Let's catch up, shall we?

Look at this new blogger website setup. They claim it's faster and cleaner. We shall see!

It's been a while since I've sat down to type and I really don't know where or how to even begin. You know what that means.. bullets!

- We just got back from a weekend in Ohio for my cousin Kristine's wedding. We had such a great time for multiple reasons. Of course it was awesome to be around my parents, brothers and Vicky (my future SIL ;)  ) I loved hanging out with them and seeing them spend time with Andrew. On top of that, the wedding was perfectly planned. It was beyond gorgeous, everything went smoothly (as far as we could tell), and tons of fun. But most of all, I loved reconnecting with my dad's side of the family.
It's been far too long since I've seen all of them. Life got in the way. Priorities weren't where they should have been. I was honestly a little nervous because within the past year, words where exchanged that shouldn't have been. But then we got there. None of that mattered... the time past or the harsh words. I was taken back to the age of 10 all over again and it was like time stood still. In short, I'm so thankful we went. I left with a rekindled, genuine attachment to my family and have vowed to not let this happen again. I didn't realize how much I've missed them. I'm still tearing up when I think about them. Trey loved them and was really impressed with the area. Seeing my Grandmother with my son was the ultimate highlight. I hope we got enough good pictures. To sum up what was supposed to be a short snippet.. this long weekend trip was good for the soul.

- When we got back, we realized that the weather has broken around here. The unbearable heat is finally gone and I hope gone until next summer. It inspired me to turn the air off and open the windows (at least until around 1pm.. baby steps), do a little fall cleaning, take out the fall decor, and paint my nails grey. It's my favorite time of year, y'all.

-  I'm not quite sure what's up, but Drew has a temperature of 102.2 last I checked. I noticed today that he felt really warm. He's been just a tad extra clingy and whiny, but I chalked that up to the traveling and all the attention he got over the weekend that he is not longer receiving. It's been as high as 102.5. He's still eating more than enough. Everything I've read though has said to not call the doctor until it gets to 103. I know we are not far from it, but with him acting normal for the most part, I feel comfortable waiting it out. Germs from the plane? Teething? Just a plain ol' cold? Who knows.

-  I REALLY need to jump right back on the WW train. It's been slacking. Well, non-existent is the more accurate term to use. After seeing yet even more friends doing it with success and all the calories that were consumed over the weekend (I haven't stepped on the scale, but I can tell a difference in my clothes), something's gotta give. My discipline!! Where did it go??

- A good friend is going to be leaving me soon. "A good friend" doesn't really do our friendship justice. We've been friends since high school and it just so happened that our husbands were stationed at the same post. How's that for a situation to strengthen an already existent bond?? My stomach already knots up when I think about her leaving, but mostly I'm in denial. It's not going to be good when reality hits me like a brick. I have to switch subjects now.

- Something to lighten the mood... GO.
We'll have lots of visitors over the next few months, thank God. I LOVE having people come to stay with us. Especially now that we live on post and love our home. I really enjoy getting to show off the area we live it to our friends and family. Trey's parents will be coming in about a month, then his sister, then my brother. It's all pretty much back to back. I'm excited.

I think that's all for now. Off to the Commissary for some German goods. Don't ask.. long story. It has something to do with Book club, birthdays and a turtle.

WW Monday

But really it's Sunday. I'm early.

I've been a failure at all things Weight Watchers lately! Not only have I not kept up with the Monday Link-ups (which, if you've been reading for any amount of time, shouldn't surprise you), but I haven't been keeping up with the diet period. At all. And honestly haven't been since we moved.. what a month ago?

In this past month, I can't tell you how many times I said, "I'll start counting points again on Saturday". Saturday would come around and we'd have a cookout. Who wants to count points during a cookout? Not this girl. "I'll just wait until Monday". Monday rolls around and it doesn't happen again, but for no good reason. Saturday. Monday.. blah blah blah. Too many careless girls nights and too many cookouts. Not enough cooking going on in the casa, too much going out to eat and ordering takeout (which clearly isn't good for the weight loss... and never mind the budget!).

