Gotein Review and Giveaway!

If you missed out on Steph's Gotein giveaway, here's another chance for you! The good people at Gotein have sent me some samples to try and more samples for YOU to try.

Gotein is, well, exactly what it sounds like: protein for when you're on the go. It comes in single serve packets that you can mix into a bottle of water. And who is ever without one of those? Pick your favorite from Vanilla, Chocolate, and Strawberry. Each flavor pack has approximately 100 calories and about 17 grams of protein. Check out the rest of the nutrition data here. A 12-pack is $24.95, not including shipping.

I was initially surprised at how big the packets were, but when you realize they contain a full scoop of protein powder, then it doesn't seem so strange. They do conveniently fold up without tearing though -- I have one stuffed inside my blender bottle right now for tomorrow's breakfast.

All three flavors were decent. It was hard for me to get over mixing them with water at first, but when you consider the calorie savings it makes sense. The best thing for me? I don't drink milk anymore, so I like having a good tasting protein drink option that will work well with water. The flavors were still creamy and didn't taste "watered" down.

I'm not one for following directions most of the time, so I had to try preparing these in a few different ways. First, I mixed the Vanilla packet with water and a handful of raspberries and ice in the magic bullet. Absolutely delicious. Can't beat it for only 100 calories. Next, I mixed a Chocolate packet in milk for the hubs because he felt like he needed more calories after his run. He let me try it, and it tasted almost as good as Nestle Quik. Seriously! I also tried mixing the Strawberry packet with water in my Blender Bottle instead of in a regular bottle of water. I used about 10oz of water, and it was perfect.

Pros? Convenient, tasty, and offers a good nutritional profile.
Cons? Price. At just under $2.50 per serving, it's a little steep for me, but I suppose you're paying for the convenience of a single-serve packet.

Now it's your turn! Leave a comment below (make sure you leave an email address if there isn't one in your profile), and I'll pick a winner via random number generator.

Nothing makes me feel less attractive than a pair of Old Navy slacks

It's true. They are awful on me. The 18s are way to big and the 16s give me muffin top galore. Disappointing. At least their t-shirts fit me really well right now.

So, I know it appears this post is going to be a giant bitch session about Old Navy, but really I want to talk about the gym. You know I am a horrid gym goer. Horrid. I actually walked into my gym last week to finally cancel my membership, only to find out that the one year contract ends in July. That got me thinking that maybe I should give it another shot.

In the meantime, I was reading the weekly newsletter at work, and I noticed an ad for the wellness center they opened up for employees earlier this year. I had originally poo-pooed the idea for myself because I didn't think I'd like a gym so far from home. The thing is, this place is amazing. It has a lap pool, therapy, pool, jacuzzi, full service locker room, towel service, 80 group fitness classes a week! It's kinda like a mini Lifetime Fitness. Even better is the price. Since the hospital subsidizes our memberships, it's a steal.

I got a 7 day pass, so I'm going to try it out this week. I'm still trying to work it out in my head whether I should join or not. The pros are it's close to work, cheap for what's offered, they have 8 Zumba classes per week (!!), I wouldn't have to bring towels with me, and there is the possibility of working out with friends from work. The cons are it's far from home, $10 more per month than my current gym, and there is the possibility of working out with other people from work. You know how that goes.

Anyhow, if you made it this far, thanks for reading my blather! I'll let you know how I did tomorrow.

Sunday night refocus

This weekend got away from me a little bit. Hell, the entire last week got away from me. I think it's time to institute a few weekly check-ins:

1. Sunday Night Refocus: review the week, revisit/revise goals, plan for the week
2. Wednesday Weigh-in: Wednesdays have historically been a good weigh-in day for me. It keeps me honest mid week, and still gives me a few days to recover for a lapse in judgement over the weekend.

So, my refocus for this week is that I need to trim down what I'm working on. I had six mini-goals last week and it was just an awful lot to keep track of. This week, my focus is on food logging. Can't fix it, if I don't know what's broken, right? I use myfitnesspal.com because it works on my stone-age android phone so I can update wherever.

Ok, I lied... one more thing. I am going to try to build a habit of filling up my water jug first thing in the morning when I get to work. It's a 34oz insulated mug, so when I manage to get that in at work, it really helps my overall total. So, water and food logging it is.

Would you believe I actually went on two walks today? Hubs and I took the kids out this morning -- we went about 3/4 mile. Then later in the afternoon, I took the tater tot out to the park and up to the corner store, and that trip was just short of a mile. Not too shabby, eh? Hopefully I don't wake up tonight with charlie horses in my calves! I'm going to borrow the hub's pedometer too. I walk a ton at work, and I've always been curious just how much.

