And I'm off!

Off on vacation, that is.

This has been a craptastic week, and I am so excited to be getting the hell out of dodge. Work has been super stressful, both my kids are/were sick, I worked way too much and slept too little, and now I have a giant canker sore under my tongue. Fab. So, thank God we are leaving for up north with my in-laws this morning. The place we are going is only two hours away, but it feels like more. There are no festivals this weekend, so it should be quiet. We're planning on spending lots of time at the beach and just lounging around -- well, as much lounging as you can do with two toddlers.

The one great thing about this week? I did get that unfill on Tuesday. He took out 0.5cc which brings me down to right about 1cc total. I still am on the tight side, but now I can drink without issue and my serving sizes are right around 3/4 cup. I can eat meat again too. Because I actually was eating and drinking again, I weighed in this morning at 201.2! It's so close!

Anyway, sorry I haven't been around posting/commenting this week. We are planning on bringing the computer up north with us, so maybe I'll have a moment to post up there.

And to top off this crappiest of crappy weeks, I just realized I didn't email in my BOOBs dinner selection yesterday. Sending it now... hope it's not too late.

Sunday night refocus

Here I am again, refocusing on a Sunday night...   It's been a fairly decent week, even with all the tightness (hooker's tube top, what!). I've managed to get some solids in, but I will admit to resorting to sliders here and there. Oh, you know, the classics... Doritos, M&Ms, etc. It's a damn miracle I lost a pound this week. The gym pretty much got put on the backburner as well.

But, it's Sunday night. Time for a new week, time to start again. I'm definitely going to get that unfill on Tuesday. I would so much rather be able to sit down and eat a chicken breast and some veggies than struggle to eat one piece of lunch meat. I have literally (and I have been tracking) been taking in 600 cals or less per day this past week. I'm done.

This week is the week before our vacation. And I'm off Wednesday to take tater tot to the dentist. That means I'll be working ten hour days this week -- but I've decided I can still make it to the gym. Get up at 4:45, gym by 5:30, work 7a-5p, and there you go. Or I could work 5a-3p and do the gym afterward. Maybe I'll mix it up a bit.

Two pounds till onederland, people! Can you smell it!?

BYOC

It's FRIDAY so that means it's BYOC - Bring Your Own Crazy! Brought to you by the one and only Drazil! We answer a couple of questions in an effort to get to know each other better and to give our blogging brains a break! Copy and paste and answer in your own blogs if you'd like!! ENJOY!!

1. Alright – forgive me – we’re gonna get a little personal here. I was flipping through my organizer and saw in big bright letters “ANNUAL PHYSICAL DUE” coming up soon. Then I remembered that last year my lady bits doc said that since I haven’t had a bad pap in so many years – that I don’t have to come back for another 3 years if I don’t want to.
   What the what? Did you guys know that?   No speculum in the vaginulum?
   Anywhoozle – it sounds all good but really – do any of you follow this medical rule? Do you go every three years if you’ve never had a bad pap?
   I have a history of abnormal paps, so I have unfortunately had the pleasure of going not once, but four times a year. Yeah, nice. Plus, the last three years of my life have been pregancy and post-pregnancy times, so I'm pretty much a yearly gal still.
   
2. If you read, what are you reading right now? Or how about what is your fave music right now?
   I don't think there is ever a time when I don't have at least two books going. Right now I'm reading The Personal MBA by Josh Kaufman and New York by Edward Rutherfurd.  I also just finished The Disappearance by Bentley Little.
   
   
3. Name some of your favorite smells.
   Pasta sauce cooking all day on the stove, roses (reminds me of my grandma), the smell of fall or spring in the air, and, yes, the kids. Especially when they're newborns and they have that spicy smell about them. Mmmmm!
   
   
4. Showers or baths? Shampoo only or shampoo & conditioner? Shave daily or just when you start feeling and looking like an ape?
   Showers only. I have to admit I am grossed out by my own bathtub. It's not that it's dirty, it's just... I don't know. I don't like it. Shampoo and conditioner now that my hair is long. When it was short, I never bothered with conditioner, but I need it now for detangling purposes. I probably shave twice a week, if I'm lucky.
   
   
5. Repeat question: Summarize your week in real life and in blogland.
   In real life, I'm still tighter than a hooker's tube top. I guess I will be getting that unfill come Tuesday. In blogland, I love all the excitement about BOOBs starting to pick up. 