Tomorrow this all changes back to point counting and healthier options! Why the conviction now, you ask? How am I so sure I'll magically and faithfully be tracking points tomorrow? I saw a picture of myself today. Standing next to my two wonderful, gorgeous, in shape friends, not only did I look like a midget, but I wasn't at all happy with the state my body was in. Honestly, I thought I looked better than that (I have a very healthy self-image, which sometimes fails me). I reminded myself of an oompa loompa. (no clue how to spell that).

That's what it's always taken for me to get back on track though. A little slap in the face. A slight nudge.
I don't remember when I started this journey, but whenever it was, I've lost 12.6 pounds since then. Which is great. Four pounds of it is due to the bug from last week, but that's neither here nor there.

I've been doing good with our morning walks, but will do better.
More fruit. Less crap. More veggies. Less laziness. More determination and self-discipline.

Back to weekly weigh-ins to share with you all. Lucky ducks. I'm not going to start the link-ups back up again. There just wasn't enough participation for me to make sure I have the post done in time. I do still love to read your weight loss posts though, so let me know how you're doing!

WW Mondays

Ahhh.. is there anything more relaxing than laying in bed blogging? Well, yes, I'm sure there is.. but I'm super relaxed right now. It's really Sunday night as I'm typing this, btw, and Trey has staff duty (he has to stay at work through the night.. be there in case anything happens.. perform checks around the barracks.. that sort of thing. They take turns doing it and it works out to where he does this about 2 or 3 times a month. Just a little FYI for non-military family and friends!) Anywho.. while I would much rather him be here with me (especially because I'm afraid of what lurks out there in the dark) I do find it nice to watch what I want, eat popcorn for dinner if I want, and blog in bed every now and then! I call it looking on the bright side.

Ohh.. you don't care about my rambling and just want me to get on with the WW stuff? Good, because I can't wait to share my progress with you this week :) :)

This week I lost 3.6 pounds!! Wooo-hooooo! And that's not even the best news. It gets better.
1. I've met my first goal, which was 5% of my body weight, which was 8 pounds. I'm down 8.8 total pounds now in just under a month! I can't tell you how good that feels. How good I feel. No turning back now!
2. While leisurely walking around Target one day this week with Trey, he randomly told me that my legs are looking great. Of course, as I cheesed, I asked him what exactly he meant by that. I needed to hear what about my legs looked so much better (I have short midget legs.. I have never, ever gotten a compliment on these gams). He was talking about the definition in muscle tone. Guess all of those walks are starting to pay off.
3. My pants are getting looser on me. (Is looser a word?). I comfortably wore a pair of shorts that just a week ago caused a little too much muffy top.
4. My wedding ring is loose.

How do you like that for a progress report?!?

Now for our subject of the week. Hopefully, y'all will be more help to me than I am to any of you. I suck at lunches, but most days I don't really care. I eat the same thing almost every single day and it doesn't bother me. Most of the time.
Ready for this excitement?
A turkey sandwich made with reduced-cal, whole wheat bread toasted just so.. not to crispy.. just enough to give it a little toasted texture. (2 points for 2 slices). Add 6 slices of some flavored turkey breast (Deli Fresh) (1 point). Pepper. Cilantro. Jalapenos. Lettuce. (all zero points). Then I'll have either a yogurt (Dannon Light Toasted Coconut flavor - 2points) or 16 red-fat Wheat Thins (3 points) or maybe just some fruit.
That is my go to.
I may throw a wrench in my day by making a little salad with shredded lettuce, above listed deli meat (1 point), cilantro (zero), and 2 Tablespoons of Light Ranch (2 points). With fruit on the side. Sounds boring, but I love it. I'm a simple kind of gal.

Clearly... I need help. Can't wait to hear all about your week!!

