Monday, July 25, 2011

Mamavation Monday - Yes, it's still Monday!

 Whew, what a day! All in all, I would say it was a good one but it sure was filled with some stressors. I woke up this morning, feeling a bit like the guy on the left there..like I was barely hanging on. It was early. I hadn't had enough sleep. I needed to get kids around (except they were already around and ready to go!), get the cats crated and outside to the back porch, get me around, set of the bug bombs for fleas, get in the van, drive to the ex's house...I think y'all get the point.

So why was I up this early? Totally for a kiddo. Ben (11 yr old w/ Cerebral Palsy for newcomers) had an appointment with the orthopedic surgeon this morning. We've decided that he needs to have hamstring lengthening surgery and contrary to what her nurse told us, she can't squeeze us in until something after mid-September. This didn't make his dad happy. He doesn't want him missing a week of school. So, solution? Christmas break. Yep. That's his solution. Ugh. Sometimes it's like juggling knives, hoping you made the right decisions for the kiddo and the right ones to keep everything on an even keel. It's stressful but as a mom, you do what you gotta do. As my kiddos would say, you get what you get and you don't throw a fit.

Life throws you lemons and you make...not lemonade, that's so overdone. I suggest we make fresh lemon tarts or something. No wait, that might not be so healthy. Hmm...hang on... ..Ok, back! I suggest we make Lemon-Garlic Shrimp & Vegetables! You get what you get and you make it work. Plus, doesn't that look delicious?!? 

Now, speaking of working (fabulous segue don't you think?), working out is going to be the next thing added back into my life. I won't be able to do huge workouts yet, but I can do little ones and every little itty bit helps. In fact, I'm going to be calling on a few friends to push me in this area. Don't be surprised if some of you hear from me real soon about this.

I'm not at the top of that mountain yet. In fact, I'm really not even close. However, I am one heck of a lot closer than I was a year ago when I had no idea that I could really do any of this. Yes, I still struggle. I struggle a lot. I don't give up though and that's the key. I keep going. I figure out something isn't working and I think ah ha! there's an area to work on. One babystep at a time, I'm doing this and I know all of you can do it too. Never give up. Never surrender. (Yes, I know I'm a geek.)

The best part of all this is the fact that I now have a support system. I probably don't use it near enough. In fact, I know that I don't. I've always been more the sit back and let people come to me type and in this case, I really need to step out and say hey, here I am. This is where I am. This is where I need help. Can you help me? I know each and every one of them will say yes, what can I do? Good Friends = Good Support = Love = Me Doing This.

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Mamavation...Tuesday? A Day Late..

I'm a whole day late! Can you believe it? I don't know what happened, other than for all of last week, I could have sworn it was two days earlier in the week. On Thursday, I could have sworn it was Tuesday! This was a problem since I was supposed to go to Toledo on Friday evening! Luckily, I managed to pull it all together and have an amazing time with Lauren and some of the girls down there for her bachelorette party. We should have slumber party nights way more often!

Now, on the down side of things...My lungs still suck and with this humidity, they're just not getting better. I'm nearly at the point where I give in and call my doctor. Anyone who knows me knows I have to mega frustrated to call over and make an appointment. They're an hour away! However, I am so over this lung issue. I can't get a proper workout in because I get like 2/5 of the way through at Gruntstyle workout and I'm coughing. I'm not giving in though. I'm going to get through this!

All of this makes me feel like a major slacker though! I'm delinquent to my body and my health and that's just not cool. How many years am I stealing from myself and my family by not buckling down and doing what I know I need to do? Just like a credit card company charges a late fee that shorts my bank account, my body is charging me a slacker fee and shortening my life.

I feel like I write the same thing every week lately. This week I'm going to do it. This week, things are going to change. Am I a broken record? Maybe. Maybe I just need some super glue and duct tape. Those fix anything right? In this case, I need to fix me and it starts with finishing up my dang girly grossness (I started 9 days late and feel like it! Ugh! I know, guys, tmi..but just keep reading fast. I promise not to mention it again!) and get back to it. I can do this. I am doing this. I'm awesome. Yep. I am.

