Where have I been?

Hi everyone. I have been super-busy with life. I feel like I have been doing well at my eating & my exercising. My husband, Karl, has been out of town all week. Everytime Karl goes out of town overnight, I throw myself into some sort of home improvement project. This time, I tackled stripping wallpaper, painting, planting flowers, rearranging furniture, reorganizing the house (poor Karl isn't going to have a clue where things are anymore!), chasing after the boys, the cat & the dog, dog training, plus the usual upkeep around the house, like cleaning, dishes, laundry ect... Whew! I feel tired, just thinking about all that.

I haven't been sleeping well. This is partly due to working around the house after the kids have gone to bed & partly because I often have insomnia, but it's been worse without Karl here. I have been falling asleep after 4 am & up with the boys at 8 am.

I have also been dealing with some personal things, but hope to have some good news soon & will surely keep you updated.

And last, but not least, after graduating from high school, 8 years ago, I have finally made a decision to go back to school. I am taking 100% of my classes online, which is great for us. I can work around the boys' schedules. I will be studying Criminal Justice & am very anxious to see where this path will take me.

Thanks for listening to me go on & on. Sometimes, I have a really hard time, opening myself up to people. So thank you for listening, hopefully without judging me.

I hope everyone is having a great week!

Do you cheat?

So what do you do to "cheat" on your diet? Sometimes, I try to make excuses in my head, saying that it's okay to have a little extra. But I catch myself & go find something else to do. Then the feeling passes & I have a sense of pride in myself for not "cheating" on my diet.

Back on track

I haven't been posting, partly because I just have felt like I haven't had anything good & interesting to report. I felt like I was stuck in a rut. I have been doing well on my eating. But not so good on exercising. But we broke the mold today & got back to the gym. It was a great workout & I'm really glad that we went. I was really proud of myself. Normally, my husband Karl works out at a faster speed & covers more distance. But today, I actually went faster than him & covered a larger distance. Now I know that it's not a competion, but he definately kept me motivated. I always strived to keep close to him in stats. And I'm looking forward to our next workout on Monday.

A letter to Mother Nature

Dear Mother Nature,

I am writing to inform you that it is almost June. It's nearing summertime. And it's frosting overnight & chilly during the day. I am sure that this must be an oversight on your part, because I know that you would never intentionally bypass spring, which is my favorite season. The springtime is the perfect time to do things outdoors but yet it's not too hot & humid & icky feeling.

Thank you for taking the time to read this letter. I'm sure you will be correcting this weather pattern shortly!

Sincerely,

Megan, the former gymnast

Jeans are fitting even better!

About a month ago, I was able to fit into a pair of jeans that I had never worn. They were a little tight, but they zipped & buttoned! I bought them & they didn't even zip up all the way or button. I kept them, because I thought, sooner or later I will get into them. Now today, it was still a little chilly (stange, I know!) so I decided jeans would work. All of my other jeans are too baggy, so I thought, let's try them on again. They fit perfectly! I was SO thrilled!

A taste of humor

You have to have a sense of humor about dieting every now & then. Although, I don't think of myself as being on a diet, I am making a lifestyle change that I will have to continue with, even after reaching my goal weight.

Another weigh in

I had another weigh in last night & was down another 3 pounds, bringing my total weight loss to 17.2 pounds! I'm so shocked that I have continued to consistently lose weight, because this last month has been very hectic, with the kids suffering from different illnesses & we haven't been able to get to the gym. Imagine: my weight loss could have been even greater, if I had gone to the gym like I was. But I am not going to beat myself up over it. It's in the past. I can't change it. The only thing I can change is the present & prepare better for the future. I am very anxious to get back to the gym. Hopefully tomorrow & maybe again over the weekend.

Outdoor exercise

Since the weather has been nice & we were waiting for the kids to get over all illnesses, we have been taking advantage by going for walks outside & playing with the boys. I do miss going to the gym & definately want to add it back into our weekly routine as soon as possible, now that Braden is definately out of the woods & doesn't appear to have any lasting side effects since his seizure.

