Fit Friday

This has been a decent week for me. I totally enjoyed Thanksgiving dinner...on two separate occasions (complete with a sampling of desserts), so I knew I had to get my rear in gear.

I only worked out once, but I have been seriously eating very good. Lean proteins and lots of veggies. Something about having a camera in my face at Disney World for the next five days has really motivated me. Jerry even offered to take me to one of my favorite Mexican restaurants this week and I declined. He was shocked. I just knew I couldn't avoid eating their great chips and salsa. So we compromised and went to Chipotle, where the chips are also wonderful, but where you have to buy them separately. I love their veggie bowls. It is so hard to believe they are owned by McDonalds. The two places couldn't be more different.

My weight hasn't changed that much...it is only down a couple of pounds, but if you remember two weeks ago...I think it was up a couple or more. I am mainly excited because my favorite pair of size 8 jeans is getting packed for Disney. And I will be wearing them. Because they fit now.

Woo Hoo. Now I'm sure all the Cinderellas and Belles are size 2s, but size 8? It has been so long since I've seen you...I'll keep you any day!

To check out the how the other Fit Friday sisters are doing, check out It's Almost Naptime.

Fit Friday

I was really surprised that the scale wasn't a little more friendly to me this morning. I only had two workouts this week, but they were good solid workouts. The best I've had in...well...ever.

Our little mom and pop gym recently got bought out by LifeTime Fitness, so we are enjoying the mega club's benefits until they jack our rates to more than I currently weigh...and then we'll be saying adios. Currently though we are enjoying it at our little old gym's prices.

The problem with a new gym is that it has taken me a little while to get comfortable in the weight area. At our old gym, the hefty man area was on a separate level...far, far away from the likes of me. Although our new gym has separate hefty vs. non hefty areas, they are adjacent to each other, and this intimidates me so much.

So, a few Saturdays back, I allowed Jerry the pleasure of showing me around the new weight area. He was so not enthused. I thought this would surely be the highlight of his weekend. Kids in childcare. Showing off his skillz while parading his wifey around the weight floor. All the whining and constant reminders that he would not be doing this again were enough to last for a lifetime. Where did he want to be? The hefty area. Puleeeeeez.

I listened well and learned fast. I have now decided that I am not going to the gym to only do cardio or only do weights. I will only go when I have time to do both.

The problem isn't me being embarrassed to not even need to use the pin on the chest press...the 20 pound bar is my max, it is the weights where you have to adjust the seat or various other mechanisms to fit your size. That is what gets me. And it happened a couple of times this week. I sit down to do leg extensions and I can't get the dern thing to adjust. I pull. I push. I turn the nob. I apply weight. I take my legs off. Finally I just get off the freakin' machine and get everything to what I think is the right height and length, only to get back on and realize I've overestimated my leg length by a good six inches. That is when I am positive the hefties are huddling and discussing the poor little lady that they are observing in distress. Let's just say my face wasn't red from the workout.

My friend Donna commented last week that all my indulging in Austin probably wouldn't hit me til this week. I wanted her to be wrong, but it seems she was right. So, while my scale is lucky there wasn't a bathroom window to throw it out of, I still actually feel pretty good. I'm hoping to workout 3 to 4 times this week. That may not sound like much, but it has finally gotten cold here in Texas and for some reason that propels me towards hot chocolate and warm cuddles on the couch with my girls.

I do have some good news that I forgot to report a while back. I had my blood drawn at my annual exam...and get this...since doing this diet my cholesterol has dropped nearly 40 points. I am ecstatic about that! Sadly, we are paying higher life insurance rates on me because it had crept up to 199 two years ago. So, at least I know I am eating healthier and doing better overall...if I wasn't such a wimp about needles I'd probably come have them check my blood again to lower our rates. I am more frightened by a blood draw than I am labor and delivery. Freaky I know!

