35-36 week update!

Looks like this baby could be here any day now! : )


Mia is super low and I am 3-4cm dilated!!! There really is an end in sight to this pregnancy!

Late on the update- Dr appt on Tuesday

I had my measurement ultrasound on Tuesday along with a dr appointment afterwards. Baby Mia is measuring 6lbs 14oz as of Tuesday and all of her organs look great! My amniotic fluid level, however, was pretty low. She wants to see me every week now and if it doesn't get better, she will induce at 36-37 weeks. I am 35w2d today! yikes! As long as the baby is fine, I would LOVE to have her out before Christmas, that's for sure!

here is a picture of my belly from Friday- 35 weeks

I had my baby shower yesterday and I am so incredibly blessed! Baby Mia will be the best dressed baby ever and has everything she needs! It was a wonderful shower and was so great to be able to spend time with family and friends that I don't get to see very often.

So ready to sleep for more than an hour at a time...

Even though I know that will be hard having a newborn around. I am just so miserable- mostly during the night though.

As of my last appointment on 10/28, I have still only gained 7lbs! Yay Me!!! My doctor doesn't want me to gain more than 15lbs total, though, since I started out overweight, so here's to hoping I can make that goal!

It's really starting to sink in how soon I will be meeting little Mia. With the holidays fast approaching, it will make it go by even faster as well! Time to really start getting her room ready. Yikes!

Sorry for the boring post- not too much going on around here and that is a good thing! Just a chuggin along!

And, to leave you with my most recent belly pic- 31 weeks

Just a quick, yet exciting note!

Yes, this will be very short... I passed my 1 hour glucose test!!! I don't know why I was so nervous about it this time, but I was.

I got the call from the nurse yesterday evening that I passed, so that was a total relief!

Here's to hoping it will be smooth sailing from here on out... Less than 12 weeks left!! : )

I kinda suck at this whole blogging thing lately…

Well, I am 27 weeks today and things are going pretty smoothly. Just getting miserable and waddling already- LOL!

I am, however, getting extremely sick of all of the ignorant comments by random people that do not even know me. So, let me sum it up for you:

- NO, I am not having twins, triplets, etc.

- YES, my due date IS correct

- NO, this baby is NOT bigger than it should be

I can’t believe how quickly this pregnancy is flying by! At first it was dragging and now it is going so quickly! And, with all of the holidays coming up, it will go by even faster! I guess I better get a move on fixing up Mia’s room!

So far, Arielle is doing well with my pregnancy, but I do not think she fully understands what is going to happen in a few months. She is such a big helper, so I hope she will do well with her new sister and not have much jealousy. We just celebrated her 3rd birthday last weekend and she is getting so big! Here are a couple pictures of her in the birthday outfit.

I almost forgot! Her full name will be Mia Love Raines. If you don’t like it, please keep your comments to yourself, because we LOVE it and it will not be changing…

Here is the most recent picture I have taken of my big ol’ belly!

24 week update

I had my 24 week dr appt this morning and it went just. I had a little scare when my blood pressure was first taken - 140/80, but when the dr came in, they had me lay on my left side and she took it again and it was back to my normal 110/60. Thank goodness!

Mia's heartbeat was 147 and she is moving like a champ!

Weight gain to date- 7lbs! Doc says she would like for me to only gain 15lbs total, so I really need to focus on eating healthier and getting in a little exercising.

My next appointment is in 4 weeks and I will have my 1 hr glucose test- yuck! But, that just means I am that much closer to meeting my baby girl!

No pics today....sorry! Just wanted to update really quick!

Baby #2 has a First Name....

Well, we decided on a first name for baby #2! It was decided the day after our ultrasound, but I was waiting to announce it thinking we would also decide on a middle name, but that hasn’t happened yet : (


Her name will be Mia- pronounced with an E sound. We have had many, many, many suggestions on middle names and we just cannot agree on anything!!! As my sister told me 2 weeks ago- you still have 20 weeks! I know, but I wanna decide NOW! lol. So, if you have any more suggestions, keep them coming.

Arielle is now referring to her as Mia, and I think it is just so cute!!! We were in the shower this morning and she told me that Mia was taking a shower with us too. I love the way she thinks.

Here is a cute picture of Arielle, just because…

Yup, It's a GIRL!

It's been confirmed- It's girl #2 for us! This is going to be SO much fun!

 In the actual picture, you can see the "3 lines" indicating girl! It's hard to see in this picture I took of the u/s with my phone...

Her profile shot

We are in the process of choosing a name for our baby girl! It's been tough as we really don't agree on much this time around, but she will surely have a name soon!

On another note- my total weight gain to date is only 4 lbs!! Woo Hoo!!! 

IT'S A... Well, we're pretty sure it's a....

GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!

We went to our appointment this morning only to discover  that the ultrasound tech was not in today- and NO ONE called to inform me of this... Needless to say, I was pretty perturbed and worried I wouldn't get to find out the sex of the baby today!

Luckily, my doctor came in and apologized for the inconvenience and told us she would take a peek and try her best to give us an answer today! Well, she looked and is "pretty sure" it's a girl!

We go back next Friday for the actual appointment with the tech because more measurements and stuff need to be done, so we can get a much better look with a much newer and hi-def machine!

I am so excited and ready to choose a name!! : )

And now to the fun part... I have created another comparison of bellies!!! This was the closest in weeks I could find (1st pregnancy @ 22w and this pregnancy @ 20w) I feel so HUGE this time around, but it is such a beautiful thing!!! I was also told by a lady at work that she didn't even notice I was pregnant until like last week, so I guess that means I "popped" LOL!

Lack of updates...

I apologize for the lack of updates lately. There really isn’t anything major to update about.


Here is what has happened since I last updated:

- I felt flutters for the first time last week (thought I was imagining it at first though)

- I have gained 1 pound

- I am getting super excited about my ultrasound on the 19th! I just want to find out the sex already so I can start shopping! LOL!

*** If you haven’t voted in my poll already, please go to http://www.expectnet.com/ and enter game name RainesBaby2 to guess the sex, weight, date and time of when I will deliver! ***

I will be taking an updated picture on Friday to compare with my 18week picture from when I was pregnant with Arielle. I have a feeling it will be a BIG change.

Over the past few weeks, I have moved on from living on PB&J for breakfast and lunch! Other food actually tastes good and I have been eating pretty healthy. I have also gotten away from drinking a soda per day as my headaches are less and less each week now! I actually feel GOOD now. The 2nd Trimester is pretty awesome, I must say.

16 week update!

Not much happened today, other than waiting FOREVER for the doctor to come in and then hearing the heartbeat, which was 141 today.

The big day to find out the sex of the baby is August 19th, so exactly 4 weeks from today. I am so excited!

I have set up a Baby Poll game where you can guess the gender, birth weight and the date you think I will deliver. Click on the link below and it will take you right to it! If it doesn’t take you straight there, go to www.expectnet.com and enter RainesBaby2 as the game name.



http://www.expectnet.com/games/RainesBaby2

Arghh

Well, I will be “officially” out of non-maternity clothes after today… I was able to wear this one pair of black pants, but today they are feeling a bit too tight… I have to do the rubber band trick! LOL. Dang, looks like I will be in the market for some black maternity pants now.


