Week 2 Weight-Loss Results

Week 2 brought amazing results for me.  I was able to lose 100 pounds.  I also grew my hair out and discovered the fountain of youth.  What a great week!  Check out my picture!

 
Okay, I guess I probably didn't fool anyone.  Darn.  Even though this isn't how I look, I still lost four pounds, which is 1.82% of my body weight.  That's a total of 10 pounds lost in two weeks, which is 4.42%!  Yeah!

 

Being down four pounds was a nice surprise this morning when I weighed in.  I weigh myself each morning when I arrive at work, and this whole week I've been misreading my scale.  I've been using the non-digital scale, so it's difficult to see exactly where the pin lands.  I thought I either stayed at the same weight or lost only a half pound.  Either way, it was good motivation to keep making good food choices and to not overeat.

I think the shirts I wear also make a difference in how I look, and ultimately how I feel.  Last week's shirt seemed to cover more of my curves.  Shirts like that make me feel more confident.  I need more of them.

I look so tired in these pictures.  As much as it might seem like I love getting these pictures taken, I don't.  I know I'll get more energy as I lose more weight.  I wish it could happen overnight.

My fat seems to be feeling different.  It's difficult to describe, but I feel like it's becoming more loose, like it's not as compact.  I have two pairs of jeans...one is size 20 from Maurices that is huge.  I hate wearing them because they practically fall off.  You'll know when I wear these jeans because I'm constantly adjusting them.  The other pair is a size 18 from Old Navy.  I like them, but buttoning them makes my lower belly fat even more pronounced (yuck!), and I also get a muffin top.  I love muffins.  That's how I got myself in this mess.

My hope is to lose 50 pounds to start.  I would love to be back to what I weighed in high school, which was 135.  135!!!!  I shouldn't compare anything to my high school days...it was so long ago.  I turned 34 years old today.  Not sure how I feel about that yet.

My husband is taking me out to eat tonight, and I fully plan on gorging myself like a gluttonous pig until I feel sick.  I can hardly wait!!  :)  Chow, people.  Oops, I mean ciao! 

  

Week 1 Weight-Loss Results

The first week of my weight-loss challenge is over, and I'm proud to announce that I've lost six pounds, which is 2.65% of my body weight!  Way to go, me!  I want to celebrate with a big, greasy dinner.

I couldn't really think of anything specific to say about this past week, so I'll leave you with a few thoughts that just ran through my head:

Why the heck is my face so red?  It's been like this all day.

Ja-ja-ja-jelly belllllyyyyy!  I want boobs again.

I want to join a fitness center, but just for the tanning.  Don't judge.

The girl that took my picture said, "I like your peacock shirt."

I think I have one of those bodies where the middle gets fat like a beer barrel, but the arms and legs stay skinny.  I think that's called "skinny fat".  I am skinny fat, except basically more fat with chicken ankles.  I better stop.

I never mentioned that I'm 5'9".  I used to be 5'10".

One of my favorite movies is "The Incredible Shrinking Woman" with Lily Tomlin.  I also want her giant rocking chair.

I'll be 34 in a week!

I like my new haircut and wish you could see the peek-a-boo violet highlights in these pics.  Next time I'm getting either purple, blue, or pink.  "Go big or go home," as I always say.  Never.

The lady that did my hair is like a crack dealer.  She gave me my first cut and color free and now I'm addicted.  I see how you are!

Someone on Facebook just mentioned wanting M&M's, and now I want them.  Sigh.  But I'm "watching what I eat."  I'll watch it all the way to the bank is what I'll do!

I just ate a BLT for lunch and my gums feel all cut up.  But it was totally worth it.

I like cooking bacon in the oven on a cookie sheet.  

BACON!  Good God...it all points back to bacon.  :D


Hopefully I will continue to eat healthier so I can lose weight at next week's weigh-in, too.  On the agenda...drink water and check out the company's fitness room. 