Not So Fit Friday

I am sad to say I don't have anything positive to report. It started out with a weekend getaway in Austin that included overindulging in bad foods. One weekend wouldn't have been a big deal, but it ended up turning into a full week. My husband had a huge fundraising event yesterday for the ministry he works in, which meant he wasn't home for the dinner hour this week. I'm not sure why, because I still have 3 mouths to feed at 6PM whether he is here or not, but I am really bad about cooking healthy or cooking at all when he is not going to be eating with us.

Plus, I had an unfortunate incident at McDonald's this week. I generally make my own coffee at home and sweeten it with Coffee Mate's Sugar Free Vanilla Caramel creamer...love that stuff. But Wednesday morning I was rushing out the door to make it to the cleaners in time for their early morning drop-off. Of course I had waited til the last day to get my husband's suit cleaned for his event and needed it back the same day. My morning coffee didn't get made, so I decided to grab some at McDonalds while we were out. McDonalds seriously has some good coffee...at least in the $1.29 a cup range. You know these days they'll put the creamer and Splenda in for you? Such service. So I ordered mine with 4 creamers and 2 Splendas. I know...heavy on the cream. My mom always used to ask me if I wanted some coffee with my creamer. Anyways, it tasted unusually good as I sipped it on our way to the cleaners. The closer we got and the further to the bottom of the cup I reached, it was getting sweeter. Alert! Alert! That does not happen with Splenda. The bottom of the cup was lined with syrupy sugar. No!

Anyone who does low-carb dieting knows how awful it is to line your veins with sugar...but especially how bad it is first thing in the morning. As I am waiting in the incredibly long drive-thru drop off line at the cleaners, wondering how the rest of the town still hasn't discovered wrinkle-free men's dress shirts, I decide to call the McDonalds.

I wasn't really expecting anything to be offered, but I just wanted to kindly let them know of their mistake. They took my name and told me to come back any time for a free combo meal. Great. The only thing that I would need to eat there post breakfast is a salad. But as lunch loomed nearer suddenly a two-cheeseburger meal sounded like an excellent choice. I shared it with the girls but still felt sick the rest of the day.

So as I contemplated getting on the scale this morning, feeling heavy from eating poorly and too much this week, I've decided against having the digital numbers glare up at me. I know what they will say...a gain for sure...possibly two or three pounds.

Eating at home is definitely the answer for me. Even if I totally have willpower avoiding the chip or bread basket when we eat out, I still end up eating too much at restaurants. Does anyone else struggle with this? We all know that portion size in America is out of control, but why can't I just leave some on the plate?

Meal planning is such a drag though...or maybe I just wasn't doing it right. Sitting down with 2 or 3 cookbooks, picking out recipes that sounded good, making a long list of ingredients, going to my cabinet to see what I could cross off...it took forever.

I can't remember which one of you it was, but one of the Hot for the Holidays girls mentioned E-Mealz. I have been using their site for 3 weeks now and it is excellent. Basically you can pick whatever type of meal plan you want...low fat, low carb, regular type, ww points, vegetarian, whatever...then choose what store you shop at and how many people you are feeding and it plans 7 dinners for you each week...including side dishes.

The best part is that it prints out an aisle by aisle, detailed shopping list for you, complete with prices so you know exactly what you'll be spending. The meals also follow the weekly store ads/coupons so it is definitely budget friendly. The list is broken down by meal #, so if a particular meal doesn't appeal to you, it is easy to cross those items off the list.

Anyway, we have found the meals to be great so here is their link if you want to try it out. Dave Ramsey is an advocate of it, so if you sign up use the coupon code "dave" to save $2.50...that will make it $2.50/month.

I can't even begin to tell you the time and money it has saved us. I am headed to the grocery store now with my list in hand that took my printer longer to spit out than it did for me to plan it.

I'm looking forward to checking in on the rest of you guys and getting my rear in gear for a better coming week. We leave for Disney in three weeks and I have a feeling we'll be bringing the camera with us.