I am really not looking forward to when I am over 30 weeks pregnant---if I am already sticking out this much now, how bad will it be then? Arghh. Oh well, I need to stop complaining. Pregnancy is a beautiful thing and I am helping to bring a new life in to this world, which I am very fortunate for. I can sacrifice my body and comfort for another 6 months…

I go back to the doctor on Friday for blood work and then hopefully I can set up my anatomy scan to find out if we are having a boy or girl! I am so excited and can’t wait to find out!

Comparison of sorts

This is my first time doing a side by side picture, so it didn’t come out the best, but it will have to do for now : )

Ok, picture on left is at 15 weeks in my pregnancy with Arielle and the picture on the right is my current pregnancy at 14.5 weeks… YIKES!!!

Baby UPDATE- 14 weeks

I just got back from my doctor’s appointment. Right after I got there, they announced that my doctor had to go downstairs for a delivery and would be back in 15 minutes or so… and she was! That was quick!


Blood pressure was perfect 120/70 and I LOST 2lbs! I have no clue how I lost weight, but she was not concerned, so neither am I. I about freaked out when she was looking for the heartbeat… she could not find it for what seemed like FOREVER, but I’m sure it was only 30 seconds or so… She finally found it on the other side and the baby’s heartbeat was 144. My results from the NT Scan last week were normal, so that is great! I go back in 2 weeks to have blood work done to check for spina bifida.

I also asked her about my headaches and drinking a can of soda to get rid of them and she said that was perfectly fine. Doctor approval= one happy camper! : )

I will try to take an updated belly pic this weekend, but the comparisons between the 2 pregnancies will not come until about 16 weeks.

Well, Happy Friday! Have a fun-filled weekend!

I'm alive

Ok, I am so bad at updating this… Work has been super busy since the layoffs and I am just slacking.. Sorry!


Anywho, I have had NO morning sickness in the past week, which is such a blessing!! BUT, now I am dealing with headaches almost every day, with migraines coming at least twice per week for the past 3 weeks. The only thing that helps the headaches is 2 Tylenol AND a soda… Bad I know, but I cannot function at work with a raging headache. And the only thing that has helped a migraine is REST! How do I keep up with work- or a 2 year old for that matter- with these headaches and migraines? I feel like I am just whining… I mean, women go through pregnancy ALL the time, yet I am the one complaining… and I am only 14 weeks tomorrow. Ugh, ok enough complaining…

I have a routine doctor’s appointment tomorrow at lunch time and I should get the results from my NT scan and hear the baby’s heartbeat again! : ) I am going to ask the doctor what she recommends for these headaches.

I hope everyone is doing well! I will report the results tomorrow or over the weekend!

NT Scan

Ok, so I had my NT Scan on Monday, but no news yet. I’m sure I will get the results at my next doctor’s appointment on July 8th, so I won’t have to wait too long. I’m not really worried about it anyways.


Here are a couple of ultrasound pictures from today’s scan:

Here is an OK profile picture of the baby @ 12w3d

the baby is waving in this one!

TGIF!!!

Well, I'm happy to report I have not had much sickness this week! Hooray for me! I have, however, been extremely sleepy but I know that is to be expected, especially with a toddler running around.

Monday I have my NT scan in the afternoon and I will get to see the baby again :)

Well, this was just a quick update to let you know I'm hanging in there! Now, back to work... although I could really use a nap right now :)

When did THIS happen?

Holy cow, look at this belly already!!! Yikes! this was what 16 weeks looked like when I was preggo with Arielle…. and I am only a little over 11 weeks with this one!!!!

Learned something new today!

I have been having trouble figuring out how much water I am drinking. I never measured the cup I was drinking out of and it’s so big, it seems unattainable to drink the entire cup… Well, I brought a bottled water today and finally I am seeing how much water I am actually drinking. I thought I wasn’t getting enough, when in actuality, I am which is wonderful and such a relief! I have already drank a bottle of what since getting her 15 minutes ago and I’m not even trying!


I have been eating fruits every day, but probably need to be eating more veggies… they just aren’t that appetizing at the moment…

I have slacked off with walking everyday and want to get started again, just don’t want to go by myself. My walking partner is no longer here at work : (. I keep telling myself I will go in the evening with Arielle, but I am just so exhausted when I get home that all I do is sit down… Plus, it is just so darn hot outside now!!! Dang you Texas heat!

Anyways, I am feeling pretty good these days, just tired and getting occasional migraines. I just have to keep pushing through.

UPDATE: I have a Peanut!

The doctor appointment went well today. The doctor really wasn’t concerned about the small subchorionic bleed at all. She said it is pretty normal as long as I don’t start bleeding and will dissolve on its own.


Baby is measuring 9w5d so new due date is January 6th! Geez that seems like FOREVER AWAY!!! But, if memory serves me correctly, it sneaks up pretty quickly the last couple months…

Anyways, I just wanted to say thank you for your thoughts and prayers through this entire ordeal!

I have never referred to a baby as a “peanut” before, but I just can’t help myself this time… this baby looks like a peanut in this picture!

Emergency Room experience

Well, I woke up Friday morning with a horrible left side abdominal pain, but thought it was either dehydration or gas pains so I just drank a ton of water and took some tums. I went to work for a couple hours and then came home and rested. It was bearable and I thought it would get better so I didn't do anything else but rest.

Well, Saturday we had a birthday party to go to for Arielle's "boyfriend" Tyler, so I toughed it out and went. Here is a picture of Arielle and Tyler dancing:

We came home and took a nap and when I woke up and rolled over the pain was so sharp I was in tears.

I dropped Arielle off with my parents and off I went to the ER! I waited for an hour and a half in the waiting room before going back, which I thought was a bit ridiculous since I am pregnant and having abdominal pains! When I got to the room, I could not even move an inch in my chair without a sharp pain forming, leaving me in tears. The nurse came in shortly after and took all my information and then they started my bloodwork. Check out my battle wound : (

that vein collapsed shortly after the bloodwork was done, so they tried for an IV in that hand and THAT vein collapsed. So, they ended up getting the IV in the right hand, then NEVER used it... Frustrating, Let me tell you!

I was switched to another room and taken to get an ultrasound right after that. They did over the belly and vaginal ultrasound and I was on pins and needles waiting to find out if the baby was OK or not... About an HOUR after that, the doctor finally came back in to tell me that the baby is great, measuring 9w1d and heart rate was 180 beats per minute. That was such a relief! Now, on to the fun part: I have a small UTI and a "very small subchorionic bleed".

What is a subchorionic bleed? I had the same question, so this is what my friends at Google had to say- LOL
"Also called subchorionic hematoma, subchorionic bleeding is the accumulation of blood within the folds of the chorion (the outer fetal membrane, next to the placenta) or within the layers of the placenta itself. These bleeds, or clots, can cause the placenta to separate from the uterine wall if they get too large, if they develop in a bad spot, or if they aren’t eventually reabsorbed." Thankfully, I have not had any spotting or bleeding!

So, of course I am worrying now, but there is absolutely nothing I can do. I was sent home with a prescription for my UTI and told to follow up with my doctor. I go back to the doctor tomorrow afternoon and I will update afterwards.

So, for now it's just a waiting game of resting, drinking LOTs of water, and working.

They say the bleed will more than likely dissolve on its own, so that is what I am hoping for. Weird thing is, the pain started lessening right after the ultrasound, so it's like they "moved" stuff around- LOL. The doctor also said that some of the pain could also be muscular and stretching early in the pregnancy.. I don't know- it's never hurt that bad before, but I am thankful that the pain is almost gone now.

