Let's Get To Work

Things have really been going well. I've failed to blog because my weight keeps shifting by a couple of pounds like a see-saw. Everything has been going really well though and I have settled in at 168 pounds right now. Finally at my first goal!

I'm really pleased with my eating habits. Minus a few bad moments here and there I've really been sticking to my Insulin Resistance (IR) Diet and it seems to be paying off.

On top of that I've been challenging myself to workout everyday. One of my fellow blogger friends announced that for Lent she was going to work out 30 minutes a day. I decided to do 20 minutes a day because that was do-able for me at this moment. I think everything has really paid off and I feel like I am seeing more differences. And doing just 20 minutes has motivated me to workout 2x a day at 20 minutes each. For instance, yesterday I got up at 6am and worked out before work for 25 minutes and then got home from work and went out for another 25 minute walk. It is great to really enjoy it. And what's 20 minutes?

Sam has a ball coming up at the law school at the end of the month. Although it doesn't seem like a great goal....my goal is to be 165 by March 28. Therefore, I have 23 days left to get down 3 pounds...I think that is totally do-able at 1 pound a week. :)

Let me know how you are doing! I love reading your blogs and am motivated by your jouneys.

Goal Weight...for awhile

So I did really well this week. I did end up giving in once before Saturday. It was my mentor teachers birthday and so we ordered pizza. However, I ate one slice of cheese pizza and guess what?!? It still didn't throw off my numbers. By Friday I hit my first goal...finally: 168! YAY!

Sadly, I think my Valentine's Day weekend got in the way because this morning I'm back up to 169. I didn't eat very much on Saturday, but Sam took me to P.F. Chang's for dinner and I still did very well. Sunday was d-day. Dad had ordered a pizza and my weakness, breadsticks, on Saturday. Therefore, leftovers were in the fridge on Sunday. I ate two for breakfast because I couldn't help myself (damn them!) and then I ate one slice of pizza and two for lunch and then I ate two more for dinner! I didn't necessarily eat a lot of food, but the calories and the fact that it was only bread I think killed me and my insulin resistance.

I'm determined to get back on track today and for the rest of the week. Why is it that once you cheat you keep craving bad food? I have been craving McDonald's all morning. I'm not giving in...I think I hear a Lean Pocket calling my name for lunch....or maybe tuna?!?

I hope everyone else had a great weekend and was more successful than I have been. I've gotten off of the wagon more times than one could imagine this past year, but I keep getting back on and slowly but surely my numbers are going down. I'm glad my medicine is kicking in and helping me out as well.

Back on Track

Well, the good news is I haven't gained any weight this past week. I had a bad day on Superbowl Sunday and a bad day yesterday. I plan on being good until this Saturday for V-Day. Sam is taking me out to P.F. Chang's for dinner, so I am going to use that as my splurge for the week.

I've eaten really healthfully the rest of the time. I'm trying to "link and balance" my meals like the book says I need to and it really seems to be working. I'm determined to hit 168 by the end of the month! Only 1.5 pounds so I should definately be able to do it.

I had a longgg day at work today but this weather has turned around and it is 50* F today. It reminds me of my July honeymoon and my goal. I definately would like to be 150 pounds by wedding da. I think that is definately realistic. So long as I stick to my plan and keep taking my medicine to help aide me in my weight loss.

I'm going to hit the treadmill tonight for a light workout. I really haven't worked out since my surgery in December. I'm just going to start small with 15 minutes tonight. I can definately handle that.

On a side note: I need to make cupcakes tomorrow. My mentor teacher (I'm doing my student teaching as part of my Master's Degree at a high school in English) has a birthday on Wednesday so I thought I'd bake her something since she has a sweet tooth. I'm NOT going to eat one. I promise myself this now....*wait until Saturday night's dinner!!!* I think I'll enjoy my dinner more knowing that I've made sacrifices throughout the week.

I've really enjoyed reading everyone's progress again. Hopefully I haven't lost too many readers/support system in the shuffle between surgery and everything. It was tough, but I'm definately back on track!

Another pound

Things have gone well this week. I definately think the insulin resistance diet and the medicine is working. I weight in this week at 169.5! So beautiful to see that I'm out of the 170's. I'm expecting the usual bloating this coming week as I prepare for my "auntie" but I have not been on melformin while I had her. I guess we'll see if bloating still occurs or not. Usually I'll gain 2-5 pounds and then it'll drop off by the next week.