Weight Watchers Monday

Welp, I'm going to be real honest here. Another week, another disappointment. And I haven't the foggiest idea why. Unless the doctor's scale is different from WW's scale. I had a doc appointment Friday morning so considered that my weigh-in. I was planning on going in to WW to weigh in real quick that day anyways, but after stepping on the scale at the docs office and having it go UP *point* 4 pounds since last week? I couldn't do it. I've been debating about switching to online only anyways. So much cheaper and the etools program is very helpful for me. THAT  made the decision pretty easy for me!
I haven't the foggiest idea where I'm going wrong. I stayed within my daily points almost every day. I only used 5 weekly flex points. And yes, I'm choosing my points wisely. So unless it's the frozen breakfasts I'm eating in the morning (WW brand at that) or the Smart Ones desserts (that's not allowed to be the problem. I look forward to those all day) I'm having at night, I'm at a loss. I even walked 5 out of the 7 days for 45 minutes each time. I did have my blood drawn for labs while at the doc Friday morning. Not for this reason, but there is a history of low thyroid in my family. I guess it's good to rule something like that out.
All that being said, I'm NOT giving up! I know this works and I'm going to keep on truckin' on. Even though the scale isn't showing anything, I know I've gotta be doing good by cutting my portions way down anyways. Plus, I have to buy a new belt. I was already on the last hole... I noticed earlier this week that I either need to buy a new belt or poke a new hole! So, I guess there is an achievement after all :)

On to our topic.. what motivates me?

Most importantly, is my family. I want to be healthy and live a long and fun life with them. I never want to tell my son that I CAN'T run around with him. I don't want that to be a chore. I want to enjoy his childhood.
I want to set a good example for him. I can't very well tell him he can't have those french fries or cookies or ice cream if that's all I'm sitting around eating. And I can't expect him to be active if I'm not.

Also, I want to feel good about the way I look. When I look in the mirror, the reflection doesn't resemble a thing what the girl inside me feels like. Does that make sense to anyone? I'm self-conscience about the way I look right now. I'm always tugging at my clothes making sure they fit right and are covering up the "fatty parts". Always hiding the chub. I want to be able to throw something on and just feel good about myself. Not try on half a dozen items out of my closet and rip each thing off in disgust.

All in all.. I just want to be a better me. For myself and my family.

What about you? Link up and let us know!

Weight Watchers Mondays

Happy Memorial Day everyone! I know most of you are off spending some QT with families and friends, feel free to link up any day this week! I hope in the midst of all of the fun times, hamburgers, hot dogs, lakes and pools, that you've taken a moment or five to remember and pray for all of our fallen soldiers and humbly thank them for their ultimate sacrifice. I know we have.

This week our focus is going to be on breakfast ideas, but first, I want to share my.. errrmmm.. progress with you all. I was excited to jump on that scale, but also a little unsure. It was very anticlimactic. I lost .2 pounds this week. Not 2 pounds.. just wanted to make sure you saw that point before the two. Yeahhh. I think I snacked a little too much this week. I used a lot of my extra weekly points, but didn't go over which I guess is why there was a teeny tiny bit of loss. I went out to dinner with some girlfriends one night too. To Olive Garden. I thought I was choosing wisely by ordering off of the appetizer menu (got the Grilled Chicken Flatbread), but not so much. My meal was 29 points. And that's only because I didn't finish the whole thing. Would have been worse. I'm still not very comfortable with eating out.. clearly.
I did get 3 good walks in over the week, but I need to do better.

It was disappointing, but also motivating. I got a little slack with the extra points. Yes, I know they are there.. but that doesn't mean I need to use them quite as much. I used at least 1 or 2 every day. I need to drink more water (gosh that is so hard for me) and get at least a walk in every day. I've been thinking more and more about starting Couch to 5K in again as well. We'll see about that! And even less snacking. Hopefully I'll have a more exciting update next week!!