One thing I can definitely say is that every pregnancy is MUCH different! I had NO complications with Arielle, just the usual aches and pains and I have already had issues with this one... I hope this is the end of the complications and I can enjoy my last 31 weeks!

Sorry it's been so long...

Sorry I haven't checked in for over a week : ( The end of the month is always crazy for me at work!

I have been feeling MUCH better, only really feeling sick when I've waited too long to eat. I still have my moments every couple days, but for the most part, I am better.

I have been doing really well eating wise too! I have been eating lots of fruits and veggies. Strawberries and blackberries are my favorites right now. So, I have made a healthier snack choice rather than going to the vending machine and it is much more satisfying too- YAY ME! lol


On to exercising... not doing as well as I would have liked to. I am still walking at work at least once per day, but have not really been walking or doing much at home in the evenings. I stretch sometimes- when I actually remember though.


Opinions needed- When should I start taking belly pictures? I think I started at 16 weeks with Arielle because that is when I started showing, but I have a feeling it will be sooner with this pregnancy... What are your thoughts?



Time to get ready for bed, but I will check in again soon I promise! Have a wonderful evening.

How many days?

I added a ticker to my page counting down the days til baby gets here... YIKES 229 more days? I don't know if I want to be looking at that number everyday until it gets a LOT lower! ha ha.

Anywho, I am feeling a little better. Some of the sickness has tapered off and that is helping a lot. It's still there, just not as bad...

For breakfast, I had peanut butter toast with a banana and Orange Mango juice. Yummy!
Lunch was Leftovers and strawberries! : ) Strawberries taste SOOOOOOOOOOOO good now!
I had blackberries last night and they were excellent! I have not eaten them in so long, I forgot how good they are!

I have been walking every day and stretching every evening. Today has been a clumsy day though, I have tripped over my own feet 4 times already. I'm either really tired, or really clumsy!

Overall, I am feeling pretty good though.

6w5d

All went well at the doctor today!!! The baby is measuring 6w5d, so my due date is 1/8/12!!! Holy cow that seems so far away! I saw the baby’s heartbeat, so all is well for now.


I go back in 4 weeks for a check up and then on June 27th for the Nuchal Translucency scan to check for down’s syndrome.

Here is the picture of the baby:

Hard to believe that little thing is making me feel so yucky!

Nervous...

Doctor’s appointment tomorrow and I am getting nervous. I really hope everything has progressed as planned and I get to see the baby’s heartbeat. I will feel some relief once I see that heartbeat! My appointment is at 11:30am, so if you get a chance and remember, please be thinking good vibes during that time!



Thank you and I will update tomorrow afternoon!

Happy Hump Day!

I am so glad it is Wednesday!! Only 2 more days until my doctor's appointment to see the baby's heartbeat! Continue praying all goes well and that I will get my estimated due date! : )

Peanut Butter & Jelly sandwiches have become my lunch time staple... BUT, today I added in Cheetos (not healthy, I know, but SO good) And, NO it is not a pregnancy craving... I actually love this any time, LOL!

I am still having the afternoon nauseau and tiredness, but I am making it through alright. I just feel blah...

"Morning" sickness

Not so much “morning”, but YES. I have been lucky so far and I have not actually thrown up, but whoa the nausea! I am usually fine in the morning, but right after lunch I start feeling very yucky… extremely tired, nauseous and a little dizzy.


It is really hard to eat healthy when you feel so sick… I don’t WANT to eat, period! This morning, however, I ate 2 pieces of peanut butter toast with banana slices. That actually kept me filled until lunch time, where I had 2 pb&j sandwiches… It is the only thing that sounds appetizing! Yikes!

I plan on getting my walks in at work this week- I slacked off last week, but need to get on track again. I have been stretching almost every day though.

Arielle was really sweet yesterday- I told her that Mommy wasn’t feeling good, so she kissed me, put her hands on her hips and said “ALL better now!” It was just too sweet.

Call from the nurse

Man, this was the fastest lab results I have ever received from a doctor! My nurse called me this morning to let me know that my lab results came back today.


I was expecting to hear that everything came back normal…which was not the case. My progesterone levels are low so they called me in a prescription to supplement my levels.

I guess I was just extremely blessed and lucky to have not had ANY complications during my first pregnancy, so this is new territory for me. I know everything will be fine, but I can’t help but worry still. This wasn’t a planned pregnancy by any means, but we are getting excited about it and I don’t want to be let down. It is in God’s hands now.

So, I will be picking up my prescription this evening and starting the supplement tonight.

Just yesterday, I started having food aversion and nausea. I notice that the nausea comes when I become hungry. I am also dizzy at times and of course very tired. So, I guess that is a good sign that I am having some symptoms…

I tell you one thing though, I could LIVE on pb&j sandwiches if I could right now!! Don’t worry, I’m not… I am getting fruits and veggies in there too. : )

Well, I go back to the doctor next Friday for another ultrasound and probably more blood work to check my levels again. Until then, I will keep stretching, walking, and eating healthy. I still can’t give up sweet tea though, although I have switched to decaf…

Changes are coming!

Ok, sorry for the absence this week....

There are some changes coming to my blog!!!

I got some surprising news last week and didn't want to say anything until I went to the doctor... I AM PREGNANT!!! If you work with me, please do NOT mention any of this to anyone else at work!!! I am not ready to tell work yet. THANK YOU!

I went to the doctor today and I am 5 weeks along. I thought I was 7 weeks, but my periods were a bit irregular, so my ovulation was a couple weeks off. I go back to the doctor in 2 weeks and I should be able to see the heartbeat! Today, we were only able to see the sac. (that's what the black circle is)

So, the blog will be changing- It will become a "Healthy Pregnancy" blog instead of weight loss journey! My goal is to be very healthy with this pregnancy. I plan to eat good foods and do light exercises and lots of walking and stretching.

I only gained 22lbs with my pregnancy with Arielle and I don't want to gain much more with this one.

Well, I hope you will join me in this new journey! It looks like my due date will be at the very beginning of January, but I will find out in 2 weeks!

So close to Friday!

I forgot to mention that I have set my goal lower this time- only 11lbs to get to the 200lb mark! Once I make it to that goal, I will redesign the page again and set another 10lbs goal! I think that will make it feel like like less of a journey and more attainable!

I have continued to eat well the past few days and I am confident that I can do it this time!! For lunches next week, I think I will either bring salad stuff or sandwich stuff along with fresh fruits! I have been eating Lean Cuisines and they are getting old...

On another note, I am so ready for the weekend!!!! I don't have anything planned other than church on Sunday, but I just want to have some down time...

Great start!

I am down .4lbs, but better yet, I FEEL great! I stretched last night and then did some hand weight exercises before bed. I was only going to stretch, but I was feeling good, so I went and got my hand weights and did those. I woke up feeling great and I was not nearly as tired as I have been. Even though it wasn’t a hard core workout, I am proud of myself for at least doing SOMETHING!


One thing I am still struggling with is my water intake. For some reason, I am not getting more than 40oz each day this week. It’s not that I don’t like the taste of water, I have been away from my desk a lot doing other work and I guess I let it slip my mind to drink more. I am hoping to get back on track with water very soon!

Now, it is the afternoon and I am starting to get sleepy. I’m sure my 3 o’clock walk around the building will help wake me up : ).

A FRESH START

Yesterday was a rough day, but I received a tremendous amount of support and advice from all of you. Thank you dearly for that!!