I just can't do it like Daddy.

Daddy is the fun guy around here. I love how he can get the girls all riled up before bedtime but also has no problem calming them back down again and tucking them in for the night. He is also the "fixer". It doesn't matter how big or small the task is, if something breaks around here during the day, it is automatically assumed that it will have to wait until daddy is home for it to get fixed.

Although I can compete in both of those arenas, the one role I will never challenge him on is "bug removal". Case in point:

Lily trapped some sort of bug under this glass TWO DAYS AGO. Although it is surely dead, there is no way that I will be lifting the dome to find out for sure. These type of creatures have a way of reviving themselves at inopportune times.

Daddy: if you are reading, PLEASE remember to dispose of this little guy tonight.

We bought a double jogger a few months ago. We got a good deal on it at a second hand shop, and despite its hot pink color, Jerry has been the one to give the girls frequent spins in it. He'll give the girls a jog in it occasionally when he gets home from work to give me a chance to finish up dinner and get in on the table. Hey, the boy likes to eat. I guess that trumps being seen pushing a fuchsia stroller around the neighborhood. I'm sure he's secretly thankful for daylight savings time though.

I wasn't in the mood to haul the girls in and out of the gym this morning, so I thought I'd give the jogging stroller a whirl. Whew. I know the invention of the wheel was great, but it didn't seem to make their 62 pounds any lighter for me today.

I was optimistic as I got going, but then the surface that I'm sure is nearly flat seemed to be entirely uphill and out-of-shape-girl had to slow to a walk to recover. Oh the whining that ensued.

Mom...what happened?
Mommeeeeeee...why did you slow down?
MOMMY...this is boring.
MOM, go fast again!

and the real kicker:
Daddy doesn't have to go slow like this.

Yeah. And I'm sure your dad isn't panting wildly out of breath and feeling faint after about 90 seconds of jogging with you guys EITHER.

I will have no problem getting them to the gym in the future. The gym machines don't mock me.


So here is the run down for me this Fit Friday:
I made it to the gym for cardio and minimal weights twice.
I attempted to jog with my girls this morning but it was cut short. Don't they look happy?

I ate pretty decently, but I just remained steady on weight.

I was a little shocked at that, but then I remembered the huge piece of cake I ate Wednesday afternoon. This week marked the end of my little PT at home job. They threw me a little farewell party at the office, and oh my word, the size of the piece of cake they put on my plate? It was big enough for three people. But, being the good sport that I am, I ate the entire thing.

We're heading to Austin this weekend for a good friend's wedding, so I'm sure I'll meet cake once again, and maybe some sparkly bubbly stuff too. If I was the dancing type, I'm sure I'd work all that right off, but I. am. so. NOT.

Next week is a new chapter in our little family's life though. I'm sure without 20-25 hours of paperwork hanging over my head and keeping me up way late at night, I will have plenty of time to hit the gym. And prepare healthy home cooked meals, too. Right?

Actually I'm just hoping to survive Jade's new Daylight Savings wake up time. 5:25 AM is brutal.

Oh, and several of you asked about how Jade's surgery went. She did super. Jade got ear tubes in and adenoids out and is feeling great. She is quicker to smile, more giggly and overall just a happier, chattier kid. I don't think we realized how bad she had been feeling. Thanks for checking in on her.

Snack size M & Ms may not be the best snack

Dieting around Halloween time can be difficult. I shouldn't have bought the candy until the night of Halloween so I could have gotten rid of it quickly. But I'm a sucker for a good deal...especially a CVS or Walgreens deal. I love those stores. So, when CVS put M & Ms on sale the same week the paper had a $1 off coupon...I prepared for Halloween early. 2 bags of snack size M & Ms for two bucks? That's a deal.

