  I was and still am carrying way to much excess weight. I was lucky though, because whether it was stubborn genes or just me being lucky at russian roulette, I was walking a high wire without a net and did not fall off.   I never had high blood pressure, diabetes, or cardiac issues, my cholesterol was normal.  The only effects the weight had on my was lack of energy and getting worn out when trying to do physical activity.   Only the powers that be know how far away I was from developing one of these horrible issues, but I am thankful every day that it did not take almost dying for me to wake up and say, "No More!!  It is time to change!!"  Until I get every pound of this excess weight off my body, I am still walking that tight rope and the only good news is that with every pound I lose I am weaving that safety net to catch me.  So falling back on old bad habits is not an option for me, because if I do I am signing my death certificate and it might not happen tomorrow, next week or next year, but eventually those bad habits will catch me and I will leave behind a beautiful little girl, a fabulous husband, and wonderful friends and family.  This is not a diet, it is a decision that means the difference between life and death. 

I wanted to share a picture I saw on face book that spoke to me..

Just something to think about as you go through those fast food restaurants.

So I am in Cali this week, I flew in this morning and slept most of the way on the plane.  I had a Kashi bar for breakfast and salad for lunch.  For dinner, I had a salad with tomatoes, avocado, and a small amount of boiled lobster with a light vinagrette with a side of Broccolini.  I asked for the salad to not have the bacon or cheese that came on it.  It was really good. 

Well that is it for tonight.

Talk to you later...Take care and be healthy...

I lost my daughter...

No not reallybut in terms of weight loss yes...My daughter C is a very healthy 8 year old who weighs 63 pounds.  So I have more than lost her in terms of my weight loss. She is perfectly in preportion for her height.  I credit this to one breast feeding when she was an infant and the fact that I made my own baby food when she was a baby.  So there were no additives or chemicals in fruits and vegetables, when she was introduced to food.  I would go to the store and buy fresh vegetables and boil them and then puree them.  I also credit this to her love of vegetables and fruits.  She claims to like sweet things but typically she will have a couple of bites and then throw the sweet away.  I used to fuss thinking of the food that she is throwing away, butI realized that mental part of weight problem was the "empty plate" syndrome that I grew up with.  You know those parents that said "you have to finish everything on you plate".  When C tells me that she is no longer hungry, I do not force her to eat more.  She is very in tune with her body and yes this means that she eats more frequently in smaller portions but as long as she makes healthy choices for those portions I am happy with that existence. 

Meanwhile I think part of weight issue is that mentality of cleaning my plate which I have to think about when eating.  If I go to a restaurant, I was likely to finish everything, even if it meant that I felt stuffed and uncomfortable.. So I have to change that mind set and realize when my body is telling me "Enough!!  you are full!!!.

Breakfast was some oatmeal and I have not had lunch yet..

Side note I am sad that Saints lost last night, but that was a good game!!  S in Virginia is happy that 49ers won...so I am happy for her....

Talk to you later.

Weigh in day...3 Months results

So I weighed in this morning and I lost another 8 pounds.  That brings my 3 month total weight loss to 69 pounds!!!  That is right in 3 months, I am half way to my goal of 130 pounds...depending on how the next few months go I may have to revise my goal. 

F and I went out last night and had a good time.  C had her first warm up sonner practice for the spring season that starts in the next few weeks.  So we were up bright and early going to the soccer field. I dropped F and C off and then went to way in and came back and got them.

Today the plans include watching a playoff game.  I am a Saints fan!!  I just love that team and how they play. 

So I will write more later today....

Talk to you later!!!

Tired..

I stayed up so late last night cleaning out the kitchen and had to get up early to take C to school and work, so my body is exhausted.

I had oatmeal for brakfast, a smoothie for lunch, and roasted potatoes and brocoli and cheese for dinner. I love how my energy is increasing a little every day, but I have to make sure that I get enough sleep as well.

F is out practicing for his dart league and C is in bed.  So I am going to chill and watch some TV and probably fall asleep.

Talk to you later..

Cleaning House

I had a crazy day at work, I am trying to be super woman and do intergrated testing, making fixes in production, attending multiple phone conferences and still be a good wife and mother.  There are some major disdvantages to working from home when the your customer is in a different time zone.  While they may think nothing of having a meeting for hour starting at 5:00pm to prepare for a major project, for me that means working really late, while trying to make dinner, cuddle, gett a sweet little girl ready for bed and keep my sanity!!!  Sadly, I had to let down a friend that recently lost her father because I just could not get away.  I feel horrible about letting her down.

I happened  to be looking at some websites before worked started this morning and read something that I was so totally disgusted by, that I feel I have to share with all you Mom's out there.  In the late 70's, High Fructose Corn Syrup became an acceptable additive to our food supply to replace sugar.  I am hoping that I can post the picture so here we go...

