Tuesday, February 24, 2009

6 Month Countdown!

Next Monday, March 2nd, will be exactly 6 months since I began working out. I plan to stay on my diet really well all week, and over the weekend, and then have the big weigh in on Monday. I mentioned this to my trainer this morning, and he said it was nothing to be proud of and that I should have made more progress in 6 months. So i'm just going to try really hard this week and see what results i get on Monday.

It does not help that it is Mardi Gras today, Fat Tuesday, and I work with a couple Polocks, and they thought it was their duty to bring in Pazkis today. Real ones, not cheap ones from a grocery store. They brought 2 dozen, and there are only 14 people in this office, so there are still 1/2 dozen sitting inthe lunch room just calling to me. So I took one. I didn't eat it, it is sitting on a napkin on my desk. It has been sitting there since 8:00, so that is over 5 hours and I haven't eaten it. I want to have the satisfaction of throwing it away and of not taking a bite.

I did lick it twice though!

Thursday, February 19, 2009

The Weather is on my side Today

A few months back I had a post about how the wonderful Michigan weather was trying to keep me out of the gym, it was making me sick and causing slow traffic and keeping me from working out. Well today the weather is on my side. It is CRAPPY outside! Snowy, blowy, drizzly, cold!

I have been bringing all the fixings for a nice salad on Monday and then making salads all week from it. So today I had mixed greens, broccoli flowerettes, carrots and tuna waiting for me in the fridge. But I didn't want it. I had all those things, plus tomato for a salad for lunch Monday, then I had taco salad on Tuesday (trust me, it was healthy, I'll tell you about it in a second), then the mixed salad again yesterday, and I just didn't want it today! I wanted a sandwich, or a burger, or anything other than a salad. And I was totally ready to go out to lunch, and then I saw the weather outside! We don't have any vending machines here in our new building, but they have a few (with fresh sandwiches and frozen pizza and chips, and everything you could want) in the main building across the street. But it is so yucky out I don't even want to make the 45 second walk over there. So....I'm eating my salad, again! But I am going to bring something else for lunch tomorrow, maybe some leftovers from home, or a Lean Cuisine meal from the freezer.

OK, so let me tell you about the tacos I made for dinner on Monday. The hubby loves taco night for dinner, and I used to really do it up with rice and beans, quesidillas, chips and salsa, all the fixings and tacos too. Well, we have not had taco night since I have been trying to cook healthier, but I thought, "Why can't I just make healthy tacos?" I was on a mission!

So I told my hubby we were having taco night! I texted him during the day and reminded him that it was taco night, I really wanted to get him ramped up for it. And then he wandered into the kitchen when I was starting to cook and asked astonished "Why are you cooking a big pan of celery?!? You better not be putting celery into my tacos! No Way!" So I assured him that it would be ok and shoed him out of the kitchen. I cooked a bunch of celery, chopped up little, with sea salt and a bit of olive oil and garlic until soft. Then I added a red pepper I had diced up and cooked it until it was almost mush. Then I added the ground turkey (93/7) and browned that. Then I spiced it up with a packet of low sodium taco seasoning. In the mean time I also made a package of Spanish rice (just regular rice-a-roni kind, only Kroger brand) and added extra tomatoes and a few handfuls of frozen corn kernels. And I served it with freshly shredded low fat cheese, diced tomatoes, shredded lettuce, black olive slices, and homemade guacamole (which is just smashed avocado with spices, basically another vegetable). So the meat was at least 1/2 veggies, the rice was 1/2 veggies, and I served it with veggies, and soft shells. The hubby said it was all good, he couldn't taste the celery and didn't even know about the peppers or turkey until I told him. So Healthy Taco Night.....Success!!

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Gotta Love Those Squats!

I know, the blog has been veering off track a little lately. So It's time to whip it back into shape.