Hot, hot, hotter...

That's what it is up here in the D. I wish we were going to have weather like this in two weeks when I go up north on vacation! Last night I had to strip my little guy down to his diaper -- he was too hot to sleep in jammies even with the a/c on. Poor little dude.

 

Well, I finally gave in and called my doc for an unfill. I'm hanging in there ok. No more PBs or stuck episodes. I'm still getting so little solids in though that I feel it's going to start working against me pretty soon. I've had less than 600 cals a day for about five days now. Starvation mode, anyone? I need my protein so all those squats and deadlifts don't go to waste! The best part? My doc is now operating at the facility that I work at, so I don't have to drag my butt across town to his office -- he'll squeeze me in between cases. Isn't he awesome!? The not so good part is that I still have to wait until next Tuesday. Who knows... maybe things will loosen up by then. I tell you what though. It is really embarrassing to be in a meeting and gurgling everytime I take a sip of water.

 

Tomorrow is the worst day of the heat, supposedly. It would be nice if I could get a few more pounds off this weekend, if nothing else.

Sunday night refocus

This week's focus is going to be on not getting stuck. Chewing, chewing, chewing, and more chewing. And small bites. Today I was still able to get solid food down, but I don't feel like I'm totally out of the deep end yet. Especially because the high for tomorrow is forecasted to be 95 degrees. That could be a problem. So the plan is:
1. Stick to liquids before 11am.
2. Easy does it with lunch and dinner.
3. Get to the gym at least 3 times.

Easy peasy lemon squeezy!

Now, I gots ta go because I need to be at work at 5am!

Food, Glorious Food!

I can eat again. Finally. Three whole days of liquids. But you know what? No barfy. I made it without another PB incident. And for that, I am supremely grateful. This morning was still a little touch-and-go, so I played it safe with a protein drink, but I was able to eat about 1oz of hamburger and a bit of apple-fennel slaw for dinner (yes, I linked it. It was that good.). Hubs was a little surprised that I was even eating that, but I felt like I needed some solid food. We had a major morning-long meeting thing Friday and I was actually getting lightheaded during the festivities. I think I am in that space just next to the green zone, where I'm a hair too tight, but if I stick strictly to a half cup and chew like the devil, then things'll be fine.

Today I had an NSV too! I was brushing my teeth this morning when I noticed my clavicles are starting to pop out and that little hollow in my neck is appearing! I've never seen that in my LIFE. Actually, today was kind of a weight milestone too. I know it barely counts because of my unplanned liquid diet, but whatev. I have hit a new low of 203.2 -- I haven't been this low since around 2002. I distinctly remember this because I had just started working at Starbucks (and Lord knows there was no losing weight after I tasted lemon pound cake!). This doesn't change the fact that I have still been unsuccessful finding dress pants for work. Does shopping ever get better?

Accidental Pouch Test and Some Product Reviews

Stress + Humidity? What do you get? Super tight! Oh yeah!

 

Tuesday night I was up after dealing with the tater tot's early morning wake-up, and I decided to get a quick drink. I took a swig of some flat Creme Soda (I love flat pop -- wierd, I know.) and it hit me like a ton of bricks. I just knew I was going to yak it back up. So, five minutes of sliming into the sink and one good wretch later, out came the creme soda (for once, something that didn't taste horrific on the way back out).

 

All day Wednesday I was unable to eat solids, but liquids are going down fine, so I decided to ride it out and take some stess relieving measures. Thursday arrives, and I'm still on liquids. Pouch test, anyone? Might as well! Yesterday I ended with a grand total of 400 and some calories. Not my best effort, I'll admit. I had a raging headache which I will blame on being dehydrated. Today I started with a protein drink and will probably have the same for dinner. Plenty of broth and decaf tea throughout the day.

 

I always try to find the silver lining with situations like this, and right now that silver lining is that I will for sure lose a ridiculous amount of weight this week. I need to make up for my constipation gain last week!

 

On to the product reviews. No one supplied these for me or is paying me to do them. I just happened to try these things and want to tell you about them.