I haven't made it to the gym yet. We had a horrible ice storm and most of the state has lost power--including my gym. I'm going to try to start that next week. :)

PCOS

I didn't realize it had been so long since my last post. I think I just got so frustrated. After the surgery and everything I had a follow-up with my doctor. Turns out I have PCOS--Polycystic Ovarion Syndrome. She said it is a diesease I will have for life. It mostly affects my fertility, but she said it also slows my metabolism and makes it hard for me to lose weight. I then told her I had been trying because I was getting married and she told me I should follow an Insulin resistant diet (even though I'm not diabetic). My body with PCOS will work more efficently so long as I watch my insulin levels. I've been following a diet for the past month called the Insulin Resistance Diet and now I'm happily down to 170 pounds. SHe also prescribed me Melformin which will help with my insulin problem and suppousedly help speed up my metabolism a little aiding in faster weight loss.

I guess I just feel like all the odds are against me as far as losing the weight I wanted to lose before the wedding in July. I've been eating very healthfully but not really working out. I'm going to jump back on the wagon with working out this week and just give it 20 minutes a day. Hopefully by my next post I'll be down in to my 160's.

Does any one else have PCOS? Any luck on Melformin?

Still Sore!!!

I'm still sore and swollen from surgery 6 days ago. How crazy is that? She had told me that by Monday I would be feeling great, but clearly I'm very swollen and bruised on my stomach. I've been dreading working out and having done so yet since walking still seems like a chore (I hate the feeling of the clothing rubbing against my incisions...ick!)

I am sad I had to miss two pilates classes this week. Mom thought I should skip since pilates mostly works your core and since my stomach is bruised...yeah makes sense to me too.

Everything else is going well. I've worked HARD all week. Yesterday I taught all day and then babysat all night. Tomorrow I have an interview at a high school here in town. I'm a little nervous because it is a rougher high school. In fact, today in the paper there was an article about how a kid punched a substitute teacher at that high school! It's not that rough day to day, I'm sure that hasn't happened in a long time there, but the kids come from a hard economic background so I am a little nervous about that. Wish me luck!

Well, since this isn't really a working out post I'll stop now. Surgery seems like a sorry excuse for not working out, but it's the truth.

In other news: I am eating healthy and have lost a little of the weight I had gained during surgery from laying around in bed unable to move. I'm back at my 172. :)

Post Surgery Wake-Up

Friday was the dreaded d-day for my surgery. I was anxious the whole day and unable to eat anything the night before.

After my surgery I woke up and started throwing up. I felt like I had to go to the bathroom and so as soon as they tried to help me up it began. They gave me 3 rounds of nauseous medication but it wasn't until I got home and ate something that my stomach finally relaxed.

My stomach is so huge right now. Full of gas and bloated from the surgery. I have never felt more uncomfortable. On top of that my photographer posted some photos of my fiance and I from our engagement shoot on her website and I HATE them. I can't help but focus on my size and see all of the fat and see everything I want to disappear. I wish I could go get on a treadmill right now.

Maybe that was what I needed though. A prewedding wake-up call. There are 7 months until the wedding...plenty of time to still lose some weight and feel better about my body.

As soon as I can I will be on that treadmill. And this time, looking at those photographs, I can visualize where I don't want to be.

Doing Well

Hey ya'll!
It's been so hard to find time to blog in here lately. At night I'm so exhausted and have little motivation, but I'm still checking your blogs so keep me posted!

I have gained a little weight over the past 3 weeks, but my body is changing so I'm pretty sure I'm putting on muscle from my workouts with JT and doing those damn lunges all by myself. It's weird because one day I'll be up 2 pounds and the next down 4...insane. I guess my body doesn't know what to do right now. JT said I should go up a few pounds in muscle before I start dropping so that is a good sign I guess.

I started back taking pilates classes on the reformer again. I love them! I forgot how much I enjoyed it and it doesn't feel like a workout at all. Although this time I'm taking Level 2 classes so they are a lot more difficult than the Level 1's. I though level 1 was a piece of cake, but I'm finding myself a bit more challeneged now.

Sam and I are engaged and busily planning the wedding. Still don't know if his family will come or if they will be uninvited...they tuned.

I guess that is it! I have to get to the gym (where I work in the kid's daycare) and then I might jump on the treadmill for a bit again. I find it easier to workout when I'm already there...even though I worked out today I might just tell myself to do 1 mile tonight.