Time to Face the Fat, er, I Mean Music

This blog was written candidly and on my own terms, while realizing some people reading this struggle with their own weight issues.  This post wasn't intended to make fun of anyone or dismiss real medical problems.  I'm the fattest I've ever been and it's time to be completely honest with myself. 

I'm hooked on shows about fat people.  It's like watching Hoarders.  You're more comfortable with the mess you live in when you can compare it to the hoard that someone else is living in.  Seeing someone's 600-lb life makes me think I'm okay because I'm nowhere near that size.  When I look in the mirror, I have nothing to compare myself to.  I don't notice the weight going on and I don't notice the subtle changes my body is making over time.  I imagine myself to look the way I did in high school.  But when I see myself next to someone smaller or in shape, I'm absolutely horrified.  Ignorance is bliss, but I've been an idiot.  This whole time I've convinced myself that I look like Dr. Jekyll, but the truth is, I've knowingly let Mr. Hyde take over.  I've known for many years that I need to get my weight under control, but if I don't acknowledge that anything is wrong, then it's not, right?

Becoming one of those people I watch on TV could be easy - I love food!  I'm overweight because I love to eat.  I love the taste and textures of food and I'm okay with eating when I'm not hungry.  One of my weaknesses is salt.  My husband has always joked that he's going to give me a salt lick for my birthday.  

On a shopping trip with a girlfriend a few years ago, the topic of weight surfaced.  She was hesitant to try on anything that was semi-tight because it would reveal her extra weight.  She quickly added that she knew she wasn't fooling anyone...clothes don't make a fat person look skinny and you can't hide how big you are.  That conversation is something I haven't forgotten.  I'm reminded of it daily when I pick out clothes to try to hide myself.

So...I'm on a new, yet familiar journey to lose the extra weight and get my body back.  I'm participating in a "Chub Club" at work and will be weighing in each week.  My starting weight is, gasp...226 pounds!  I had my third baby in October 2012 and people tell me that it's okay to be heavier because I just had another baby.  The truth is, I've had plenty of time to drop the extra weight, but instead, I've been gaining.  I can't believe it.  Wait, yes I can.  I think about my weight every time I'm eating and shoveling more food in well after I'm full.  I swear some days I can actually feel my fat cells getting bigger.  It's time to deal with this issue head on.

Here are the pictures of me from this morning's weigh-in.

I can't believe I included that last picture.  That's just downright gross.  But I suppose that's what people see when I sit down.  I can't see it from that angle, so I pretend it's not there.

I want to add that I'm STARVING right now.  My stomach is growling.  And no, I'm not starving myself.  My gluttonous stomach just wants more!  I've been a food beast.  This is how I imagine myself to be treating food lately.

I'll be weighing in each week and blogging my results.  I'd love to lose at least 50 pounds and get back to the weight I was at before I had three kids.  I'm done having kids and am ready to look good again.  It helps that we're on a very strict budget right now (finally going to make headway on some debt, I'll blog about that, too), so eating out isn't an option.  My prediction is that I'll lose seven pounds the first week.  Cross your fingers for me!

Snowpocolypse?

It seems like everyone in the country was warned about today's storm - La Crosse, WI was forecasted to get up to 18 inches of snowfall and have blizzardy (is that a word?) conditions.  Residents were encouraged to stock up on food, water, batteries, etc., and to stay indoors for the length of the storm.  What!?  I'll admit, I felt a twinge of child-like excitement.  Snowpocolypse was coming...and just in time for the predicted end of the world tomorrow!

So...why was I excited for the storm of the century?  I attribute that feeling to a book I read in elementary school: My Side of the Mountain (by Jean Craighead George).  It was about a boy who runs away from home and has to learn to survive in the wild.  I have read that book so many times that I'm sure I could survive through anything.  Plus, I've seen "Survivorman," so I'm basically a extreme survival expert...right? 