So as you can see as our consumption of High Fructose Corn Sugar increased so did our rate of obesity.  High Fructose Corn Syrup in so prevalent in our foods in America that the aveage American consumes 70 pounds of it in a year.  As a parent, we may try to limit our childrens exposure by avoiding those foods that we know contain alot of  HFC, like regular sodas, but here is the shocking part....Did you know that a bottle of formula contains more HFC than a can of soda.  I let that think in and realized that if the studies that have shown the addictive nature of HFC in mice are true, we basically without our knowledge set up generations of children to struggle with obesity.  Why does formula need HFC?  Breast Milk does not contain it and those kids survive just fine...or could it be that the additive people realized that they had a captive audience.  I hate to think that way but I just do not get it.  Here is the kicker, now that people are looking for foods that do  not contain High Fructose Corn Syrup, the industry wants to change the name to "Corn Sugar".  Something to think about..

Ok...so I had a smoothie for breakfast, (no HFC).  I had a breakfast food for Lunch, Oats Revolution, oatmeal.   Thanks J for that recommendation.  It is lower in calories than regular oatmeal, less carbs, and more fiber...and no HFC.  It was so good and hit the spot.  After my late phone call, I had to make a quick dinner so I had a Kashi frozen dinner.  No HFC.  An HFC free day!!

F asked my at 9:30 to make him a Hot Chocolate and I went to the pantry to find the packets adn I opened that door and it hit me.  I have a HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP paradise in my own house.  So I made his Hot Chocolate and grabbed the trash can and start cleaning out my pantry.  I took everything out and looked at everything in there.  I got rid of as much junk food as I could with out sending my family into a melt down over night.  I also found alot of expired food too.  I also found that I had multiples of things that I keep thinking I am out of because I can't find them in the disaster zone that was my pantry.  I dedicated two sheves to the ingrediants that are used frequently in cooking, especially when I am out of town and the nanny cooks dinner.  Then each member of the family got a shelf with their foods on it.  Well really F got a shelf and a half because he has alot of stuff.  C would be amazed how much candy and stale chips I found buried in the pantry and threw out. Once the pantry was done, I was energized so I ended up scrubbing down the whole kitchen.   It looks pretty good.  I bet F that C will not even notice that alot of her junk food is gone.  So what was the worse food that I found in the pantry?  TWINKIES!!!  We had a whole box with maybe 2 missing, but I must have been in a sugar coma when I bought them.  Well I am awake now and they will not be in my house again. 

I should get some sleep I have another busy, busy day tomorrow...

Take care...talk to you later. 

Busy day...

So I went out last night with F for a little fun to remind me that there is more to life than work. Stayed out way to late, certainly too late to make sense on a blog.  C woke me up this morning to take her to school.  I got home and had some Kashi Honey Sunshine Cereal.  I made F coffee and cut some Stollen that we got F's mom in Germany.  For those of you who have never had Stollen, it is yeast dough filled with raisins.  Made with lots of butter and coated with a generous dusting powdered sugar.  It is one onf my favorite German holiday treats and we received one yesterday.  C and F were fighting over who it belonged to since it was in a package addressed to C.   They finally agreed to share it.  Meanwhile as much as I would love to cut myself a bunch of slices and sit down and enjoy the taste, I am not partaking this year.  So my only alternative is to encourage F and C to have it as quickly as possible so the temptation is out of my kitchen.  Lunch was mixed fresh vegetables.  Dinner was a weight watcher turkey meal. 

Well take care and talk to you later..

Migraine!!!

So my migraine started last night and it has been awhile since I had one this bad.   I have tried everything that usually works and no relief.   My appetite is depressed, but I am trying to eat anyway to keep my body fueled to get better. 

I had some Oats revolution oatmeal this morning.  It was really good and lower in sugar and fat than typical oatmeal.   Lunch was carrots and grapes.  Dinner was a smoothie. 

So that update is really all I can handle because I have to concentrate to type and that is hard when your head is pounding.

Talk to you tomorrow.

Slept in...

I apologize for not blogging alot this week, I would get back to the hotel with every intention of blogging and just be too tired to do it.  It is not that I did not want to share, it was just that my body was tired from the flying and the time change and the work.  I promise to do better this week.

So I got home late last night and then spent time with my husband.  This led to me sleeping in this morning and sadly I missed the weigh in time.  I weighed myself at home and I am down another 2 pounds, which is god considering that I am retaining water from flying.  I am going to weigh in officially next saturday so that will be a total for 2 weeks.  But unofficially I am at 61 pounds down. 

It was nice this week in California because I actually had people say how it looked like I lost weight.  It was that reinforcement with my new lower sizes to help me resist the temptations that the saboteurs were trying to throw my way this week.  I got offered cookies several times and said no of course and that was followed by the "one cookie won't hurt you".  My response was, "one cookie may not hurt me but it won't help my body either."   Work was crazy as we prepare for a major project going live in March.  This means lots of hours and weird hours at times.