Monday, July 11, 2011

Mamavation Monday - Back to Basics

Happy Monday! First off, I don't know if any of you noticed, but we have our own domain here! That's right, I am officially the incredibly proud owner of http://www.welcomingweightloss.com! Now, don't bother to click that link because it will just bring you right back here. We are still hosting on Blogger so if you use the old address, it will bring you right here! You have no idea how excited I am about this! It's like we're official now or something. Woot!

Now, on to weight loss or in my case this week, weight gain. It wasn't a huge gain and I am totally pms'ing (sorry guys in the crowd!) so I'm not surprised. I always retain a bunch of water and who knows what else before girly grossness starts. Knock on wood (and a lot of work this week) that come next Monday, I'll be past this plateau. I'd really love to hit that 15 pounds lost mark! Plus, with any luck, I'll finally  be done coughing up the green grossness that has been in my lungs ever since I stayed at my parents' house the last time. Yes, that was over a week ago. Yes, I probably have bronchitis or something. Yes, it's really, really annoying...I wonder how much all that gunk weighs...I guess we'll see where I am in a week!

I titled this post back to basics because that's just what I need to do. With everything happening, I slipped further away from my healthy habits and slid somewhere in the middle. My goals for this week is to keep working on water. For some reason, I'm really struggling with this one. Maybe I need to re-form my water brigade and get us all back into the habit. On top of that, I don't remember the last time I actually worked out. Then, along came Gruntstyle workouts with Mamavation. The official challenge starts today and lasts for 2 weeks. I don't think there are any prizes or anything, though that would be awesome and a great motivator for a lot of us. Aren't we such materialistic things these days? It's being led by a former Army Drill Sergeant which to me is like basic training! Well, this body certainly needs it, I tell ya!

If you see me around online, encourage me and push me. Challenge me...dare me...be like ye old drill sergeant and tell me I'm going to give up and have to report in that I did. Pride is a powerful button to push. If you need extra love, encouragement or support this week, drop me a note and I'll see what I can do. Not only is Mamavation a community, but so is Welcoming Weight Loss. In fact, we'll probably be opening slots for 1-2 more people to begin posting here so if you're interested, let me know!

Average Daily Water Intake: 28oz
Workouts: 300 bicep curls & tricep extensions (Take that, Drill Sergeant Gruntstyle!)
Weight Change:278.4 (+1.4 pounds)
Overall Weight Change: -13.2 pounds

Thursday, July 7, 2011

Positive Post Its

I want to introduce all of you to a project that I finished last night. This is my bathroom mirror and yes, those are post-its all the way around it. This project started with a single post it note. One night during Mamavation tv, Pete Cohen was talking and something he said resonated with me so I grabbed a sharpie and a post it and I wrote it down. Then, I hung it on my bathroom mirror to remind me.

Not long after, Shelley gave me an assignment to write post its for my mirror! Little did she know how far I would take this assignment. Let's face it, most of us who are trying to lose weight hate looking in the mirror. I had someone tell me the other day that they avoid looking in the mirror at almost all costs. I found this really sad. One of the first things we need to do is love ourselves and if we can't look at ourselves, clearly we are not at that point.

This is where "Positive Post Its" come into play. Each and every one of those notes around my mirror (yes, even at the top where the lights blinded the camera to them) holds a positive message. It may be a quote from a famous person. It may be something that someone said to me. A lot of them are just messages that counteract the negative thoughts that come into my head. Now, whenever I look at my mirror, my eyes are drawn to these notes and as I read them, instead of negative thoughts, my mind is filled with the positive. I can do this. I am beautiful, inside and out.

The other morning, I had the delightful opportunity to have breakfast with Laura. We were talking about my post its and she asked me if I'd ever had anyone else write one for my mirror. That one question was the basis for what I want to offer all of you right now.