Last Tuesday we did squats. We held a weighted bar and squatted, then lifted the bar over head after we stood back up. We did a set of 15, and did 4 sets. (By we I mean myself and D who is the latest and greatest work-out buddy, she is a little older than me, maybe 15-20 years, and is really funny.) So the next day I could barely walk, my legs killed! D e-mailed me and said that she could also barely walk! So then Thursday rolls along, we are both still in a lot of discomfort. I was stretching ever time I stood up to try to 'release the lactic acid', the trainer said this would help, i don't think it did. So Thursday he makes us to Step-Ups. Of course we were both complaining, and he said leg work is the best for both of us, and we are going to be doing legs on Tuesday and Thursday from now on. And he was sympathetic about our pain, he said he was going to make us do the Step-up while holding dumbbells, but he left the dumbbells out since we were so sore. Peach, ain't he?

So yesterday we did Squats again. We both started out holding a 12 lb bar. And then instead of doing 15 reps in the second set, I did 18. I thought I could do a little better, so I pushed myself, and know what I got for a reward? He switched me out to a 15 lb bar! And he said "Now lets see you go over 15 reps with that (D had been smart and got to keep her 12 lb bar) So I did 16 reps to spite him (:P)

But the point is, my legs are not sore today. And I saw D, and her legs are not sore either. So we chalked it up to the fact that we are both so much stronger and in better shape than we were last week! We'll see what tomorrow brings!

Monday, February 16, 2009

Speacialist Doctors...Fun!

Well most importantly, the hubby is doing better. And of course being a stubborn man, since he is feeling better he has not made the appointment with the GI specialist, he plans to just act like it never happened. I'm to push for him to still make the appointment, if nothing else to make sure that whatever it was is gone and is not coming back.

I have an appointment to see a specialist of my own. Lucky me! I had my annual OB/GYN check-up and was sent for my annual mammogram (since my mother had breast cancer at a young age, and I had a lump a few years ago, which turned out to be nothing, I get to have mams every year.) Again, lucky me! Better safe than sorry. But, the Gyn decided to send me for some other blood tests also. Lets just say my system has been a little loopy and I thought it was from stress, but she thought that it may be a hormone issue, and guess what, the test came back that my thyroid levels were high. Now all I know about your thyroid is that it can have something to do with your weight and having dry skin, so maybe this has something to do with why I am working my butt off for not all that much benefit. 25 pounds in 5 months is nothing to sneeze at, but I would like to think that for the effort I am putting in I would get a little more reward back. I know that I go off my diet, but I still work out really hard, so I'll go and see what the Endocrinologist has to say.

Thursday, February 12, 2009

A Little Break.

OK, so I haven't posted for 10 days, I've been busy. I also just totally went off my diet for a whole week, and my hubby is sick, and we lost one of our beloved babysitters.

My hubby has been sick for about the last month. It started with stomach flu symptoms, and so I gave him fluids and rest and waited for it to pass. It never really passed. So he finally went to the urgent care clinic, they did blood work and it came back that is pancreas levels (I don't even know what pancreas levels are, obviously it has to do with the pancreas, but I'm not even totally sure what that does) were way off. He contacted our family doctor and she sent him for more blood tests and ultrasounds. That revealed that his liver is enlarged and is storing fat. My hubby could stand to loose some fat (So could I, I'm working on it, obviously you know this if you read this blog) but I didn't think it was anything that would be making him this sick. And anything to do with his liver scares him because his mother just passed less than 2 years ago from liver cancer. So more blood tests, and they show that he doesn't have liver cancer or hepatitis. But he was still nauseous and had horrible pain in his mid section. So yesterday he came home from work after a little bit, to try to rest. But he never felt better so he went to the ER. What do you think they did? Who guessed blood tests and an ultrasound? You get an A. That showed that his gallbladder was OK. They had him on an IV and gave him anti-nausea medicine and they couldn't do anything else for him so he came home. He's home from work today, in the same state he's been. His next step is to see a GI specialist....but other wise we wait and pray that it isn't anything too serious. The first set of ultrasounds had showed a small kidney stone, so maybe it is all from that? Pray with me that it is a little kidney stone and it will pass and my hubby will be good as new.