We discovered that there is a trail that runs through the city & went for a 2 mile walk today. It was really nice & enjoyable. And I was proud of myself--I didn't feel winded, even at the end of our trek.

Also, I have had straight diet coke finally. Now that I have switched to all diet sodas, I am definately avoiding regular sodas, because I don't want to go through all the pain to switch back to diet. I am still amazed that I am able to drink it, after the many times in the past that I had tried diet sodas & failed. I guess I just had to be mentally ready to make that change.

Happy Mother's Day!

To all fellow Moms who read this blog, I hope you have a wonderful & RELAXING day tomorrow!

In honor of my Mom, here is a Top Ten list of things that I love about her. These are in no particular order.

10. My Mom has a great sense of humor. She always laughs at my jokes--no matter how corny they are!
9. My Mom has an amazing love for animals.
8. My Mom is able to fix just about anything around the house.
7. My Mom has a great smile.
6. My Mom is a strong woman.
5. My Mom is an excellent Grandma. My boys can account for this one!
4. My Mom teaches me something new almsot every day.
3. My Mom can always calm me down, when I am upset.
2. My Mom is extemely supportive of me & my decisions.
1. My Mom is my best friend!

On a personal note...

I may have mentioned that we have had one illness after another running through our family for a month now. I had the flu, a cold & an irritating cough. My husband, Karl has had the flu & an irritating cough & sore throat. My oldest son, Dalton, has had 2 colds & 2 bouts of the flu, one which we rushed him to the ER, because his temperatures were running in the 104-105 range. My baby, Braden, had the flu 3 times & a cold. Every time he had this flu, he had VERY high temperatures, but after getting information about how to treat the fever from Dalton's ER visit, I handled it the first 2 times fine. Then last Thursday, he was running a low grade fever. I honestly thought that it was just teething-related & he would be fine. Suddenly, in the early afternoon, Braden collapsed on our kitchen floor & had a seizure. Apparently, his fever spiked too high, too fast & his body didn't have any other way of dealing with the sudden rise except through a seizure. We rushed him to the hospital, via ambulance. I was told that this can happen, even if his fever went from 99 to 101, that if it spiked rapidly enough, he still could have had a seizure.

Then on Saturday, we took him to Urgent Care (I didn't even know we had one & it's SO close to us!) because he was still running a high fever & had also developed some really bad congestion. We were then told that he had an ear infection & a sinus infection, which probably was contributing to the high fever. He was put on antibiotics & is now back to acting like his normal, happy 2 year old self, much to our relief!

I just wanted to make sure that every parent or anyone who knows any parents will not take even low grade fevers lightly, as I mistakenly did. I don't want anyone to go through what I did.

I have conquered another victory...

When I first started Weight Watchers back in January of this year, my friend Nate told me to "Make friends with diet soda". I thought he was nuts, but I reluctantly began to try just about every diet soda out on the current market. I was so disgusted & decided that I would allow myself the 3 point Pepsi every now & then. Sometimes, I did really good & avoided soda for a couple of weeks & sometimes I had one a day.

Finally, last week, I decided that since I have been losing weight, I am now allowed less points per day than before. And I still want the occassional soda, but I don't want to burn 3 points, just to drink it. I thought, I will get some regular pepsi & some diet pepsi & mix them together until I have gotten used to the diet soda. So we went to the store & I chilled some caffeine free diet pepsi in the fridge & took out some to try. I took my first sip & thought "You know, it's really not that bad. I can do this." And I did. I drank the whole thing, without an ounce of guilt. I also tried the Sprite Zero & actually liked it better than I liked the caffeine free diet pepsi.