We've had a crazy busy week that started off on Sunday with the baptism of my 15 month old. I haven't even posted the pics of that yet, so you know how busy I've been. We celebrated that event with a nice dinner out at Pappadeaux's Seafood Kitchen. I was determined to "be good", so I ordered blackened catfish with a side of grilled zucchini.

But then the devil himself appeared at our table. He was in the form of a bread basket of course. With a side of real whipped butter. We had 17 guests and I swear the waiter brought out a bread tray for each and every one of us. I couldn't let it go to waste. It went to my waist instead.

Warm crusty bread with whipped butter.

Not a huge problem. Except for my mindset. When I've had a "cheat" like that, the day is blown for me. I hadn't eaten that much food in one setting in a couple of months. So dinner was no problem. Jerry and I even had a date that night and I could barely eat. I was still full.

But then about 10:00 PM I swung by the Halloween candy bowl. I thought to myself...hmm...I've already blown the diet for the day...a little snack wouldn't hurt. I opened a snack size peanut M & M's and quickly ate them. All six of them. Seriously. Six M & M's...that is hardly a snack.

You know that when you find yourself irritated and wanting to call the candy makers late at night to complain about the size of their snack bags, you are clearly mad at yourself for your lack of self control.

Anyway, I survived, decided not to weigh myself for a few days, and the week continued.

So did my "snacking".

I have a part-time job that I do from home. For a long time it has been easy to manage and I rarely go into the office. Recently though my hours have increased from 15 to closer to 25 weekly. With little childcare, it has become more stressful.

This week one of the other girls was on vacation and I was asked to help even more due to her absence. Quickly my little at home job turned into more of a monster. And to top things off I got called into the office two times this week for meetings. I usually go in twice in a month...so twice in one week was a stretch. The second of the meetings delivered some important news. I am needed full time. Not full time from home though. They want my presence at the office full time. They gave me 30 days to decide.

It took Jerry about 30 seconds to decide for me. Our desire is for me to be able to focus on the kids during these early formative years. Putting them in someone else's care 10-12 hours a day so I could do a long commute to work and make almost nothing after taxes, gas money, and the $390 a week daycare bill...just isn't worth it.

I get paid well, but to pay over $20,000 annually in childcare? Is it just me, or is that outlandish?

I'm in angst about communicating our decision to my employer. We can tighten the purse strings and make it. It just feels wrong not taking an opportunity when you know so many people are without work. I guess I'm just going to look at it like we're allowing someone else the shot at a new job...someone who may need it more than we do.

So the stress has continued...and along the way I needed some "snacks". Although somehow in the madness I convinced myself that two snack size M & Ms were clearly necessary due to the obvious packaging size error.

I realize this is a totally pathetic Fit Friday/Hot for the Holidays post.

My report:
Work outs---NONE.
Eating---healthy except for downing an entire loaf of bread with butter and enjoying multiple "snack" size M & M packages.
Weight---STEADY! Yay! I didn't lose, but I am actually just relieved that i didn't gain.

There is hope in sight. Jade woke up before 6AM with a stomach virus. So I'm thinking by the time it ravages the family, I will have a weight loss to report next week.

Hey, you've got to take it...in no matter what form it comes.

It's not too late to get Hot for the Holidays...join the fun at It's Almost Naptime!

And don't forget to check back here for my blogoversary giveaway. Starbucks makes great "skinny" drinks. I should have it up late Sunday or early Monday.

Pick a size! Any size!

My closet could be its own little retail outlet. Not because it is full of cute and fashionable clothes though. It really isn't. However, it is chocked full of a plentitude of sizes.

Really. Pick a size, any size...and odds are you will find an outfit to work for you.

My fav? Size 4. I am completely certain that I will never get these hips into a size 4 again. Ever. But I have chosen to keep 3 outfits that are special to me that also happen to be the wonderful size of 4. I'm really not sentimental about clothes usually, so let me tell you what outfits they are. One is boxed...my wedding dress, so I guess that isn't too weird...everyone keeps their wedding dress, right? As for the other two? I still have the outfit I was wearing when Jerry proposed to me...for the second time. Not that that I said no the first time...it is just a really long story...another time, friends. And I still have the outfit that I wore to our rehearsal dinner. So they are all related to marriage. That makes me feel not quite so weird.