I don't read books too often these days, and with the new baby, my DVR is set to record my favorite shows so I have something to watch when I am up with her in the middle of the night.  One show in particular that I like is "Doomsday Preppers."  Those people are nuts.  There, I said it, and it's the truth!  BUT, I can see the validity in having some supplies stored up.

In August 2007, La Crosse had a HUGE storm in the summer, to the tune of 7-12 inches of rain.  Just think if that would have been snow.  I wonder how many feet of snow that would have been?  Roofs wouldn't have been able to support the weight of the snow, and if the building you were in was still intact, you would have been trapped inside.  Even if you tried to shovel your way out, there wouldn't be anywhere to put the snow.  I figured the storm we were getting today would be something like that. 

Finally, my survival skills would come in handy!  Throughout the day yesterday, I caught myself thinking about prepping ideas that would help my family survive in this terrible storm.  I could buy some bottled water.  I could round up all of the candles, matches, and flashlights.  I could put extra clothes and blankets in the minivan.  I could get shelf-stable food ready to eat.  Above all else, the Trailer family would survive!

What I actually did yesterday (beyond taking care of my 2-yr old and my 2-mo old) was take a nap.  I think I might have also washed a sinkful of dishes and finished a load of laundry.  I didn't even take a shower until 4:30pm when I decided that I better start getting ready for Wednesday night church.  It was a darn good thing we only got 5-6 inches of snow.

Looking back, the best thing I could have prepped for was buying a pair of snow boots.  I don't remember the last time I wore boots.  I'm not a "boot" person.  Nothing fits right and nothing looks good.  I'm my own worst critic.  I got desperate today and took Mia and Maddie out to Farm & Barn and I finally bought some boots.  The next thing I need is a hat and gloves, and maybe a scarf.  I'll put that on my five-year plan.  Wow, my mind is all over the place tonight.  Anyway, I got the boots, but it took around 45 minutes to get myself and the girls ready to leave the house, and by the time I was done shopping (and we picked up Titus from daycare), my pant legs were soaked, my hair was a holy nightmare, I almost lost the girls in a runaway cart in the store parking lot (thanks a lot, 50-mph wind!), and my patience was gone.

It's late in the evening now, and I've had time to calm down after my outing, so I'll leave you with this picture of my Aunt Annie that my mom took in 1972.  This picture has been ingrained in my mind since the first time I saw it.  It's what I imagine the most wonderful snowfall to be.  Peaceful, relaxed, big lazy flakes...and a giant birdhouse.  :)





Parenting Revelations - Part 1

Without fail, whenever I have something to eat and the kids are around, I find myself sharing with them.  My husband and I call them our "baby birds."  I'll explain.  As soon as they spot the food we have, they stop what they're doing and rush over, eyes locked on the prize.  Rarely do they verbalize when they want us to share.  Instead, they stand patiently in front of us with their mouths wide open and their hands at their sides.  They expect us to spoon the food in their mouths.  If we're not doing it fast enough, they'll say "bite, bite," which to us sounds just like "cheep, cheep!"

It's not like we don't feed the kids or that they don't eat.  They get at least three squares a day plus copious amounts of snacks.  I used to get semi-annoyed that I couldn't have anything to eat all by myself without the baby birds demanding to be fed.  Then it hit me.  One day, the kids will be grown up and I'll be eating my meals and snacks by myself, without any gaping-mouthed baby birds standing in front of me.  That realization opened up a whole can of emotions.  One day, I'm not going to get woken in the early morning hours by the kids wanting to crawl into bed with us.  One day, the kids won't want me to read books to them, make up bedtime stories, or have me sing them to sleep.  One day, the kids won't ask me to carry or hold them.  One day, the kids won't think it's fun to have me chase them around the house when we play "Bun Squisher". 

But as for today, I'm soaking up all I can so I don't miss a thing!

Last Night's Supper

Sometimes I like to have no plan for supper and see what I can make from whatever I have on hand.  Last night's supper was a "no plan" night.