 

First, yesterday, in an effort to get a little protein/calories in, I picked up a Gatorade Recovery drink in Mixed Berry from the drug store. Ladies, don't bother. Unless you like drinking jello water. It is downright cloying, and I only managed half of it. You know I have a sweet tooth like no other, so for me to find this disgusting says a lot! Not being one to waste money, I will probably try to finish the other half today.

 

Next, I bought a new flavor of my all time favorite protein powder: Syntrax Nectar. I have had Fuzzy Navel and Caribbean Cooler before (both excellent), but this time I went with Lemon Tea. The thing that I like best about this product is that it mixes with water, and it mixes well. Hardly any lumps, and even when you get one, it's not that bad. There is minimal protein aftertaste, and the drink itself doesn't get too thick. The Lemon Tea has brought my love of this stuff to a new level. As an Amazon reviewer mentioned, this stuff tastes like Arizona Iced Tea! It has the same mouthfeel, lemony overtones and sweet tea goodness. Love. Nectar comes in the usual 2lb tub, but it also is available in single serve to-go packs. So if you need a break from the usual protein milk-shakes, give this a try! And if you don't like it, I will take your leftovers!

Humidity strikes again...

You know what is awesome? When I waste $7 on Taco Bell because I've had a craptastic day, and find that I'm unable to eat it because I'm so dang tight from the weather. You'd think I'd know better by now. I mean, all I've eaten today is a handful of almonds, two bites of chicken, three bites of salad, and a frappaccino. Oh well, I'll consider that $7 my fat tax for the week.

I'm very frustrated right now. I have some w/ork issues that, as a new manager, I need a lot of help navigating. That in itself is not so bad. It's only that my main source of help is on vacation till next week. It's so crazy I can't foresee when I will get back to the gym -- and I'm really anxious to start lifting weights again.

Let's find something positive, shall we? I ordered a new tub of Nectar from Amazon last night, and I've gotten a good amount of water in the last two days. I've also logged my food two days in a row. My hubs is back from his work trip tonight too, so hopefully tater tot will calm her little arse down at bedtime again. I'm exhausted!

Sunday refocus

Man, do I ever need a refocus this week. It has not been the best time to be starting a challenge. On second thought, maybe I should've just taken the bull by the horns and done it!

This week has been crappy. Hubs worked really late all week, so tater tot started acting out at bedtime. I was so exhausted from all that, I resorted to fixing myself a little drinky-poo every night. And not just an innocent glass of wine. Oh no. Hubs had bought some Black Cherry Jim Beam, and let me tell you, that makes an insanely good Whiskey Sour. I also didn't cook dinner at all, which means I ate chips and salsa or other junk for dinner. All this is why my first challenge weigh in is 207. Yes, cue the tiny violins... I am feeling sorry for myself!

On to a new week though. It's not too late for me to kick all y'all's asses at this challenge. Exercise is off to a good start with a 2.5 mile walk this morning. Tomorrow I have a gym orientation scheduled after work. It's not that I need an orientation, but who turns down a free session with a trainer? Not this ragazza.

Here's the plan for this week:

1. food logging
2. continue exercising and add in weight training
3. plan real dinners, even if it's only salad. Salad is better than nachos.
4. buy a new tub of Nectar protein. It's the only kind I'm ever really consistent with.

Swimdress Opinions and BYOC

I did some dreaded bathing suit shopping today. The best thing I could come up with was a swimdress. Here's the style, though mine is a different print. What do you think? Lame? Cute? I'm torn. All I know is it does hide not-so-attractive tops of my thighs really well.

Now for some BYOC:
It’s time for BYOC – Bring Your Own Crazy…a couple of questions we answer to get to know each other better and to give our blogging brains a break! Copy and paste to your own blog and enjoy!

1. If you were asked to symbolize yourself as an animal – which animal would you be?
I'd have to go with a giraffe. They are my favorite animal (I even collect any giraffe item I can find!). Anyway, they are so tall and graceful --- everything I am not.

They can be laid back... like here, they're all "What up, yo?"

And they have their goofy side too:

2. Did you ever play an organized sport – with coaches, rules and scoring? Tell us about it.

I was on the dance team in highschool, and I was also a cheerleader for a bit. To this day I am still quite good at projecting my voice. And I can do a mean high kick. In grade school, I played basketball. My favorite memory of this is how the coaches (my dad and some other school dads -- it was a small catholic K-8 operation) taught us to play ball in hockey terms. We were playing right wing, left wing, etc. I didn't even know what a point guard or a forward was until I tried out in high school and had no idea what the hell the coach was talking about. Oops!