That pretty much represents size 4. Remember MetaboLife? Yeah. That is totally how I got skinny back in the day. Not the new kind, but the old kind that had some funky herb in it. I stopped taking it shortly after our wedding when the FDA banned the funky herb due to young people falling dead on their treadmills while taking it. What a way to go. I think spending my last minutes on earth on a treadmill could just be the worst thing ever. I'd rather keel over while enjoying a plate of Snuffer's cheese fries myself.

Anyway, back to my closet. On the other side of the size spectrum is 4 squared. 16. Sixteen. Nothing like being honest on the ol' blog. Size 16 isn't represented very well. Pretty much just a pair of "mom jeans" that got worn for a few weeks post Lily because I had sworn off any form of maternity clothes. Sadly though, that same pair got much more use post Jade.

Then there are lots of choices in between, mainly 8s and 10s, most of which I don't fit into very comfortably. Not without the muffin top syndrome at least. Keep the muffins in the pan...not over the top of the jeans, mama! Unless there is a muffin in the oven of course.

Why am I talking about all of this?

Well, my blog buddy Missy has put up a little weight loss accountability thingy over at her blog. Hot for the Holidays...how cute is that?

We're supposed to give our stats, a before picture, and list out our goals.

I'm cringing at this moment. I've learned recently that some of my old high school buddies are readers of the blog...isn't facebook fun? I'm positive they all still weigh 105 and wear their prom dresses on the weekends. Rock on Class of '94.

Here I go. Starting weight: 160. It really isn't my fault that Oreos were perpetually on sale when Jade was a newbie. And they beckoned me all through the night while I was up nursing her. And although it is frito lays old motto, I truly couldn't eat just one. Or is that pringles' jingle? I can't remember now. Maybe frito lay makes pringles too? Geez. I work for a snack food distributor, I should know this stuff. Hey, another excuse! Working for a snack food company isn't good for the waistline either.

Before pic: I usually show weight in my face, so here is a chubby face pic (with Lily on July 4th).

I actually started dieting on August 31st. So I am joining Hot for the Holidays with a bit of a head start. I've currently lost 13 pounds and am down to 147. Here is a current picture (with Jerry and Lily on her 4th b'day):

My goals:
I'm 5'7" and think I'd feel best around 135. I'm happily married and honestly don't feel pressured to look a certain way. At this point, I just want to get to a healthy weight and stay there. Eat well...lean meats and good veggies...and be a good example to my daughters. I want to teach them to cook in healthy ways and enjoy food for the right reasons. I'm also interested in staying away from high fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated fats.

The real place that I need accountability though is when it comes to exercise. We belong to a wonderful gym...way too wonderful actually. Our little mom and pop gym just got bought out by LifeTime Fitness and we are enjoying all of its benefits until they up our rates to God only knows how much.

Great gym. Great childcare. I've just got to get my hiney there. And regularly at that. And not just to sit in the steam room. I actually did that a few weeks back when my sinuses were about to explode. The eucalyptus steam room at LifeTime...I highly recommend it...thanks for the tip Melissa.

My goal is to work out 3-4 times weekly. I'm not up to classes yet, but I want to do cardio and even hit the weights. Yikes.

But hey? I've got up to 2 hours of free childcare daily...you'd think I'd be all over that. So. Lacking. Motivation.

And what size am I picking? I'm hoping for a size 8...maybe a 6. I just want to fit in it...not squeeze into it...with no baked goods hanging over. Is that too much for a girl to ask?

Want to join in? Head over to Missy's at It's Almost Naptime for more Hot for the Holidays fun.