I remember, when I was a junior in high school & was probably too thin, I tried some diet coke & thought it was the most disgusting thing that I have ever tried! Yet today, I did have some diet coke. I had a glass with half coke & half diet coke & it was good. I figured if I am going to be drinking diet soda, I better get used to diet coke, since that is pretty much the only diet soda that you can find when you dine out. I feel as I am well on my way.

Oh--I almost forgot! I am down another pants size!

My personal blog

For anyone who is interested, I have finally updated my personal blog. Sorry it's taken so long. Thanks for reading!

Posting comments

You know, we are all different human beings. What works for one person, does not always work for another. I truly believe in embracing our differences. I really enjoy a good debate, as long as both parties are able to be respectful to one another. Please feel free to voice your opinions to me, because I voicing my opinions to you every time I add another posting to this blog. I always listen to comments & suggestions. Sometimes, I really use those suggestions & sometimes, I read them & say "Okay. That's not for me, but I appreciate the comment anyways."

So comment anytime, guys!

To go core or not to go core?

That is the question! Yeah, corny, I know, but I couldn't resist! So anyways, I have been considering trying core for a while now & I thought that I would do it this week. But then I realized something that REALLY needs changed. We usually doing our shopping on Tuesday mornings. I weigh in Tuesday evenings. If I learn about any great products or get any meal ideas, I have to wait a whole week to try them out. This is very hard for me, as I can be a little impatient at times. So we decided to change our shopping day to Wednesday mornings. And also I will try the core plan next week, so that I can shop appropriately.

I can be a little nutty, so I LOVE when things fall into place! Or at least, until I decide to change something else! So has anyone else tried core? What did you think about it? What did you like and dislike about it? And for those of you who have tried flex, what are your opinions about that plan?

Pear Shaped Girl made a great point, when she told me that she lived for comments. And I realize, I do to! It's nice to know that someone is actually reading my little blog & that they care enough to give their opinion.

Last night's weigh in

So I had my latest weigh in last night & lost 4 pounds since my last weigh in, bringing my total weight loss to 14 pounds.

I am thinking that I am going to try the core plan this week, because I have been really bad about journaling. Especially recently--one or all of us has been sick every day for the past week and a half. It's been very exhausting. Both kids are on round 2 with the flu, running fevers in the high 104 range. I was hoping to get to the gym today, but Braden has taken a turn for the worse. I can't wait until we are all healthy & can get back to daily life!

A Fat Rant

I came across this on another blog that I read often, Starling Fitness & thought it was so great! I had to share it with all of you! It's over seven minutes long, but well worth it!

Thank you guys!

Thanks, guys, for all of your support! It really does mean a lot to me, to know that I am not going through this alone. I think I was also a bit down, because I was pms-ing & in the process of getting the flu. Eww. It has not been a great week at our house. The boys were both sick Tuesday & Wednesday. And Karl & I were sick on Thursday & Friday. I am very anxious to get back to the gym, even though, I know not to push it, because my energy level is still VERY low.

And my moral is back again. I feel as though I have worked through this rough patch & am ready to keep plugging away at this.

NSV: I was eating some pasta this morning (first thing I have had to eat in a couple of days). I was almost done eating, something in my head said "Stop! You are full!" And yet, I took one more bite, I did really stop. I was very proud of myself for this. And it got me to thinking. What makes a person want to overeat? I knew that I was full & yet, I still wanted to clean my plate! Why? I am still pondering this question, but would still be very interested in hearing some of your answers!

Feeling discouraged

I have been really struggling lately. I really don't like weighing in on Tuesdays. I feel like I don't have enough time to recover from my weekend. I know that I didn't put on this weight overnight & that I am not going to lose it overnight. But it's very discouraging to be losing it SO slowly! With some people, the weight seems to just fall right off. But I am going to keep trying & fighting for this.

Also, I am going to continue going to my weight watchers meetings, but I am going to try attending a few overeaters anonymous meetings, to help me deal with some of my other food issues.