I'm Backkk...for now

I'm back...before another brief hiatus unfortunately. My surgery got moved up to December 5 so I'll have to take a few days (a week?) off then to recover and won't be able to work out. Keep me in your thoughts and prayers. :)

Everything has been going well. I've been working out with a personal trainer every week this month and it has really been changing my body and my workouts. He has taught me so many things that I would never have thought of doing on my own. I highly suggest seeing a personal trainer at least once to switch up your routine and to challenge your body. After this month I'll only be seeing him 1x a month and then if I want I can add on more sessions.

So some surprising news. About 2 years ago my cousin was visiting. She is 33 now with one child who is 4. She has been working out a TON (2x a day everyday) and lost a TON of weight. She was never big, but always average at 5'8". Well, when she came to visit us 2 years ago (I have seen her since, but the incident occurred around then) she had already lost about 20 pounds and was looking skinny, but I noticed she was eating a TON. She was never naturally thin--so I kept wondering what she was doing with the whole quesadilla she ate, 3 cookies and tons of snacks. Then it dawned on me--she's bullemic. I told my Mom that day that I thought she was bullemic and my Mom thought I was nuts. Well, apparently she went from bullemic to anorexic by the time she turned 32. She couldn't handle getting older and wanted to get really skinny. She has even refused to have more children (because she doesn't want to gain weight). She was put in the hospital for bronchitis, or so we thought, a few weeks ago. Turns out it was because her purging had actually been burning her esophagus. Ewww...

It makes me so sad to see someone do this to themselves. As unhappy as I am with my body I know I can fix it by working out more/eating less bad food and taking care of my body. It makes me sad to see someone who is so beautiful having so many body image issues. The odd thing is...she always acts like she has her whole life together and like she is (pardon the french) "the shit." It really surprised me.

Anyways, that is the new family stuff. In happier news, Sam officially proposed on 11/14/08! :) We haven't told his famil yet...he is going later this week to tell them. He has MAJOR issues with them, which I won't get into on here, but it's pretty ricidulous. I'm so excitied to marry him and to spend the rest of our lives together. :)

I hope everyone is having a great week. Hopefully we'll all drop 1 pound this week.

xoxo

Hiatus

Sorry my posts have been less frequent. My Grandma has been sick for the past 5 years suffering from mini-strokes and having these delusions. She gets kind of violent throwing things after the stroke thinking she saw things she didn't see, etc. Last year her husband and my step-grandfather, Jim, put her in the nursing home because she was having them so frequently and was going off on him. Last Sunday she got up in the middle of the night and fell breaking both of her hips and suffering another mini-stroke.

They rushed her to the ER where she suffered a massive stroke at some point and went into a coma. My Dad immediately drove there to be with her but Mom and I stayed behind because she had work and I had school and we didn't know what was going to happen.

Dad called us that night and let us know that the stroke had been too massive and too much for her 85-year-old body. He said she would probably never wake up from it and that he thought the stroke was so bad that she was brain dead.

Throughout the week they moved her body and would roll her over so that she would not get fluid in her lungs... I would think that would hurt laying on a broken hip on either side, but I don't know.

Finally they decided to give her morphine medicine (even though her medical records indicate she is allergic) because she had a rattle in her throat. On Tuesday the Dr. told my Dad they were going to take her off of IV's because she was going to die and that would speed things up (I still have a serious problem with this...no one should ever be deprived of fluids).

On Friday she passed away. It's been a long week. She's had so many problems for the past five years and with her age I guess I'm not as upset as I was when my Grandfather died. Also, as the strokes happened more often and her temper came out she turned into someone I didn't know. When she wasn't having the strokes she was so exhausted and slept all the time.

It feels so weird...I was not very close with any of my Dad's family because all that was left was his Mom and one other brother and they both lived far away. Dad kinda adopted my Mom's family and felt a closer connection to them so that is always where we went. I'm still sad and I cried for awhile about Grandma, but I'm glad she is in Heaven and finally at peace.

Sadly I couldn't go to the funeral because I have finals this week. My parents thought it would be best if I stayed behind to study for my finals and my Praxis. I'm kind of glad I didn't go.... please don't get me wrong when I say this, but I have a hard time at funerals as is and my Grandma converted to Mormonism when she was in her 60's and it has been something my family and I have never understood. I didn't have a problem with her practicing or anything, but it is something that my family doesn't really condone. I think I was also worried about how different/awkward the funeral may be.

So that was my sad week.

I probably won't post this week because of finals and my Praxis exam.

Keep me in your thoughts and prayers if you don't mind.