We all know how important support is in this journey. We all know that I'm a big fan of leaving (and receiving) comment love on our journals. That support is key to our success in this journey. Without it, we're floating in a sea of how do I get there on my own. With it, we know our supporters will help to carry us during those moments of how do I do this. I want to offer you a piece of personal support. I want to offer you a personal positive post it for your mirror. Consider it a piece of love from me to you. It's not going to cost you anything other than you saying hey, can I have one? Your only obligation is to take it from its envelope and to place it on your mirror where you'll see it every time you're in that room. That's it. If you're interested, all you have to do is send me an email (close2midnight at gmail.com), send me a dm (@craftsbykatie) or leave me a comment here. I really believe I can change the world..one post it at a time.


Wednesday, July 6, 2011

My Vida Loca!

Welcome, one and all to Jim's what, two and a half, weeks in review? Hmm, with it being two and a half weeks, maybe I shoulda had Charlie Sheen guest-blog for me (FTW!). When last we talked, school had just let out, and I was getting ready to head out on a trip to Washington DC. I was still on the dark side of 270, and my Diabetes meds had been radically altered.


Today, we meet in the (shudder) food court of the only mall of consequence in the Milwaukee area these days. I just had Chicken Teriyaki from Little Tokyo, and I am typing this on a nice shiny(ish) Macbook that I managed to pick up used and non-functioning. One hard drive replacement later, lots of software installing and updating, and I have a fully functioning Macbook to tote around and use instead of my HUGE Acer.

Of course, nothing about that had anything to do with weight loss, and I guess I am avoiding the topic, so lets get into the details, shall we?

For the past couple months, I have had intermittent problems with my right knee hurting, locking and buckling. Having been through this a few years ago with my left knee, I knew the diagnosis before I even went into the MRI machine: torn meniscus. Thankfully, this one is not too bad, and I start physical therapy tomorrow in order to hopefully delay the need for surgery. With my left knee, I waited too long to get it checked out, so after a couple sessions, the physical therapist and my orthopedist agreed that surgery was the better option.

Now, that being said, I haven't gotten a whole lot of exercise lately, in DC we did a lot of walking, but that was largely offset by the richness of the meals. We went to some awesome places for meals as a part of our program, so the walking didn't accomplish much for me.

I haven't been hiking in months, because of my schedule and Mike, my hiking buddy being down with Plantar Fasciitis and heel spurs (we talked over the weekend and decided that come heck or high water, we would hike before the month was out.

Water intake has been ok, but it definitely needs to improve. I am drinking less soda these days and more iced tea (unsweetened). I have been getting my meals under control since returning, and have been having more and more veggies. I have developed a great liking for roasted veggies (toss your choice of veggies in olive oil and your choice of seasonings, place on a cookie sheet and roast in the oven for 30 minutes at 400 degrees, yum!) I make up a batch of the roasted veggies and they comprise the bulk of my meal. I also have learned to make Tempura and homemade Sweet and Sour Sauce (both are a lot easier than I had thought), so I will occasionally make may own Sweet and Sour Chicken or Sweet and Sour Veggies. I want to get some jumbo Shrimp and try making Sweet and Sour Shrimp one of these days.

OK, so to the numbers, shall we? When I got back from Washington DC, I tipped the scales at 280 (YIKES!). This morning I am back down to 276, and I am making it my goal to break through 270 by the end of July. My blood sugar has been hanging around 120, and my blood pressure has been great (112/70 last time I was checked).

So, what will I be doing differently? well, most of the changes I have already made. More veggies, and more water. Add to that the exercise from my Physical Therapy regimen, and I should start shedding pounds a little more rapidly.

So, hopefully, my next posting brings better news and smaller numbers. Until then, drink up my hardies! (Water, of course!)

Cheers!

Jim

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Mamavation - Guest Post

Hello All… I am Megan or @NcCarterFamily and I am basically the Zoo Keeper for our family. I am a stay at home mom but rarely am I actually at home. I have 3 crazy boys, a husband and we live on the family property so my in laws are our neighbors. I blog at www.carterzoochronicles.blogspot.com and http://cartersautismdogadventures.blogspot.com

I started having kids very early in life and spent time being a mom and not really taking the best care of myself. When 2 of my children were diagnosised with Autism I jumped head first and lived everything that I needed to do or could think to do to dealing with their issues. Which meant a lot of emotional eating for me. Also a lot of quick meals and fast food while playing Taxi driver for the family. To add more to my plate I am also starting back to school this fall.