The more support & information I can get, the more likely that I am going to beat this! If this was easy, everyone would be thin! Because, hey, let's face it: no one chooses to be fat. I didn't wake up one morning & say "Damn it! I am sick of being thin! I want to put on some weight!"

Also, congrats to Nate for losing 100 pounds with Weight Watchers!

DVD update

I just did the Sizzling Salsa dvd (see previous post) & I had SO much fun! It was challenging, yet fun. It didn't feel like exercise! I really recommend it to anyone (especially if you have trouble getting in your workouts) My 2 sons even joined me & were dancing around with me!

My new love

In addition to getting to the gym 3 days a week, I have also been adding different workout videos, like Step aerobics, Tae Bo, Yoga, Pilates & also continuing with my punching bag & stability ball. Today, I bought this dvd, Dance Off the Inches Sizzling Salsa. I can't wait to try it out!

What kind of exercises do you do at home? Do you have a favorite video?

Dear Fazoli's

Dear Fazoli's,

Why do you tempt with me with your unlimited free, freshly baked breadsticks? And what's worse, is that I thought your breadsticks were only 1 point each, but then was horrified when I arrived at home, only to find out that they are 3 points each (or 2 points each, if I ask for them dry). But let's be honest... who wants to eat a dry breadstick? Maybe I should ask for them dry, so that I don't eat ANY! AAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!

Your friend,

Megan, The Former Gymnast

P.S. I hate you! No, I am sorry, I don't really mean that! Please forgive me!

Okay, seriously though, I am so depressed. I did SO great all week long & the day before my weigh-in, I do THIS?!!! I still have flex points to use (21 to be exact), but I have never gone so far into my flex points.

On the good side of things, I had a really good day. I started out by doing a Tae-Bo video this morning, then went to the gym, where I have been slowly increasing the number of minutes that I run & decreasing the minutes that I walk on the treadmill. I also did some weights too.

So far this week

Not too much going on here. I got some new running shoes (good ones this time) to help me train for my upcoming 5K run. I have been sticking to my points & exercising regularly. I have been journaling & I have been drinking my water.

In preparation for Easter, the boys' easter baskets each contain 1 chocolate & carmel cadbury egg & a handful of jellybeans & gummy bears (I bought them in bulk, rather than bags, so I don't have a ton of leftover candy sitting around, tempting me). I figure, they won't even know what they are missing! In the future, they will thank me for it!

Have a great weekend & a Happy Easter, everyone!

Last night's weigh-in

Well, it finally happened. I had a gain. It's a small one, but it's a gain. But I am really okay with it. It's a good wake-up call to keep me on track. And also, it's my TOM (all women will understand this!)

It's dissappointing, but I refuse to let this little setback get me down. It was bound to happen sooner or later. Now I just need to accept it & move on. Speaking of moving... I am off to the gym!

Non-scale Victories

So I feel like I have had a fantastic week! I can't wait to weigh in tommorrow & see if my efforts will be recognized on the scale.

I have journaled my food every day this week, which has been really tough for me the past few weeks. I have gotten to the gym often & have been doing lots around the house.

Last week, I even was able to play soccer with my kids (& the dog too!). I didn't expect to be able to do that so soon. It was so much fun! And they really seemed to enjoy me running around with them, rather than sitting off to the side, watching them.

Changing it up a bit

I am considering running a 5K race in July, so I thought I would do some training & see if I will be ready for it. So yesterday, instead of doing the elliptical (my favorite cardio machine), I walked at a brisk pace (almost a jog) on the treadmill for the same amount of time as I would normally go on the elliptical. I didn't go as fast, or as far, or burn as many calories, but MAN-- do I feel it today! There is definately more impact on a treadmill than on an elliptical machine. Plus, I hurt my ankle doing kickboxing last week & it was still bothering me yesterday. I am going to continue to walk on the treadmill & slowly add minutes of running to it. And if I end up walking for part of a 5K RUN, oh well--at least I am going to finish. Now, next year, is a whole different ball game!