Tim was working the evening shift, so I was home alone with the kids.  Those kind of nights have been interesting - me, who is 29 weeks pregnant and STILL struggling with "morning" sickness, a 3 1/2 year old and a 21 month old - I should video me trying to do anything in the kitchen with two kiddos on my heels, hanging on my legs, and crying to be held because they haven't seen me all day (yes, I'm one of those mothers who works full-time...don't judge me!). 

A quick inspection of the fridge revealed there were several things I needed to use ASAP before they went bad.  No sense in throwing good food away!  

• 1 1/2 c. shredded chicken (made a week earlier in the crock pot with onions and seasoned with salt, pepper, and garlic powder - yum - what an easy way to make chicken that falls apart)
• 1 c. diced green peppers from a previous pizza-making night
• 1/2 c. sliced mushrooms (I actually decided against using these because I'm not sure how long mushrooms are supposed to last.  So, the garbage disposal got them.)
• 1 lb. of gnarly looking carrots that Titus got from the farmer's market
• 1/2 a bag of frozen peas (who knows how long we've had these - they didn't smell like the freezer, so I used them!)
• Sour cream expiring at the end of the month

I also had some pantry items.  This is what I did to make the meal:

• Peeled, washed, and diced 6 medium potatoes, then put them in a pot of water to boil.
• Melted a 1/2 stick of butter in a small stock pot.
• While the butter was melting, I peeled, washed, and chopped the carrots, then added them to the pot of butter to saute and soften.
• I got tired of waiting for the potato water to boil, so after a few minutes, I drained them and added them to the carrots, including a little water from the pot.  I didn't want them to cook fully, just didn't want them to be crunchy.
• After about 10 minutes of cooking the carrots and potatoes, I added the green pepper.  I thought I would sneak them in - I'm the only one in the house that likes them.
• I tasted the potatoes and carrots and liked where they were at, but I needed to add salt and pepper.  Keep tasting your food as you're cooking it so you know how much seasoning to add.
• Added flour to the veggies and stirred until they were coated.  This was the start of the sauce.  I had a can of cream of chicken soup begging to be opened, but making your own sauce is soooo much better than the sodium-filled cans of goo.  I had to stir this for a minute to make sure I cooked out as much of the flour taste as possible.
• Added milk and stirred, adding more milk until I got a good, creamy sauce.  Looking back, I should have added more milk and made it creamier, because the end product was a tad on the dry side.
• Next I added the shredded chicken and frozen peas, then stirred until everything was combined.

At this point, the contents of the pot looked like chicken pot pie filling - good enough to eat straight from the pot.  Another addition of salt and pepper and the mixture went into the casserole dish.  It just needed a topping.  I only had a small box of Jiffy Cornbread mix, but I wasn't in the mood for that.  I also had a box of pancake mix - perfect!  Time to experiment.  Keep in mind that nothing was measured, except the butter.

• 1 1/2 c. pancake mix (I actually didn't measure - maybe it was closer to 2 cups?)
• 1/2 stick butter, melted
• 2 T. water
• 8 oz. sour cream
• 1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 t. garlic powder
• 1 t. dried parsley flakes
• 1/2 t. paprika
• salt & pepper to taste

I was going for a Cheddar Bay Biscuit taste, but didn't have Cheddar cheese, and didn't have a recipe for those.  After combining all of the biscuit ingredients, I scooped small spoonfuls all over the top of the chicken mixture.  Into the 350 degree oven it went.  I wanted to make sure the casserole was heated through, and that the biscuits would be cooked all the way.  I have no idea how long this was in the oven...maybe 25 minutes?  By this time, Tim was home and he was checking the progress.  When the biscuit top was golden brown, he removed the dish from the oven and let it stand for about 15 minutes to make sure the inside of the biscuits could finish being wonderful.