Taking the advice from an old friend, I am starting fresh as of today! My goal is still the same- to lose the weight and become healthier! It is a lifestyle change, not just weight loss and I need to continually remind myself of this.I felt like a failure before because my weight kept going back and forth! Since I am starting fresh, I decided to redesign my blog- what do you think?

I will start slowly and work my way up to working out every day. Baby steps- starting with taking Arielle for a walk each evening after dinner. We will both get some fresh air, and I will get some extra exercise. I will walk at least once a day around our building at work, which will also add to my exercise. I also need to up my water intake as I have been lacking in that department lately. More fresh fruit and veggies are on my list to eat more of too! Baby steps though...

I want to thank each of you for following my journey and being so supportive. It is because of you that I am not giving up! And, I NEED to get healthy so I can live longer and be more active with Arielle!

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!!

Ready to give up on the whole dang thing

I hate weekends! I CANNOT stick with anything on the weekend. It freaking sucks. I am so close to just giving up on this whole thing. I do pretty well during the week and then the weekend comes and I gain it all back. GRRR. I should know by now that this happens and not do it, but I guess I haven’t learned yet.


I guess my problem is that the weight is coming off so slow and it just gets frustrating….But, if it comes off too fast, it comes back too fast also! I am doing this the safe way, but I am still so frustrated with myself. I can’t believe I let myself get this BIG. I am so disgusted. UGH, I guess I am just having a “feel sorry for yourself” kind of day.

Happy "Friday"

I am so glad this work week is almost over! Man, has it been stressful!


I did lose 4.4lbs since Monday though- I thought I hadn’t lost anything, but I had forgotten my “start at” number for the week… So, Yippee!!! I’m glad that I lost weight, even though I only worked out 1 day thus far…. I should be able to get a work out in tomorrow while I am home with Arielle. She thinks it’s funny to watch Mommy exercise! LOL. Sometimes she even tries the moves with me : ) and other times she just screams for me to stop so we can play- ha ha.

I drank about 50oz of water again yesterday and I hope to up it today… I am cutting out my lunch soda, so that should help quite a bit.

so sleepy!

So, I still haven't caught up on sleep from the vacation and all that driving! I DID wake up to workout this morning, but only made it through 10 minutes before I decided to go lay back down! Ugh, it was such an inner battle, but I gave in... Maybe I will feel up to doing the other 20 minutes this evening. I sure hope so- I want to see that scale go down!!

So, today begins the grueling end of the month for me at work. So, I may disappear for a couple days to get all my work done.

I came close to my goal yesterday- I had 50oz of water instead of the 64oz I had originally wanted. Today, I am really thirsty for some reason, so I am sure I won't have an issue reaching it today!

Goal for tomorrow since I have already ruined it for today: NO sodas! I had 1 yesterday and 1 with my lunch today. I know if I completely cut those out, I can lose more weight and my tummy won't feel as bloated.

Back on Track!

Yes, I stuck with it yesterday and I am back on track for sure. I ate really well and controlled my portion sizes. I woke up early this morning and worked out and I feel great! I hope I can keep that up- it is just so hard to get motivated to work out after Arielle goes to sleep at night, so I figured I would do it before my morning shower.


My goal today- drink AT LEAST 64oz of water.

Back from vacation

Yup, back from vacation...i ate HORRIBLY last week while I was gone and gained almost 5lbs!!! YIKES!

I have done pretty well getting back on track today though. I did, however, have a chicken biscuit for breakfast though... I have been drinking water and I had some iced tea with sweet n low at lunch. We had fajitas catered for lunch today, but I did really well! I had chicken, black beans, guacamole and salsa! No chips, tortillas or rice! : ) I feel proud of myself for exercising restraint and only eating the better options.

I bought some Muscle Milk light protein shakes last night and had one this morning for my "snack". It was actually pretty good! It has 15g of protein and only 100 calories. I think I will drink 2 of those per day. I am going to try a few different shakes this week to see which I like the best and then stick with those.

I will start my work out dvd again tonight, even if I am exhausted! LONG road trips will definitely make you tired, but I need to suck it up and get back on track!

I know I can do this, and now I have the right mindset again!!!

Happy Friday!!!

So, it's the last work day before my week long vacation!!! WOO HOO!!! I think I'm already in vacation mode though because I have not stuck to my diet this week... I was doing really well up until yesterday when I broke down and had a burger meal from Burger King...

Need some suggestions: while on an 18 hour road trip- HOW can you stick to a diet and eat somewhat healthy? I will bring bottled water instead of soda, but what sort of snacks can I bring? I'm also thinking of grabbing some protein shakes to help me from craving the bad foods :)

Well, I hope everyone has a wonderful Friday and a wonderful week next week!!! Talk to y'all when I get back!!!

FINALLY!!!

Yes, I finally broke through 208!!! I am down to 207.6 today!! For some reason, it just seems like more of an accomplishment being 207, rather than 208. Weird, I know.


One thing that I am really struggling with though, is working out! I cannot seem to get myself motivated to start working out again! I was doing so well and then I don’t know what happened- I got lazy I guess.

How do you motivate yourself to work-out? I know it shouldn’t be THIS hard to get myself going, but it is for some reason…

On another note, I have started wearing makeup again and I think it’s really going to help my self- confidence. I felt great this morning after putting it on. It’s amazing how something so simple can help so much…

A Test

I had a good weekend, with the exception of NOT drinking any water. OOPS. I drank mostly sweet tea- at least it wasn’t Dr Peppers this time… I maintained my weight so I am happy with that.


Now on to “The Test”. I had the opportunity to get Whataburger for lunch, but after my inward struggle, I passed it up!! WOO HOO!!! That was a tough one, but I knew it wouldn’t be worth it so I stayed in t he car so I wouldn’t tempt myself further… It felt great to pass it up. Now if I could just do that every time…

good day

Started fresh today and I have been doing really well. I had chicken salad and grapes for lunch and have been drinking lots of water! I am just so ready to see that scale go down… ugh. This is HARD!!!


I also started taking vitamins today and I hope they help with my cravings and fatigue. Now if I could only get back on the workout train I would be good…

10 days until my vacation!! WOO HOO!!!

Being Honest

So I have fallen off the wagon so to speak. I have been eating horribly! I have been drinking some water, but not as much as I should.


Here is what I have been eating and drinking over the last few days or so:

McDonald’s chicken biscuits
Dr Peppers

BIG cabana bowl with refried beans, rice, steak fajita, and guacamole- very yummy and one of my weaknesses

I had 2 reese’s cups yesterday

Taco bell bean burrito


OUCH! I know it’s been a stressful week, but I should be able to control myself better. I also have not been working out and I know that is contributing to my gaining 2 lbs back. UGH.

So, is this my “start over” day? Yes, I think it is! I am going on my lunch break to buy grapes for snacks and lean cuisines! That should keep me on track at work. Now, If I could just stay away from the dr. peppers!

Totally not feeling this...

I cannot shake this laziness and just BLAH mood... I don't "feel" like dieting or working out, although I know that is the only thing that will get me to my goal. I can tell myself this all day and it will still not make a difference. I am so frustrated with myself.

I have done well today though, so I guess that is one good thing. I have drank 3 glasses of water at least and Ihad a lean cuisine for lunch, although I'm still hungry! Good thing I don't have any unhealthy snacks lying around..

How do I get out of this FUNK?

Stressful days are killer for my lifestyle change!