Breakfast ideas...
I'll admit something - I do a lot of frozen breakfasts. I have a baby that.. at the moment.. is not very happy when 100% of my attention is not focused on him. Yes, it's every bit as fun as it sounds. Some morning I could get away with making a nice breakfast, but most I can't. Yes, he's the boss around here. He's running things. Soo.. it's much much easier for me to throw something in the microwave. More expensive? Yes. Less time consumed? Yes. Very tasty? Yes.
I never use more than 6 points on breakfast. If I can get it in in 5.. even better. Jimmy Dean Delights are spectacular. Turkey sausage breakfast bowls.. yum. Canadian bacon sammies on a honey wheat english muffins.. delish. Both of those are 6 points. The bowls even have a few potatoes in them. Bonus. Smart Ones has a few tasty things that I've tried as well. Breakfast quesidillas (5 points and I LOVE them) and they have a breakfast skillet that is just alright. I don't know if I'll try that again.
When I do have time to make my own I either have a fried egg (just use Pam.. zero points) or scrambled with one whole egg and one egg white. Always, always add in a splash of hot sauce. Canadian bacon and a slice of white bread. I really love oatmeal and would love to find a way to fit that in to mix it up a bit, but I haven't found a way to make it without blowing points.

Anyway.. eggs everyday? I could use some other suggestions! How did you all do this week? Link up and let me know :)

Update on Dad and a WW List

*Be sure to check the bottom of this post for a list of weekly WW topics!*

A big huge Thank you and hug to everyone who left your thoughts and prayers on yesterdays post. I've been holding up okay.. but I've definitely had my moments. It's hard being so far away. You feel useless. Feel like you're be a nuisance to everyone when texting and calling to get updates and just check-in, but that's the only think you can do really. It's been especially hard because Trey has been MIA with work.

He is still in the hospital. I've been getting conflicting reports.. from his labs came back clear and there is no sign of heart attack, then heard last night that that was not the case and some level of whateveritscalled was high which means there was a heart attack. He did the nuclear stress test yesterday, which was four hours long and they were told there was damage seen at the tip of his heart (bottom I guess)  I talked to him last night and he sounded much much better than he did on Tuesday. He was perfectly content with his bed positioned just right, his table pulled up with Cheez-Its (his staple) and whateveritwasthathewasdrinking and the remote, the Bruins game (which I'm guessing in the end didn't make him quite so happy) and the prettiest nurse in the hospital waiting on his every beck and call. So yeahhh.. hearing him with his normal outlook was reassuring.

They did the catheter this morning and he is already done with that.. results are good. No blockage and no sign of any previous heart attack. He is in recovery now and when I asked how he was feeling, he said, "not bad I guess" and he is ready to go to the beach and have a margarita. Ha! I don't know what comes next. On one hand, it is GREAT that it wasn't a HA, but now what? I just pray that they do find something (he knows something is off) and that it is very simple and very, very treatable.

On another note..
I've been thinking about subjects we can chat about on WW Mondays. Thank you so much for all of you who took the time to comment and link up. I'd love to see more participation, but I don't think we did so bad for the first week! Here's what I have thrown together.. feel free to add suggestions of what you'd like to hear/talk about!
And of course on every Monday be sure to share your progress!! That's the most exciting part :)

May 30th: Healthy breakfast ideas
June 6th: What motivates you? (someone in your life, health reasons, an upcoming event, etc)
June 13th: Healthy lunch ideas (I really need help with this one!!)
June 20th: Exercise tips
June 27th: Healthy dinner ideas
July 14th (I figure no one will want to do this on July 4th weekend!): Inspiring quotes

That's all I can think of for now. Like I said, feel free to add your ideas!

Weight Watchers Mondays

Yeahhh.. I couldn't think of anything clever to go with Mondays, but there you have it.

I'm starting a weekly meme for any of you (the more the merrier) to contribute to. Weight loss is hard.. a lifestyle change is even more so. I know I can use all the motivation possible, so I'm sure you all could to. What better way for us all to get together and help each other out?? So, be sure to link up at the bottom of this post! (this is very new for me, so if it doesn't work, try not to be too annoyed! I'll figure it out)
I've decided to do Weight Watchers as you all know from last week, but feel free to add in tips that have worked for you even if you are taking a different approach!

This week, let's share how much you have lost since you started your journey, how much you have to go to meet your goal, and the biggest thing you have learned so far that you were doing all wrong.