I'll leave you with a pic of the tater at the park today:

Still feeling the hurt

It's Thursday morning, and I am still sore from the kettlebell debacle Monday afternoon. I meant to go for a walk yesterday afternoon, but I got stuck at work an hour late, so it was straight to daycare for me. Maybe today will be better.

Wednesday's report:
1. 70 oz of water? 50.
2. Minimal processed foods? Snack mix was my downfall.
3. Good source of protein at three meals? Two.
4. 30 minutes of exercise? Nope.
5. One serving of fruit? Check!
6. Food logging? Check!

Three done and two other halfway. I've been holding off on my protein shake this week thinking that drinking it later would hold me longer in the morning. Unfortunately, what's happening is that I'm not drinking the protein at all. Instead, I'm reaching for the snack mix container (my staff keeps a good supply of junk food in the lab) and picking at that for three hours. I think today I'll drink the protein on the way to work and have a piece of fruit later on. See how that goes.

All of this, and the scale is not being kind this week. I'm hovering around 205-206, which is really bumming me out. I'm trying not to get frustrated, but you know how that goes. Hubs and I had a good talk tonight (his first 5k is coming up this Saturday!), and he said he would fully support me signing up for some kind of exercise class on the weekends. I will have to see if they are still doing free Zumba at my gym -- maybe then I won't cancel my membership!

Also, it's 4am, and I can't find anything to watch on tv even though we just upgraded our cable and have about 150 more stations to choose from. Pathetic.

I got served.

Damn you Bob Harper and your kettlebell workout! I mean, I knew I was deconditioned, but shitballs, Bob! I didn't last 7 minutes! 20 squats and about 40 kettlebell swings later, I threw in the towel and took a shower.

Here's Mondays report card:

1. 70 oz of water? Maybe 50.
2. Minimal processed foods? Check.
3. Good source of protein at three meals? Only one, cuz I got stuck at lunch.
4. 30 minutes of exercise? 7. I tried.
5. One serving of fruit? Nope (see #3)
6. Food logging? Check!

So that is two definites, and progress towards two others. Not a bad start. I decided to try and wait to have my protein drink until a little later in the morning. I usually have it at 6 or 7, but then I end up snacking around 10. I meant to have it around 8:30 today, but I found myself putting out some fires and I had a meeting at 9, so I never drank it. I must have fallen into the got-too-hungry-so-I-couldn't-stop-myself-from-shoveling-food syndrome at lunch because I got through about 3oz of tilapia when I got the dreaded golfball feeling in my chest. I didn't eat or drink until almost 7. I had a bit of broccoli salad for dinner and called it a night.

That's my ramble for today.

My goals for the week

Here's what I'm aiming for daily:
1. 70 oz of water.
2. Minimal processed foods. If I have any, they must not include wheat.
3. Good source of protein at three meals.
4. 30 minutes of exercise
5. One serving of fruit
6. Food logging.

I know it seems a little ambitious going from lazy slob to picture of health. I'll call 4 out of 6 a successful day. I'll be back tomorrow to let you know how I did.

By the way, I went bathing suit shopping Friday afternoon. It was a disaster. You know what does not fit into a size 16 bathing suit? 38G boobs. Also, do you know what is uncomfortable after about 30 minutes? My brand new expensive 38G bras. Yeah, those bastards gave me back fat too. Damn. Now I need to hurry up and lose ten pounds so that $200 doesn't go to waste. &%$#@!!  My husband insists the bathing suit dilemma is no big deal. He says he will simply follow around behind me and hold up my boobs when we go to the beach. *sigh* Men.

BYOC!

Do you make your bed every day? Tell us about or show us a picture of your bed comforter?

No bed making here (or bed fixing, as I say -- blame my Italian grandmother's broken English). I leave the house a few hours before hubs does in the morning, and he most definitely does not fix the bed. The only time it ever looks nice is on the weekends. And mostly not even then.

My comforter is green with gold and yellow stripes. It sounds horrible, but it's not. The green is like a dark jungle green (not sure what else to call it) and the yellow stripes are thin. We painted the walls to match the yellow. Oh hell, here's a picture:

2. Johnny Cash or Elvis? Thin crust pizza or deep dish? Coke or Pepsi? Beer or wine or neither?

Johnny Cash

Thin crust -- only because the deep dish doesn't play well with the band.

Coca Cola Classic

Wine, though I've recently been enjoying Leinenkugel's Summer Shandy.

3. I recently went through my list of blogs I follow and was at my limit so I unfollowed bloggers who haven’t blogged in at least 6 months. I want to start following some more new blogs. Who’s your fave lately? Funniest? Most inspiring? Can you link them for me??

I've been reading a lot of Paleo blogs lately: Mark's Daily Apple, Robb Wolf, Gnolls.org.
My new favorite, in general, is The Bearded Iris. This chick cracks my shit UP!
For more laughs try STFU Parents. Also, I seriously have cried laughing reading some of the stuff at Damn You Auto Correct!