Yesterday was a BAD day, stress wise. Work is really getting to me this week and yesterday was my breaking point. I had a panic attack and all I wanted to do was LEAVE. I didn't, but somehow I finally calmed down.

When I get upset or stressed, I want to EAT- and not healthy options either....I wanted chocolate and sodas and anything else that may comfort me. Man, what a day. I did refrain though. It was hard, but I know it wasn't worth it. I was too busy at work either to really eat like that, so that helped.

Do you have any suggestions on how to handle stress? I have always been a stress eater and it's creeping up on me again.

I really hope today goes better than yesterday. I mean, it's FRIDAY- it's got to be better, right????

It's beginning to feel a LOT like spring/summer!

Wow, it has been so beautiful lately!!! Only bad thing about that is it is getting really warm on my walks around the building at work. I don't want to come back in to work smelling, ya know? So, when it starts getting even hotter, do I continue my walking? I feel great after my walk and more energized, so I just don't know what to do.

I did a mini workout without the DVD last night- just moves from my memory and it felt pretty good. I should have done more though. I am not losing weight, I am staying the same which is OK.

I haven't figure out dinner yet, but for breakfast I am eating graham crackers and natural peanut butter, and for lunch I will have a lean cuisine. I plan on drinking nothing but water today, including at dinner!

Back on track...

Yes, I am back on track and ready to get this weight off! I have 19 days until I leave for my vacation, and still want to lose 8lbs… Is it possible? I believe so if I work my butt off and continue eating well!


I am really enjoying the Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism DVD I have. It is a hard workout, but I can feel it working and I love that.

My weakness this past week- DR PEPPER… I don’t know why, but I just can’t seem to give it up… I am still drinking water- at least 4 glasses a day, which is better than nothing.

I have a good start going for my day: smart ones breakfast croissant and water for breakfast, I plan to have a lean cuisine for lunch and probably chicken fajitas for dinner… Not too bad.

sticking with it...

I don’t know why I can’t suck it up and workout everyday! I worked out last night and the natural high afterwards is so awesome! Yes, it was a tough workout, but once I was finished, I felt so proud and actually more energized.


One thing that kept me going last night as well (thank you, Christina) was thinking “swimsuit, swimsuit, swimsuit” when it got really tough and I wanted to quit… It definitely kept me going at it!

I made the mistake of waking up STARVING and not having any breakfast food at home… so I stopped by McDonald’s for breakfast… not a good decision, but at least I have all day to work it off.

Here is my inspiration: I took her to the park yesterday after dinner and the look of pure joy makes me want to be more in shape so I can continue doing things with her!

Sluggish

I have felt very sluggish today, so I am just now getting around to posting. My back is feeling a bit better today, which is good. I still don’t feel like working out. Not to be gross, but how do you make yourself workout when it’s “that time of the month?” I just don’t feel like doing anything except laying down and sleeping. If I didn’t have to work, I’m sure I would stay in bed all day during this lovely week.


I have, however, eaten healthy so far this week. Hopefully that will be enough to maintain and possibly lose some weight this week.

Exercise suggestions?

It seems I somehow injured my back yesterday because it started KILLING me last night…. Are there any exercises that I can do that will not impact my back? I want to be able to do something until it gets better, but don’t have a clue as to what I will be able to do. Any suggestions?


I did horrible eating wise this weekend. For some reason, I just can’t stay on track throughout the weekend. It is so frustrating that I lose all willpower… How do you keep yourself on track throughout the weekend?

I am back on track this morning with a great mindset and have already started drinking my water for the day, so that is one positive note to this morning’s post…

Well, back to answering work emails from the weekend! Have a wonderful day.

UGH

Not doing so well on my eating… I had a LOT of pizza last night, what was I thinking???? I also have not drank any water whatsoever today…


This is supposed to be a lifestyle change and I seem to be going backwards… I do not want to start gaining any weight back, but I just can’t seem to get back in my groove.

Any tips? I’m so frustrated with myself right now…

Busy, Busy day today! I had a meeting for most of the morning and just got finished with my lean cuisine lunch- yummmy!

I stayed the same weight today, and that is GREAT!!! i put on a size smaller pants today- the ones I wanted to lose a couple more pounds first- and they fit and look pretty good. I'm really self conscious that they are too tight, but I guess they aren't... I hope they become loose really soon : )

I wanted to check in really quick- off to eat my Smart Ones dessert now!

Doing better

Well, I stayed on track for most of yesterday- AND I worked out! It was such an inner battle getting myself to work out last night. I finally just made myself get up and do it!


It paid off because I lost another .4lbs. I LOVE seeing the scale go down! I’m getting really excited knowing how close I am to being under 200lbs again- only 9.2lbs to go! I know I can do that.

I am looking forward to taking Arielle swimming and not being ashamed of how I look in a bathing suit. She absolutely loves being in the water and I don’t want to hold her back by any means due to my insecurities about my body.

Off the wagon...

Yup, I had Burger King AND McDonald’s yesterday… I don’t know what was wrong with me- I was craving a burger and fries so bad! I feel like I can get back on track today though.


Weird thing is, I somehow lost another .8lbs yesterday with eating all of that… I almost wanted to see the scale go up to punish myself for eating badly.

It is one of those dreary days where you just want to stay in bed all day and I know that will make it so much harder for me to get motivated to work out tonight. I just need to suck it up…

Weekend recap- relaxing weekend, did not work out, but I ate pretty good. I should have worked out, but I still lost .8 lbs over the weekend without the workout.


And, I was craving a burger today, so I got a whopper jr and fries for lunch…. extra workout time for me tonight for sure! Something I noticed: I feel very sluggish after eating the burger and fries…. My body is not used to eating like that anymore and it shows. Hopefully I will remember that the next time I have one of these cravings.

Positive notes:

- I am drinking LOTS of water every day.

- I am walking for 30 minutes daily during the week at work

- I can see the change in my body shape and I’m loving it!

A Natural High

Yes, I am on a natural high- from working out! I have always heard that you can feel this much of a high after working out, but had never experienced it until last night. Yes, I was worn out from the killer workout, but I was so proud and I just felt GOOD.


I did the same amount of time on the dvd, and I think I may be ready to do a little bit more tonight. I am starting to feel stronger and as if I am gaining more stamina.

My goals for this weekend: continue with my workouts and drink nothing but water!

What a Workout!

I tried the “Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism” Jillian Michaels dvd and it was killer! I did one set of each circuit to start off with. That is half of the entire workout, but I was able to do all of the moves with little variations. I have not sweated that much in so long. I felt so great afterwards, as I always do after a workout. I plan on doing the same thing tonight.


Although I felt wonderful last night and very proud, I just don’t understand why I’m not losing weight. I am staying the same, which is much better than gaining, but I am not losing. I hope with this new workout, I can burn more fat and start losing again. I hate coming to a plateau!

Thank you all so much for your support and encouragement- it helps more than you know! It keeps me going each day because I want to have good reports when I post an entry : )

HELP!!

So, I feel like I have lost my willpower… Last night at the rodeo I had a chili-cheese dog AND a strawberry margarita….oops! Granted, before this diet I would have eaten 2 hot dogs, so that is better portion control, but still.


I NEED to get back on track so I can start losing weight instead of staying the same. I was afraid to weigh in this morning, but I did and surprisingly I stayed the same weight. I need to start losing weight in order to meet my new goal and I am just losing my drive and willpower.

HELP please!