3. When did you start shaving your legs?
I started when I was in 5th grade. This may seem early, but I was on the cheerleading squad (see above), and this Italian girl was not about to parade around in a short skirt with hairy legs in front of the whole school!

4. When you’re in a crabby – pissy – want to stab everyone you see kind of mood – what do you do to get out of it or do you revel in it?
throw things. Once I broke a window when I hurled a bottle of lotion at it. I don't even remember what I was so pissed about at the time. It needed replacing anyway. That's what I like to tell myself.

5. Repeat question: Summarize your week in blogland and in real life.
I have had another rough week in real life, so my contributions to blogland have suffered. I haven't been posting/commenting as much as I'd like.

Breakfast anyone? Or not?

You know those days when you forget (or just can't) eat until 1:00 in the PM? Well, after reading this article I don't feel so bad about it: The Breakfast Myth, Part 2

Also, based on comments from my previous post, I really think we ought to start a movement to bring back the phrase "on the rag".

Gym time!

I joined the gym today. And tomorrow I will go before work. Bam.

Sorry for channeling Emeril just then...

So my week isn't starting out great. Well, it is and it isn't. Exercise-wise, it's great. Food-wise, not so much. I'm on the rag and craving carbs like there's no tomorrow. I'll get past it. I think I will start tomorrow with a protein shake, and see where that takes me.

I bought a pedometer recently, and it's been fun seeing just how much I walk during the day. On Monday, I walked a whopping 12,700 steps! Today was my first day wearing it at work, and there alone I racked up almost 7000 steps. Not bad, eh?

Back to Basics Challenge

Well, here we are at the start of another challenge. I have big plans for this challenge, mostly due to the fact that I've been exercising again. We shall see!

Just for fun, here is a look at my measurements over the last two years. You can see I'm not terribly regular about it.

Date:	10/14/2008	5/29/2010	11/28/2010	7/4/2011
Weight:	245	225	220	205
Pant Size:	22	20	18	16
Neck:	15.25	14.25	14.25	14.25
Chest:	51	49	48	47
Midriff:	45	42		41.25
Waist:	51	49	47	45
Bicep:	13.25	13.25	12.25	12.25
Forearm:	11.5	10.75	10.5	10.25
Wrist:	7.25	7	7	7
Hips:	51	49.5	47.5	47.5
Thigh:	27.5	25	24.5	25
Calf:	18	18	17.25	17
Ankle:	10	10		9.75

Next up, some progress photos I had my mom take back in March. I figure I haven't changed much since these were taken except for maybe losing 5lbs.

We also learn here that my mother cannot focus a camera to save her life. Oh well.

BYOC and Gotein Giveaway Winner!

First, the winner of the Gotein Giveaway is Justawallflower! I'll be emailing you!

Now on to BYOC...

1.  Let's stick with the pictures/exercise and shoe topic and post a picture of (or describe) your work out shoes.

No pics, cuz I'm getting to this kind of late. My current exercise shoes are a pair of Brooks running shoes. I usually buy Asics, but I decided to branch out a little this last time. I like them, but I'll go back to Asics next time. They're blue and white and silver. My non-exercise shoes are a pair of New Balance slip-ons. I love these things! I had to buy mens though, because the women's only came in obnoxious colors like hot pink and black.

2.  Again with the summer/hot theme of the week....what does your current swimsuit look like?

 

 I have one bathing suit. It's ancient -- at least six years old. It's a black one-piece with a purple stripe through the middle. A Lane Bryant special. I haven't had much luck finding a new one yet.

3.  Do you lay out, fake bake, sunless spray tan or use tanning lotion?

I used to lay out all the time. I still do on occasion -- it just feels so good to rest in the sun. I have rarely fake baked, but I'll admit I find that rather relaxing too. I've never been much for tanning lotions.

4.  Describe your week in blogland and in real life.

Real life has served me up a fairly craptastic week. It started off good in that I actually went to the gym before work. That quickly changed when I had a stomach bug Tuesday and my little guy developed a high fever, which we are still fighting. I've hardly slept!

In blogland, I started off pretty well, but the household sickness has derailed me a bit.