I've totally skipped over the part about feeding the kids.  The casserole wasn't taken out of the oven until at least 7:30, and there's no way the kids were going to wait that long for supper.  When Titus saw the pancake mix, he stopped what he was doing and announced that he was ready for his supper.  He even sat at his place at the table and waited.  I quickly whipped up a batch of large silver dollar pancakes for him.  He even helped me stir!  The first three included sliced bananas, topped with low-sugar syrup.  He was still hungry, so I made a second batch of three large silver dollar pancakes that included chocolate chips.  A little white milk to wash it all down and he was one happy boy!  Mia didn't want the small pancakes and asked for one big one with chocolate chips.  She also requested chocolate milk to drink.  There's no question in our minds that she's daddy's girl.  :)  

Here's what the casserole looked like (this is a picture of it re-heated for lunch today - notice the flower patterned paper bowl - so fancy!).  This is definitely a supper I will make again, but I'm almost certain it won't come out the same.  Next time, the filling will be creamier.  The biscuits soaked up a lot of liquid, which made it dry.  That's the fun about cooking - you can create whatever you want and not have to follow a recipe.

Let's switch topics to this morning's breakfast.  Tim worked the early shift and I'm on the evening shift, so I was home with the kids this morning.  I didn't want to give them the same breakfast options as always (eggs & toast, pancakes (we just had those last night), frozen waffles, oatmeal, cereal), so I dug through the cupboards looking for ideas.  I didn't have a lot of time to make anything.  I found a pouch of Betty Crocker muffin mix that you just add water to.  In about 2 minutes, I had them mixed, poured, and in the oven.  In 16-21 minutes, we would have hot muffins for breakfast.  I took a quick shower, got dressed, got Mia dressed (Titus picks out his own clothes and dresses himself), and then took out the muffins so they could cool.  We had to be in the van and on the road in 10 minutes. 

When everyone was in the van and ready to go, we finally tried the muffins.  Much to my dismay, when I peeled the muffin liner away, half the muffin came with it.  We basically ate muffin tops for breakfast.  They were delicious, but a disappointment.

This never happens when I make muffins from scratch.  Come to think of it, I have enough bananas in the freezer to make a triple batch of banana muffins.  I guess I know what I'm doing this weekend!  Those are the perfect things to make in a huge batch, then freeze in packages of six.  We take a bag out when needed and they thaw in less than 30 minutes.

I should blog about a disasterous cooking attempt, but I'll save that for another day.  :)   

Not So Great Clips

This weekend I got what could possibly qualify as the worst haircut of my entire adult life.  I have to specify "adult" life because my mom gave me some pretty homely looking haircuts when I was a kid.  I asked her to email me a picture so I could include it, but darn it, she didn't have time.  :)

I was sitting at home on Sunday afternoon just relaxing.  Tim and the kids were napping and I had just planned our menu for our upcoming week vacation and was also getting ready for our church's worship and prayer service that evening - I was on the docket to lead prayer for a few minutes.  We needed to be at church by 6:30pm.  At 3:15, I was just about to head out to get my hair cut when Titus woke up from his nap.  He was in such a good mood and asked if he could come with me.  It was a date with my favorite little boy!  Off we went to find a place to cut my hair.

I had always had sufficient luck at the Great Clips store in south La Crosse.  I have a very specific cut that I like, and I get upset if it's not done correctly.  The funny thing is, I know I'm one of those customers that are demanding, but cheap!  I don't want to pay more than $15 for a haircut.  The style that I get takes about 10 - 15 minutes to cut, and the person isn't reinventing the wheel - they're just cutting my outgrown hair a little shorter.  Titus and I walked into the store.  The girl behind the counter asked if I had ever been there before.  I said I had frequented the La Crosse location, and she informed me that the stores were not "linked."  I should have turned around and walked out right then!  But I didn't.  I thought, the two stylists that are working look clean and their hair is done nicely...I should be okay.  After waiting for about 10 minutes, a third person came from the back of the store.  She walked up to the computer and called my name.  She looked frumpy and her hair wasn't done.  Why did I continue to stay???