Rough night makes for a very tired Momma

We had some issues with Arielle that made for a really rough night… So, needless to say, I am extra sleepy today!


I did, however, work out last night! I did the 30 day shred workout. I am also walking for 30 minutes around our office building each day, so that gives me extra exercise and gets me up from my desk twice a day. I am going to the rodeo tonight, so there will not be a workout when I get home. I will be doing plenty of walking though.

I am down .2lbs from what I had gained over the weekend.

I have a new goal on top of my bigger goal: we are going to visit Jimmy’s mother in 6 weeks and I want to be down to 200 by then. I am currently 211.6. I believe that is a feasible goal. So, what this means to me is working out every day without any excuses! I know if I do that and eat healthy, I can achieve this goal!

Beautiful weekend

Another busy, but great weekend! Saturday morning, we went to the Katy Rodeo parade and it was lots of fun! It was much longer than I remember from when I was a kid….but, Arielle and her cousins had a lot of fun seeing horses, dancers, and of course tractors!!! Plus, getting candy was exciting for them as well.


I gave in and had my first real “cheat” day on Saturday, complete with a greasy burger, onion rings, and a dr pepper. And then, I had pancakes for dinner! I did gain .6lbs back though…oops. I will tell you this- it was worth it! I got that out of my system and got back on track yesterday.

Arielle and I walked to the park yesterday morning and then I let her play for about an hour and of course she took my hand and led me to every part of the park- it was too cute! Then, we walked to the softball fields after her nap and watched softball practice. She really enjoyed that. And finally, we cleaned the kitchen and living room while dinner cooked. I LOVE the feeling of a clean house!

I must admit, I did NOT work out this weekend, but I felt I got in a lot of “light” exercise with all of the walking I did. I better get back to the circuit workouts with Jillian Michaels today!

Looking forward to a great week- I get to go to the Houston rodeo to see Clay Walker tomorrow night!

Forgot to add...

I tried on a size 18 pants yesterday and THEY FIT!!! They fit a little too tight for my taste, so I will wait a couple more pounds until they feel right to wear them. I am just excited that they fit without any fight getting them up and buttoned!! WOO HOO!!!

Too sleepy to think of a title...

Ugh- another chicken biscuit this morning… I need to go to the store and stock up on breakfast food for here at the office so I don’t have that temptation to stop on the way to work.


On a positive note, I am down .6lbs! I love seeing the scale go down! It definitely motivates me to keep with this because I am seeing results. I know I can’t lose every day though.

I did not work out last night- I was having some stomach issues and didn’t feel very good. I feel better today, so I plan on starting the 30 day shred back up again tonight. I bought a new Jillian Michael’s DVD off of Amazon yesterday, so hopefully I will get that soon so I can alternate between the two in order to keep my work out varied.

Ok, I need good ideas for dinner tonight- I have boneless chicken breasts to cook, but want a quick and easy recipe if you have one. Any ideas? I have printed a few from lowfatlifestyle.com but wanted to see if any of you had other suggestions.

Thanks!

Rough start

Ooops, instead of pressing Snooze, I pressed Dismiss on my alarm this morning! Yikes- I woke up an hour late! So, I rushed to get myself and Arielle ready and we were out the door in 20 minutes! And, I was only 15 minutes late to work so I am taking a short lunch break. Ugh, what a way to start the morning. I hate feeling frazzled in the morning and then my mind is all cloudy once I get to work.

I have worked all of that out now and I am on the right track and focusing better. Thank goodness, that could have been a disaster.

I did, however, have a weak moment on the way to work... I stopped by McDonald's an dgot a chicken biscuit which I'm sure is loaded with fat- I'm too scared to look. That's OK, i just had a Smart ones meal for lunch and have been drinking only water, so I am staying on track for the rest of the day.

I would like to say one thing I am very proud of myself for: as you know, I am a stress eater... Well, the end of the month is always really stressful for me at work, but I have fought my cravings and stress eating habits and have reached for healthier options and water, instead of the chocolate and soda I used to reach for. That is a huge step for me in this new healthy lifestyle. It is amazing what you can do if you put your mind to it!!!

LONG but great weekend!

Wow, coming back to work after a 3 day weekend is always hard. Today I feel like I got punched in the face as soon as I waslked in the door! That's alright, I have been going non-stop this morning and I know the rest of my day will be the same. At least I won't just be sitting at my desk all day.

This weekend was great, but very busy! I took Arielle to the zoo yesterday for the first time and she had such an awesome time! She was completely mesmerized by the monkeys- that had to have been her favorite part!

I think she could have sat there all day long.

I stayed the same weight all weekend, but I am still down 10.2lbs! What an awesome feeling!

This is a short entry because I need to get back to my hectic work day! 

TIME FOR UPDATED PICTURES!!!

As of this morning, I am down 10.2LBS!!! Woo Hoo!!!
So, time to compare pictures:

 

 Before 222lbs                        Updated 211.8lbs

OMG- look how looks those pants are on the after pictures!! How exciting to see the results!!! 

Body Wrap Experience

The body wrap was amazing! Basically what it was is Ace bandages soaked in their special solution and I was wrapped like a mummy! It looked really goofy, but, Hey, it worked! I was really self conscious going in there because my Wrap Specialist was a Teeny, Tiny girl with virtually NO FAT! ha ha. A little intimidating if you ask me.

Well, she quickly made me feel at ease and I forgot I was almost naked standing in front of her. When I was completely wrapped, we walked to this relaxation room where I got to watch The Hangover for an hour. During that time, I got the Aqua Foot Detox Bath. I didn't feel a thing, but so many toxins came out of the 3000+ pores in the bottom of my feet! It was crazy! You would have thought I was an alcoholic because she said most of the toxins were coming from my liver! Goodness, I barely drink.

When I was unwrapped, we duplicated the measurements we did before she wrapped me and then I was able to get dressed. We went to another room for the after consultation where she told me how many inches I lost in each area. Well, I lost 12 inches total and the area I had the greatest results were from my thighs! What an awesome feeling!

Now, most of you believe that this what just water weight and that I will gain those inches back soon, but you are wrong. It is from toxins leaving the body and as long as I continue drinking water, eating right and exercising, I should be able to maintain most of the inch loss. They also tell you to wear tight-fitting clothing when you can so you can "trick" your body in to thinking it is still being wrapped. The solution stays in your system for 7-10 days.

I would definitely recommend getting a wrap at some point in your life, just for the experience.

TGIF

Good Friday morning!!! I love Fridays!


The scale stayed the same as yesterday, and that is perfectly fine. I still feel GREAT! I worked out last night and I love that feeling after you finish a workout. I feel very proud and know that is is making a difference in my weight loss journey.

Oh my gosh- I tried the Smart Ones Chocolate Peanut Butter Sundae yesterday afternoon and it was WONDERFUL! It was just enough to satisfy my craving for sweets!

I have lots of exciting things going on this weekend and I can’t wait for it to start! It starts with tomorrow morning getting my body wrap and aqua foot detox. Then, tomorrow afternoon I have a 2yr birthday party at a bounce house place. Arielle is going to love it! Then on Sunday after church we take Arielle to get updated pictures at JCPenney’s! I bought two of the cutest outfits and I really hope she cooperates during the pictures!

Well, have a wonderful Friday and Fantastic Weekend!!

A change...

I’ve decided to go back to weighing every day or every other day. I feel like it motivates me more to either continue working out like I am or work out harder to achieve a higher weight loss. I weighed today and I am down .4lbs from yesterday! I did the 30 day shred last night and felt great! My chest and shoulder areas are extra sore today, but that was probably because I hadn’t worked them out in about a week!