4. Repeat question: Summarize your week in blog land and in real life.

I've been way better with blogging this week. I'm really trying to do more commenting. It seems like BOOBS fever is picking up too -- I can't wait!

In real life, the new yob has finally settled down and I'm getting into a good groove. My in-laws are taking the kids Saturday night, so hubs is taking me out for a belated birthday outing. 

Take the clothes! Please!

Lots of stuff still up for grabs! Tell your friends! Come on girls, don't make me lug all this stuff to Chicago in September!

Attention, sisterhood! I have pants for you!

This morning I got a little sidetracked from exercising (I know, I know), and I tried on every last thing in my closet. It is All. Too. Big. I know, right? I now have one pair of khakis to my name and more jeans than I know what to do with. I kept two sweater sets and three cardis I bought over the winter, but that's about it. My closet is bare!

I didn't take pics of the dress pants, but here's the lowdown:

• Black Lane Bryant dress pants, boot cut, size 22
• Black Lane Bryant dress pants, straight leg, size 20
• Gray Lane Bryant dress pants, straight leg, size 20
• Khaki Lane Bryant dress pants, straight leg, size 20 (these fit a little smaller than the other 20s)
• Khaki Lane Bryant capris, size 20
• Two pairs of casual Lane Bryant khakis, size 20 (below)
  

And here are the shirts:

•  Lace shirt, sleeveless, Lane Bryant, size 22/24 (freshly drycleaned!)
  
  
• Crochet trim black tank, Lane Bryant, size 22/24. It's hard to see in the pic, but it's a v-neck with a keyhole. The crochet trim goes all the way around the neckline. It's a very fine crochet and a shiny knit. I wore it out to dinner once or twice.
  
  
• Short sleeve swing cardigan, Dress Barn, size 2X. There are two of these: seafoam and black. I only took a pic of the black one. Taken!
  

Please take them! I will take requests till Sunday, then my hubby will have a conniption if I don't have them out of the house. Also, don't be shy, I'd rather send two or three larger packages than a bunch of smaller ones. Pass the word!

Tuesday already?

Yikes. I haven't exercised yet.

I have a fill appointment today, but in the first time in my band history, I don't plan on asking for a fill. The heat and humidity keep me fairly tight, and when you combine that with the occasional period tightness, well... I think I'm fine right where I'm at. We'll see what he says.

Food yesterday:
6a: Starbucks Double Shot (I love these damn things!)
9a: 2 pieces of dried mango and a handful of almonds
12p: 2 chicken tenders from cafeteria and a few bites of broccoli
3p: 10 rice crackers
6p: 1/2 angus snack wrap from McDonalds and a Strawberry Lemonade

So, okay, not my finest day of eating. You can see, though, that volume is not an issue. I really need to start packing a lunch again. I'd be so much better off with a few pieces of lunch meat or leftover chicken than eating fried crap from the cafeteria.

My appointment isn't until 10, so if I can get hubs and the kids out of the house by 8, I should have time to exercise and shower before I have to leave. Hell, if they leave by 7:30, I could do my kettlebell workout AND take a walk. 

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Have you ever run into someone who hasn't seen you since you were thin? As in, they didn't know you as a fat person? And now, you are heavier than you were when they knew you, but you don't feel that way because you've already lost so much weight? I very nearly had this happen yesterday, and this person I'm sure would've commented on my habitus, so to speak. Needless to say, I'm glad I didn't actually have to talk to them because I would've felt compelled to say something insane like, "Oh, well, you should've seen how fat I was three year ago!" Like I need to justify myself. Frustrating.

Final Challenge Weigh-in and Some Notes on Shopping

Final weigh-in? 203. I'm not at my goal of 199, but I still lost ten pounds in eleven weeks. I am very pleased. Progress is progress, right? On to the next mini-goal: 5lbs by the 5th of July. It's an arbitrary date -- it just went well as a challenge title. So that's 5lbs in a little over three weeks. I'm gonna blow right past that 200 mark!

Yesterday after work, the hubs let me go on a  little shopping spree for my birthday, so I took off for the massive outlet mall. I figured if nothing else, I'd at least get a good walk in. Here's where I shopped:

• Lord & Taylor Outlet: This place was like my worst TJ Maxx nightmare. I just was not in the mood to shop somewhere so disorganized. One bright spot was finding a pair of Not Your Daughters Jeans shorts. I tried on the 18s, but they were way too big. No 16s in sight, so none for me.
• Next stop was Chicos: I was pleasantly surprised to find that I can actually fit in their clothes. I must have tried on eight million items here, but the cut of their pants are a little too tight across the hips for me, and some of the shirts are a little too, uh, not my style. I did get a pair of shorts and one 3/4 length sleeve shirt. I will return when I lose another ten or fifteen pounds. This was one of those places where I felt bad about not buying more because the sales lady just kept bringing stuff and bringing stuff. I wasn't that in love with anything though.
• Torrid: I haven't shopped here in forEVER. Tried on some size 16s, but everything was too big or just too full cut. Never thought I would have that problem. Tried some shirts too, but I'm not 16 anymore, so... meh. I did see that they had some shaping camis -- might have to go back for one of those eventually.
• I tried a few other places: Eddie Bauer, Talbots, etc. Nothing was striking my fancy. At that point, you know it's time to get out of dodge.
• One last stop: Coach Outlet! Oh yes, I can hardly believe it, but I did it. I've never been particularly hung up on this brand, but I have been looking for a new summer purse, and they had the perfect one. On top of that, they were having extra 30% off yesterday, so this was a super bargain. Here it is, complete with blue flower keychain. I love it.
• Fast forward to this morning. I took the tater tot out to Meijer at 6am since she'd been up since 4, and we needed some entertainment. I found myself a new pair of workout pants and a couple new t-shirts. Believe it or not, I do have plans to put them to use this week!

So, my plans for kicking this next five pounds in the tush... I'm cutting back on the grains again, focusing on fresh fruit and veggies, meat of all kinds, and very very minimal processed food. If I think about it, I'll post a couple days of intake. I'm also going to do my Bob Harper kettlebell workout at least twice a week, and I'll go for a nice long walk at least two other days. Got to put some miles on those shoes again.


Today, however, is one more freebie. My sister is having a BBQ for my niece's first birthday, and I will have a piece of cake, damnit.

Bra talk

Would you believe that even though I have lost 70 pounds now, I am still wearing the same size bra? I know, it's completely ridic. Well, today I thought I would buy myself an early birthday present in the form of some new brassieres.

I hit up the fancy boutique downtown and got measured. I love how they do things here: they measure you in your old bra, then go out and bring you in a few bras to try. Saves you a bunch of time trying on things that just aren't going to work -- the first one she brought me was the best by far. I bought two everyday bras -- one black and one beige -- and a beige sports bra that will totally work for every day too.

Okay okay, so I know what you are waiting for. Size difference? From a 46DD to a 38G. HELL-O! As my hubby said, 38? Geez! Pretty cool, eh girls?

I won't even tell you what I spent because I am slightly horrified about it. Let's just say these babies will never see the inside of a washing machine. I even bought some fancy new lingerie powder so they can soak clean in a bowl overnight in all their delicate glory. Yeah.

Back tomorrow with my final weigh-in for my 11 week challenge!

PB Alert!

Some of you out there were talking PBs recently, and so I have to tell you that my band went all DEFCON 1 on me over a hamburger tonight. Oh yes... we're talking about two hours of intermittent slime, golf ball in the chest, back pain, culminating in my usual wretching over the toilet. All this while trying to get two toddlers bathed and read to and in bed. Anyway, it's over now.

I've been doing a lot of thinking lately about whether I'm too tight or not. I won't lie -- the news of a few of our own having their bands removed recently gets the wheels turning. On top of that, another banded friend of mine just wrote me and said she just had her band removed last week! Totally out of nowhere! I know, for me, the crazy heat and humidity we've had around here is making me a little tighter, and I'm probably not being as careful as I should. Then I look at the fact that I really am not making solid headway in weight loss. I'm probably resorting to sliders (and a few frappuccinos here and there). And then Gilly posted about the importance of portion size, and I know I don't always limit myself to a cup.

So, I think, before things get too out of hand, maybe I need to suck it up and log for a while. Also, maybe I need to package my work food into 1 cup containers. I barely have time to eat these days anyway, so I certainly wouldn't feel deprived. Anyone else ever try that?

That's about where I'm at right now. Struggling a bit. I'll get past it.

Bullet time!

Just a quickie because blogger has not let me log in for three days! Grrrr.

• The new job is going super. I am having more fun at work than I've had in years -- even though I've been putting in 10-12 hour days! 
• I am very annoyed with blogger. I had a couple posts rumbling around in my head, but when I couldn't log in, they pretty much flew out the window. Oh well.
• Weight has been steady 204-206... birthday goal getting a little further away. :( I haven't weighed in about five days though, so maybe I'll get a surprise tomorrow.
• My band is super tight. It's probably the weather (really hot here over the weekend) and stress. My portions have been super small, and I'm still trying to focus on whole foods -- no processed crap. 
• Found out my kidney stones were calcium oxalate. That means I have to limit nuts, berries, chocolate, and spinach. Hmmmm. Some of those are my favorite snack foods, and I'm not just talking about the chocolate. No, really.
• NSV: I now put on t-shirts without using my elbows to stretch them out first.