I’ve always put everyone else before me and have never really found out who Megan is. I know Megan is not who I am now. I am not this obese mother who is too tired, too fat, too lazy, too exhausted, too stressed out to be the mother my kids deserve. I want to be able to run after them scratch that I have to be able to run and catch them because of the autism. I want to be able to take them to the water park, or to ride the roller coasters with them. I want to be running around playing basketball, chase whatever it is they want to do I want to be able to join them and I WILL DO IT.


I know that signing my ass over to Leah and Daniel along with the other Coaches and Mentors and going through the Mamavation Mom boot camp will be a life changing opportunity for myself and my family. It will give me the tools that I HAVE to learn to make this LIFE STYLE CHANGE for my family. I don’t want my children to have to grow up and then learn a healthy lifestyle I want them to learn it from me. I also want to inspire the others in my family so that they can learn and see what I have done to change my life. I have been a Sista with www.Mamavation.com for 7 months and this is my 3 Campaign.

I hope you will take a moment and head over to the Mamavation Site and Vote for me NcCarterFamily… http://www.mamavation.com/2011/07/mamavation-finalists-campaign-9.html


**** Hi all! Katie, here. This is my good friend, Megan. She's in the running for something that could change not only her life, but that of her family. Please take a moment and go over and vote for her, please. Help this mama help another mama help her entire family. ****

Monday, July 4, 2011

Mamavation Monday - Holding Steady When Life Is a'Rockin!

Hello, my lovelies! Ok, why is my font so small? That's just weird...hang on....There. That's better. No wait, now it looks huge. Does it look huge to all of you? hang on again...How about this? Somewhere in the middle. No? Yes? Well, let's go with it for now. 


So, it's Monday and I'm home. Home is good. Honestly, the whole situation with my family had me going insane, not to mention getting physically ill from inhaling cigarette smoke. I sadly had to draw a line and just say I can't come back for a while. It was having a negative psychological effect on my kids and that's just not cool. Those guys have to come first and I'd be a rather poor mama if I didn't put them first.


Of course, this means, I came home and cleaned more in my own house. I'll admit that I wasn't all drill sergeant this past week. We still worked some every day and we're nearly caught up on laundry which is a blessed miracle in itself around here. Once that's done, we'll finish up my bedroom and get a start on the downstairs. I'm so excited about this! Why? Well, because I work and thrive more in an organized environment plus..drumroll please...I've decided to host the next round of Kzoocation at my house! 


But what is Kzoocation, I hear you all asking..Ok, it could be the voices in my head, but let's just play along, ok? It is only the most awesome thing ever! It started out when Laura (@LoCiaravino), Rachel (@RachHabs) and I realized that we'd all be in the same area at the same time. It ended this afternoon when I came home. It wasn't anything full of swag or expensive things. It was simply 3 totally awesome girls (if I say so myself and I totally do so don't argue!) who went out for dinner together, scared a guy at 7-11 together and had a million laughs together. We went in not all knowing each other..Ok, they knew each other and I was the newbie (at my age how often does that happen?) but they were totally awesome and we totally rocked it! We've already agreed that we have to do this again and I want to host the next round. It will probably move around and sometimes the people might change, but good support is something you just cannot have enough of and weekends like this are ...well, I'm making them mandatory.


Keep your eyes open because I'm adding them to this community. Since they both have weight loss blogs, they're going to be listed under the Friends of section. I totally expect all of you to love them as much as I do and to leave them lots of comment love. No excuses. Just do it. Now, I'm off to link this up and to think about my plan of attack for the week. 


Average Daily Water Intake: 40oz
Workouts: None
Weight Change: (current weight: 277.2)
Overall Weight Change: -14.6 pounds

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