On another exciting note, I feel that I need to move another bra clasp! That will be the tightest I can go on this bra, so after that it will be a new bra size!! : ) I think that is really exciting! Now, if only I could go down a pant size…

Weigh-In

Good morning! Well, the weigh-in was not what I hoped for, BUT much better than gaining. I dropped .6lbs this past week. Only 2.2 lbs to go before an updated picture!


I didn’t work-out much last week because I was sick, but started back up again last night. I did the Last Chance Workout by the biggest loser, but I like the 30 day shred dvd much better. I think I will be sticking with the 30 Day Shred until I find another dvd that I like just as much.

Temptations are everywhere I turn, it’s getting frustrating. When I walked in the office today there were Brownies in the kitchen and I have to walk through the kitchen to get to my desk! I passed them up because I know it’s not worth it, but it is just so frustrating that I have so many sweet temptations surrounding me at the office.

Something to look forward to: I am getting an Express Body Wrap and aqua foot detox bath on Saturday! The areas I will focus on for the wrap are my thighs and my stomach. I hope to lose some inches! I got a really good deal on Living Social and that is why I decided to give it a try. These treatments are expensive at regular price, so this will be the only time I will be doing them.

Has anyone ever had a body wrap before? If so, how did you like it?

Weigh-in will be tomorrow

I woke up and forgot it was Tuesday, so no weigh-in results today! I hope the scale reads a 2.8 loss so i can take updated pictures and see the results for myself! It's always much different to see it in a picture, rather than in the mirror every morning.

I still have not been working out. It has been almost a week since I worked out. Yikes! Looks like I need to get back to it tonight! I'm going to try a new Biggest Loser workout video that Tess let me borrow.

That is all I have for this morning- I am extremely sleepy today...

Happy Valentine's Day!

Even though I still felt yucky this weekend, we got a lot accomplished! I woke up early on Saturday and went grocery shopping to get ingredients for the lowfatlifestyle.com recipe for King Ranch Chicken. I cooked it last night- it was so yummy!! I think next time I need to put the mixture on top of all the tortillas because the tortillas on top were too hard. Not bad for my first time though…

Saturday we didn’t go to the park as planned, but we DID go up and down the street a million times with Arielle riding her tricycle! She had a blast and it was so beautiful outside!


Yesterday, we went and bought a new front door and a new door for Arielle’s room and installed those. It didn’t take us as long as I thought it would, and it turned out great! It feels great to have a nice, new front door.

I did a good job of eating well this weekend and drinking more water than last weekend, but I still need to drink more. I did, however eat 2 sugar cookies last night…. Arielle made them for daycare so I just *had* to eat a couple- lol. She did a great job and had so much fun making them! We will have to do that more often with her.

Here’s to a great week!

Sick...

Woke up sick this morning, but still chugging along to work… gotta pay the bills!

Anyways, I did NOT work out again last night. I need to kick my butt in to gear! I know it will help me lose weight faster or at least start to tone up certain areas of my body. It also looks like it’s going to be a beautiful weekend, so I plan to go to the park with Arielle and play with her and take a long walk around the pond.


I made the shake this morning and it was ok. Better than I expected, but I think I will add some strawberries to it. I’m not used to plain banana shakes. I think adding the strawberries will add the taste I like. Any other fruits you would suggest that taste good in a shake? I’m open to any and all suggestions!

Day off

I took today off from work because I had a dr's appt. It was just a checkup, don't worry! I went to a doctor that is helping me in my weight loss journey. I saw him last year in October and on his scale I weighed 232. Today I weighed 218 on his scale!!! That is -14lbs! that was with clothes on of course and my home scale said 213.4.... Either way, I am down 14 lbs since October! I know I majorly slacked off during the holidays, so I am really only counting my weight loss since I started a little over 3 weeks ago.

He charts your height, weight, and BMI and it was really neat to see that by losing only 14lbs, I decreased 3% on my BMI! That is HUGE when you are considered obese.

He also gave me a "recipe" for a shake/smoothie he makes in the morning if he is in a hurry. I have not tried it yet, but when I do, i will let you know if it's any good...

this is the approximate recipe- add to your taste
1/2 cup raw oatmeal
1 cup rice milk or grain milk
1/2 banana or any fruit you choose
2tsp vanilla
dash of cinnamon

Well, that's all from me today : ) Have a wonderful day.

Dreary Day- best for napping!

This is one of those days that I would love to be home cuddled up in bed! It’s raining and another cold front is pushing through. I started feeling blah last night and didn’t workout- I know, excuses, excuses… I woke up feeling even worse; I hope I don’t get sick.


Temptations… this morning, we had one of our vendors bring in DONUTS- that is not nice for a girl on a diet… Ha! I refrained from the donuts though and I feel wonderful about my decision. Yes, they taste good, but those few minutes of good taste are not worth possibly ruining my diet for the day.

Three things I have been doing really well- eating wise:

- Eating on a small plate to cut my portion size

- Eating healthy snacks throughout the day so I never get over-hungry and grab for something unhealthy

- Drinking at least 8 glasses of water per day

This new lifestyle is not as hard as I had originally envisioned. Once I got started, it all fell in to place. I have printed some recipes from www.lowfatlifestyle.com and plan on going grocery shopping this weekend and trying my hand at cooking them.

Drumroll please...Week 3 weigh in

The results are in...........

-2.8lbs this week!!! WOO HOO!!

starting weight- 222 lbs
current weight- 214.8 lbs
Total Loss: 7.2 lbs

What a great feeling! Only 2.8 more to go before updated pictures!!!

My goal for this week: workout at least 5 days! So far, so good- I worked out last night.

I'm afraid I will start getting bored with my 30 day Shred DVD; any suggestions on another that I can buy so I can switch it up?

Long weekend

So, I stayed home from work on Friday because the roads were icy and there were too many accidents on the roads. I did not want to risk it. We had a long weekend, and it was very relaxing! Arielle is starting to get congested and having a little asthma, so I had to start her back on breathing treatments last night. She sounded much better this morning, thank goodness.



On to weight loss… well, I did pretty well this weekend. I drank more water than I did the previous weekend, so that was a good accomplishment. I only worked out once- last night, but I guess that is better than not working out at all, right? I felt great afterwards, which I always do. I just need to remember that feeling when I have those days when I don’t feel like working out. Hopefully knowing how I will feel afterwards will kick my butt in to gear! : ) I can’t wait until it starts warming up so I can go walk around the pond at the park!


Tomorrow is weigh in- I hope to see a big change! I feel I am doing really well and I hope that is reflected on the scale.

Day 16?

Is it day 16 already?

It was very hard making myself work out last night, but I finally managed to after Arielle was in bed. I felt great afterwards, of course! Now, last night I did not use the 30 Day Shred video as I had been because I do not want to get bored with it, so I did the moves on my own in my room. I still felt like I got a good work out in anyways.

It’s a wonderful feeling when your pants start fitting looser! I have noticed this over the past week and it is very motivating! It will be even more motivating once I can go DOWN a size in pants!! I cannot wait for that day to come!

It has been so cold here the past few days and yesterday I broke down and drank some hot chocolate and to my surprise, it was only 120 calories! So, I thought I was being bad, but in actuality it could have been much worse. So… I had another one this morning to warm me up… I wish our coffee here at work didn’t suck so bad, because that would warm me up and not be as many calories, but that’s alright.