On Friday, I did my first weigh-in (they will normally be on Saturday) and drumroll please.....
..... I LOST 5 POUNDS. Yay yay yay!! I'm so very proud of myself. I went in there only expecting to see a loss of 2 at the most, so you can imagine my surprise. A big "Are you kidding me????", was said and the sweet lady assured me that no, she was not in fact kidding. I gushed and gushed and she gave me two stickers. Which only added to my excitement. I'm a child still, I swear it.
My first goal is 5% of my weight, which is 8 pounds, so I am almost there. I have 31 pounds to go before I get to my ultimate goal. A long way to go, but I KNOW I can do it!

For me, this week.. I think the biggest thing I learned was portion control. Holy moly, does that make a difference! And I was eating wayyyy too much! It has really helped to measure everything out this week. Especially salad dressing. Two tablespoons is A LOT less than I thought it was! The second biggest thing I think would be... no mindless snacking. Before WW, I would get everything out to make a sandwich, and snack on an extra piece of cheese while I made it. And that can be applied to anything. Always munching on something. Those little extra things during the day really add up!

During this week, I will work on compiling a list of weekly topics so you can be more prepared (if this even works!) Please participate, y'all! Don't make me feel like the loser blogger that I probably really am that has no friends ;) And let your friends know about it as well! I'm telling you.. I'm really going to need the motivation!

I can't wait to hear from you all!

Weighty Issues

I did it. I done joined Weight Watchers.

I never imagined myself like this 8 months after having a baby. I don't know why. Actually, I do know why. I compared myself to other girls I knew that have had babies. Good friends, acquaintances. Some that bounced back with minimal to NO effort. Some that somehow found the time to exercise all hard core - all while caring for a newborn, keeping up house and home, and working full time. Talk about determination.. geesh!
You can't do that though. Compare yourself to people that aren't in your gene pool, that is. I should have known better. I've struggled with my weight my entire life. The majority of my time has been spent on the overweight side. One time I lost it in a very unhealthy way (aka pretty depressed and therefore not eating much of anything and working out excessively) and the other time being from.. duh duh duh.. you guessed it. Weight Watchers.
So after struggling for a few months now, trying to find the time to work out, going from diet to diet, I ended up being far more confused and frustrated than ever. What really works? Counting calories? But it has to be more than just that, right? The type of calories you eat have to matter. Do I get rid of all carbs, some carbs, sugar? That's not reasonable, for sure! I'm bound to fail with that (and I did). Is real sugar better, or fake? I need to choose all of the"light" options to stay in a respectable amount of calories a day, but if the bottle says "light", that just means the sugar has shot up. Gahhhh! These are the thoughts that have plagued me for months now. Multiple times, I couldn't take it and just gave up all together. Only to gain those 5 pounds back, get disgusted with myself and start some other diet.

Enter WW. I know it works. I've done it. It's realistic. It's changed over the years, and incorporates more of the lifestyle Trey and I have been trying to live. Instead of doing a calorie counting based point system, it's all based on high protein and fiber, low fat and carbs. Win win! Trey gets meals cooked that work for his weight loss efforts, and I can FOCUS on the low carb foods, but add in little bits here and there based on points. Make sense? I probably didn't explain it well enough, but it works in my head. I'm excited.

Here's the ugly truth. I weighed in today at 164.4 pounds. I'm 5'3. This isn't okay. I'm very unhappy with the way I look and feel. I dread going on walks with my little family.. isn't that horrible? So not how I pictured myself. But, I'm changing it. I'm doing something about it and that's what matters. I have a destructive relationship with food. My life revolves around it. Borderline obsessive. So, not only do I want to change the way I look and feel... I want to be able to think about daily life and how food mixes in without breaking out into a cold sweat. In fact, I want to think about my weekend plans without thinking about food at all. Food needs to hold less importance in my life.
I plan to surround myself with supportive, encouraging people. I know Trey will be so very supportive. I know I need to actually GO to the meetings. The online option wouldn't work for me. I need to be held accountable. So between supportive friends, a loving husband, weekly support and weigh-ins, seeing results and hopefully feeling better about myself, I have to be on to a winning combination!

I'll keep track of how I'm doing here. Are any other of you girls out there doing WW? If so, let me know! We can help each other along and share recipes. I know I'm going to need help with meal ideas for sure.