About the babysitter....my Aunt has been sharing sitting duty with my sister-in-law for the last 2 years. Well her hubby hurt his back a few months back. It has been getting steadily worse and now he can't work, so my Aunt finally decided that she can no longer watch my kids because she needs to get a full-time job to support her family. Totally understandable! I asked if maybe we could pay her more, that way we kept a sitter that the kids love and that I know loves my kids, but she said no. So we tried out a replacement this week, my sister-in-laws roommate, she watched the kids 1 day with the sister-in-law, and then 1 day on her own. It went well. So hopefully this will work out, at least until mid-April when they both go back to work, they have a seasonal job at a local attraction park. Then I might have to find a day-care or work something else out. My mom did tell me that my aunt told her that after I called and told my aunt I had found a possible replacement, my aunt hung up the phone and cried because she is going to miss the kids. So maybe she may watch them once a week or so when my other two sitters are working. And my mom is going to do once a week in the summer when my daughter is out of school.

So maybe you can understand why I've been a little stressed lately? And so I flew off the diet. With doctor appointments and other things that needed to get done and calls to make, dinner got pushed out of mind, and we ate take-out a few times. And with the hubby being sick, if anything sounded good to him that's what I immediately tried to get for him. So I gained a few pounds back, all my work from the Fruit Flush went.....well essentially....down the toilet. So I'm back on track this week, and trying not to worry and stress about stuff. I'm just trusting in God that it will all be worked out.

Monday, February 2, 2009

Who won the Super Bowl?

Well I'll tell you it sure wasn't me! I weighed in this morning, and it was sad, very very sad. So sad I'm not even going to tell you what it was. And I'm sure it had nothing to do with the Super bowl party I was at last night, the wings and beer mmmmmm, or the date night on Saturday with the hubby, again mmmmmm.

I had good intentions heading into the weekend, you know I did. But I did not follow through! On Saturday we dropped the kids off with grandma and were supposed to go to a restaurant. I was tired, so we ended up getting our food to go. Remember we were going to order one entree and a salad and split them both? And the hubby was on board even? Well....we went in, sat at the bar and both ordered a drink. I got an Amaretto Sour, and they mixed it in a blender and it was so frothy and creamy tasting that I sucked it right down and got another one! Then we looked at the menu and put in our order for a pasta dish and a veal dish and an appetizer of fried cauliflower (hey, at least it was a vegetable). And went home to sit on the couch, watch a movie, and chow.

Then yesterday, Super bowl Sunday, I had planned to stay home with the kidlets while the hubby went to watch the game and chow pizza with his brother. I would have had a nice salad, maybe a sandwich for dinner. Then my neighbor called and said they were having a little party and the kids and I were invited over. Hmmmm, home alone with the kids, or across the street where the kids can play with little friends and I can talk with adults? Hard decision! So instead of being home with a salad, I was at a party with a giant spread of food. I tried to be good, I diced up pears & plums & grapes & bananas and took it with us. And I got a plate of protein (ribs and hot wings) and veggies (carrots, green pepper, and cucumber) and I didn't get any dip for either. And I had one beer. And I loaded the kids up with pizza and cheese doodles and pop (milk for the baby), and had none of that myself. If I could have stopped there it would have been great, we should have headed home after the first quarter. But the dips were calling me. So I went back and got a plate with a decent scoop of each, bean dip (with cream cheese and green chilies), chili dip (covered with melted cheese), and spinach dip, and of course a big handful of scoops chips to scoop it all up. And just when I finished, she brought down the little individual cherry cheese cake cups! Ahhrrrgggg! So I had one, I fed at least 1/2 of it to my son (my daughter was busy eating a chocolate pudding cup with her friend) (and then I wondered why neither of them wanted to go to sleep once we got home?!?)

So this morning I did 30 min on the elliptical, had oatmeal with blackberrries for breakfast, fat-free yogurt for my snack, and just finished a nice salad with tomatoes and tuna and salad spray. So I guess the lesson is, If you get knocked down in the big game, you still need to go to practice the next day. Play hard! (Sorry, I'm not too swift with metaphors!)