Titus sat in the toy corner and played while I got my hair hacked, I mean cut.  First of all, the lady had really ferocious dragon breath, like she had just eaten a whole ring of spicy pepperoni.  I immediately told her that I was pregnant and not feeling good, so she didn't have to feel like she needed to keep conversation with me.  I think I offended her, but I was also gagging at the smell.  GROSS!  I popped one of my sugar-free candies in my mouth and hoped for the best.  I explained how I wanted my hair cut.  Again, this wasn't rocket science.  My layers had grown out, but you could still see the idea of what I was asking for.  She quickly understood what I wanted and started snipping away.

I have to say, she was good at not talking to me, but the horrendous halitosis was there anyway, seemingly seeping out from her inner being.  I can't stress enough how bad it was.  Anywayyyy, when she was done about 10 minutes later, she asked me to look and see what I thought.  I immediately noticed that it was about an inch shorter than I wanted and the right side was drastically longer than the left.  When I brought the uneven sides to her attention, she mumbled something about my dark (brown) hair against her black clothes made it hard to see.  That made no sense, but I passed on questioning her.  I was still in an okay mood.  She finished the cut and we went to the counter to check out.

When Titus and I got to the car, I was horrified when I saw my reflection in the window.  From what I could see, my head was now sporting two different hair styles!  The left side was short and had a few choppy layers, and the right side was STILL longer and had one sort-of layer.  None of the cuts were done nicely, like she had taken the scissors with one hand and hacked away.  No blending, just chopping and hacking.  HACKING!!  Then I looked at my neck - she didn't even take the time to wipe the hair off.  Great.  Now I was the star of the Itchy and Scratchy Show! 

Titus saw that I was upset and he asked if I was mad at him, Daddy, or Mia.  I assured him that I was only upset at the hair cutting lady because sometimes mommy just wants to look pretty and the lady made me look not pretty.  How do you explain it nicely to a three-year old?  He was well-behaved while I got my hack, so I took him to Walmart for a treat and to buy hair dye.  I just knew everyone was looking at my hideous hair, but nevertheless, one box of Garnier Nutrisse, a tube of mini M&Ms, and a box of goldfish crackers later, we were finally headed home. 

On the ride home, I tried calling Tim three times.  I found out later that his phone was dead.  Argh!  Didn't he know I needed him at that moment?!?  I was too mad to go back to the store - I knew they wouldn't care what happened and I KNEW they would bring out the men's clippers as the only fix for my ruined hair.  I raced home and got Tidy in the house with his treats (the goldfish crackers were the treat he picked out for Mia - awwww...he loves her!).  As soon as Tim saw me, he gasped, "how does that person have a job cutting hair?!"  He told me to call someone that knew how to cut hair and see if they could fix it.  I didn't want to bother anyone - I was pretty volitle and seeing red, but I had the solution!

I locked myself in the bathroom with Tim's hair clipper set.  Relax, I only needed the scissors and comb.  :)  It was already after 5pm, and we needed to be leaving the house at 6pm.  I channeled any and all (good) hair cutting techniques I have ever seen and went to work.  The first hair to go was the longer right side.  Hmmm...that didn't turn out too bad.  I decided I must be an expert stylist and should keep going.  I was combing and pulling and snipping until my arms were numb and the bathroom was covered in hair.  I would worry about cleaning up later!  After the re-style, I pinned up sections of my hair that I didn't want colored, ripped into the box of dye, threw things together, and slapped on the goo like I was in a race.  Well I was, with the clock.  I let the color sit for about 20 minutes before I jumped in the shower for a rinse.  I threw my clothes on, dried my hair and styled it.

When I came out of the bathroom, Tim couldn't believe I had cleaned up the hack job so well.  I told him I might as well cut my own hair from now on.  After all, I have seen people cutting hair on TV.  If they can do it, so can I!  The only part I wish I would have taken more time on is letting the color work longer.  I used "black/blue", but it's not nearly as black as I wanted it.

Overall, I'm still pretty upset about the whole experience, but I turned that sour, half-rotten lemon into a nice tall glass of sweet lemonade!