I have errands to run today and football to watch..

Talk to you later and take care.

Lunch ruined my day..

I had planned on doing an unprocessed food day today.  I had a favulous smoothie for breakfast.  I was cherry, raspberry, apple.  and then I was working my tushy off and realized it was late and I did not have time to go get lunch before my meeting, so I had a Kashi bar for lunch and an orange. So totally processed.  Dinner I had a Grilled chicken salad with no dressing.  So I am calling this a partial non processed food day.

I am missing my family...C had her first real life trauma this week, some one at the play place she goes to stole her wallet..She had her most precious thing in it, her library card.  She was in tears.  It is so hard to explain to her why someone would do that...she thinks that everyone is nice and friends.

I can not wait to go home.

Talk to you later....Take care..

In California..

So I flew out this morning, and had a cereal bar on the plain, on that did not contain nuts...Lunch was some salmon (though I only had a couple of bites), grilled vegetables, and fruit.  Dinner was a small broiled crab cake, more grilled veggies, and about 6 bites of salad, and a slice of bread before my stomach was saying enough!!! 

So here is the funny flying story, you know I had to have one right?  I wore my new smaller sized shirt on the trip and it seems that it has some slightly metallic thread in it, because after I went through the full body scanner, the thread caused it to show on the image which meant I got the full pat down/feel up by the TSA agent!!  I think I should be able to charge them...

It is a short week here in the California, so I am counting the hours until I am home again.  BTW, I need a vacation, not a day off here and there but a total I am not answering a single e-mail vacation.  I am on call for the 3 rd week in row and have another week to go due to the only other person that takes call being on a month long vacation. 

Well take care and here is to healthy tomorrow...I think i am going to do my unprocessed food day tomorrow...it might be dependent on how good the scone flavor is tomorrow...

Talk to you later..

Nothing improves my mood more than..

I went clothes shopping today and usually this is something I dread.  I hated trying on clothes because nothing ever looked good on me and besides while I could delude myself that I was not looking that bad, nothing drives home the point that your weight is out of control more than realizing that you have limited selction of choices at the plus size store because you are one of the higher sizes.  So basically, I would have to take what I could get and elastic was my friend..Well I went in today and grabbed pants in a size smaller and a couple 2 sizes smaller than I used to wear.  I grabbed a bunch of tops in the smaller sizes and even grabbed a top that was three sizes smaller (by accident I had grabbed the wrong size and did not realize it) and headed to the dressing room.

I decided I would try the pants that were 2 sizes smaller first to get an idea how far away from that size I was so I could decide how many pants to buy.  Well lo and behold I slipped them up my body and went to button them and had no trouble doing so!!!  THEY FIT!!!  I felt like a Progresso commercial, I wanted to start calling a perfect stranger to announce my joy!! F and C were at the video game store using her Visa gift card so there was no one to grab and hug.  About that time, I hear C calling for me and decided to walk out and show my new pants off.  F said those look good on you and then I announced that it was 2 sizes smaller and we high fived in the middle of the store.  I got a couple more pairs of the smaller size and I tried them on and they all fit!!  It was not a fluk, I had lost two sizes in my pants.  Then It was time to try on tops and I tried on several tops and in the 2 sizes smaller and F thought they all looked good though I do not really NEED tops because a baggy top is easier to wear for longer.   I grabbed the top that was the wrong size and slipped it on and headed out.  F said it looked really good and then noticed the size due a sticker on the shirt and said is that really that size?  I was amazed it was!!! I had a shirt on that was 3 sizes smaller and I did not look like a stuffed sausage!!  It looked good on me!!  Even though I had not planned on buying a shirt, I had to buy it just so I could put it on and say I had that size on my body!! 

So I bought 2 pairs of pants and the shirt and left the store smiling.  The part that makes me smile even more is that I am 2 to 3 pants sizes away from being able to shop in the regular clothing stores and only 1 to 2 sizes away in tops.   The thought of the world of clothing that is opening up to me makes me so happy.  No longer will I have to settle for what fits but be able to have options in what I wear.

For Breakfast, I had a turkey sandwich mainly because I woke up really late so it was basically lunch time by the time I was ready to eat.  I ended up having a granola bar as an afternoon snack/lunch.  F and C were craving KFC for dinner.  I had to roll the window down on the way home because the smell of the grease was making me nauseous.  I will be making myself something healthy for dinner.  I have not decided what yet.  

Well this has been an uplifting New Years Day with all the more reason to stick to that New Year's Resolution to keep moving forward toward the healthy me. 

Take care everyone and if you enjoy my blog feel free to follow it.  I love sharing this journey with you.

Talk to you later....