So, yesterday I went in the fridge at work to get my leftovers from Monday and someone ate them!!! I mean, who does that?  You KNOW they are not yours, why would you do that? They are lucky I had a back up Lean Cuisine in the freezer or there might have been a nasty gram email sent out to the office…. I just don’t get some people. GRRR.

We are supposed to get SNOW today!!! Yes, in Texas! I sure hope I get home before it starts snowing- or at least sticking to the ground- because I have NO clue how to drive in snow that sticks to the ground.  It’s pretty and all, but I want to be home in my jammies cuddled up with my little girl…

Another Day

Yesterday was a good day. I feel like I ate really well and I drank nothing but water ALL day! I didn’t even have my tea for dinner or my morning coffee.

I also worked out last night and felt great afterwards! I always feel good after working out, it’s just sometimes hard to get myself motivated to go do it… Take today, for instance. It is 24 degrees outside and all I want to do when I get home is change in to my flannel pants and long sleeve shirt and cuddle on the couch with a blanket…  It will be hard to make myself work out tonight. I just have to keep my eye on the “prize” so to speak.

Let me propose a question: When you put crystal light in to your water bottle, does it count towards your daily water consumption? I have always had that question. Does anyone know?

One more question for the day: What do you do with your toddler to let them get some energy out when it is freezing outside and you are stuck inside? I feel like Arielle has all of this built up energy and is acting out the past few evenings because she can’t go outside to play and let the energy out. Thanks in advance!!

Brace yourself for winter weather!

Well, weigh-in today was not what I was hoping for, but that's OK. I stayed the same, which is definitely better than gaining. I'm still proud of how far I've come, and I'm still going to reach my goal!

Sometimes it's hard to stay positive when you don't see the results you want, but I figure if I get down on myself, I will more than likely not eat how I am supposed to and put on weight... I am a stress/depression eater so I know what happens when I let myself get down.

My new favorite lunch item- Lean Cuisine pizzas!! They are so incredibly yummy it's unreal! I was not expecting them to taste as good as they do. I also got some Kellog's Fiber Plus chocolate chip bars for snacks and they are so good.

On to the lovely weather... This morning from 6-630 the temperature dropped almost 30 degrees, tree limbs fell and rain pounded down. The drive to work was not as bad as expected and I made it safely, which is all that matters. Those of you that live up north are probably laughing at us southerners who aren't used to winter weather and basically "freak out" when we have the possibility of a hard freeze or snow. Last night I made sure our pipes were wrapped and tonight I will leave my faucets dripping. I live in an older house, so I really hope the pipes don't freeze up on us.

Well, bundle up and stay warm this week!

Exciting Weekend!

We got a puppy on Saturday!! We were told he is a St. Bernard, Huskie, Australian Shepherd mix, but he looks like a lab. LOL. He is so cute, but he will be big! We name him Bear. It took Arielle a day, but she has warmed up to him. She wanted him to lay down with her at bedtime. He did for a couple minutes, it was adorable!


Here are the best buds : )

I did ok this weekend, but I know I did not drink enough water. That will be my goal for next weekend, to drink more water. I find it so much easier to drink water at work for some reason. I made good choices on food, with the exception of Friday night’s 3 pieces of pizza… ooops. I also did not work out this weekend, but will start back up again tonight. Hopefully my weigh-in tomorrow will go well…

Weighing in...

First, I’d like to thank my sister Amber for this great suggestion. After reading my post below, she suggested that I weigh in only once a week as your weight fluctuates each day and you will see the bigger payoff if you only weigh once per week. I think she has something there.



Seeing the bigger number each week will help to motivate me and make me look forward to weighing in, rather than having it as routine every morning after my shower and maybe be disappointed and run the risk of ruining my choices for the day.


She suggested weighing in on Tuesdays, “because Mondays are bad enough already and if I don’t see what I want I don’t want to add that to Mondays”. She is exactly right.


So, I will be switching up my routine to only weigh in once per week on Tuesdays.


Amber, thank you again for the suggestion, support and loads of encouragement! I love you.

Frustration- Trying to Stay Positive

So, drinking a soda yesterday was a mistake! I GAINED .6 lbs back! What the heck? I even worked out last night. I think that since I let my guard down, for lack of better words, I did not make the right choices in foods yesterday causing me to gain weight.

So, NO MORE SODAS! That’s it! I do not need them if they are going to hinder my weight loss efforts.

I am really trying to stay positive today and focus on my eating today, but it’s really hard after seeing the scale go up!

I need to tell myself to focus on the future instead of dwelling on the past.

I hope everyone has a Fantastic Friday and a Wonderful Weekend! Let’s keep focused and have good updates on Monday! : )

9 days is not so bad...

Yup, after 9 days, I broke down and got a Dr Pepper this morning. Our coffee at work has been really gross lately and I just could NOT drink it this morning so I gave in. That’s ok, I figure I haven’t had one in 9 days and since I am drinking it first thing in the morning, I will have all day to burn the extra calories…



I finished my 30 day shred workout last night- I made it through the entire workout this time and felt great afterwards! Yes, I was tired but I was really happy with myself for accomplishing that. I just have to take it one day at a time. As long as I am seeing results, I know that will be easy. I am down another .6 lbs today- that much closer to my goal!


Oh, yesterday I bought a pizza lean cuisine hoping it was good, and it was GREAT! I couldn’t believe it; I had always heard horror stories about the frozen pizzas in the microwave, but I was pleasantly surprised! I also bought the Kroger brand Chewy Granola Bars- the peanut butter and chocolate chip kind. YUMM-O! It only has 100 calories as well! What a yummy snack. Finding good tasting meals and snacks makes it that much easier to stay on track.


Well, hi ho, hi ho, off to work I go! Have a wonderful day!

(Insert Clever Title Here)

I’m sleepy today so I couldn’t come up with a clever title, so that is what you got. Ha Ha.



Good thing is, the scale is still going down. I know one day it will stay the same, but I will not let that get me discouraged. This morning, I ate a chicken biscuit from McDonald’s and had a huge glass of water. Hopefully that didn’t set me off too badly.


I plan to go to Kroger today during lunch to stock up on some healthy snacks. I have been neglecting to snack and I know that is an important part of a healthy lifestyle so I don’t crave bad things when I am overly hungry. I know for sure that I am going to buy some avocados- I have been eating them at dinner a lot lately and they are SO good! I also plan on getting some bananas and fiber or protein bars. Any other healthy snack ideas that are easy to keep at work?

What an awesome feeling!

 So, I DID IT! I finally started working out!! I did my 30 day shred DVD from Jillian Michael's. I could only last 15 of the 20 minutes, but at least I did something! Hopefully tomorrow i can do the full 20 minutes.

I really thought that I would just go to my room and read after Arielle went to sleep like I always do, but I made myself get up and do the workout video- I was able to on Jimmy's xbox since i couldn't find the cords for the other bedroom.

I feel very proud of myself right now. It may not seem like that big of an accomplishment for most, but for me, just doing something is exciting!

My goal is to eventually be doing some form of exercise 30-45 minutes per day. 

Does anyone know if doing 15 minute intervals would be worth it, or should i do all 30-45 at one time? I have a feeling that I would be able to stick with doing smaller intervals a few times a day rather than the entire thing at once. I don't know. I'm rambling now. Guess it's time for me to wind down and go to sleep.