B L O A T E D

The dreaded monthly punctuation began last night. 2 days later than I expected.

This month it's bad.

I woke up this morning with no appetite, and no desire to even remove myself from the bed. I got up, dressed and headed downstairs to pack my lunch for work. It's no fun packing a lunch while you feel as if your insides were chewed up and spit out by the evil monthly punctuation monster.

I feel like I swallowed an inflated beach ball and it's residing not so comfortably amongst my female reproductive organs. My jeans got tighter just around my lower stomach area (those that have had children will know what I'm referring to as the "pouch" or "pooch" or "baby bag" as I like to call it). The trouble area of the tummy that swells like a rock during this fantastic time of the month.

I skipped the workout tonight. I promised myself I was going to do it since I skipped yesterday - but I have no desire whatsoever to sweat and pant while I have a pad jammed between my legs.

And I don't want to hear it - I know that exercise helps cramps and will make me feel better - but I. Don't. Want. To. Exercise.

I want to crawl into bed, pull the covers over my head and pout for the next 5 days.

Not moving again

Things are not moving again.

Thursday morning was the last little bit of relief I got.

Since then there have been several occassions that I've felt like I needed to go, would sit on the toilet ...... and nothing.

I don't know what else to do. I'm eating better, drinking water, exercising. I would think I'm getting more fiber now than I ever was since I've starting making healthier food choices along with leafy green non-iceberg lettuce being in my diet. I've had a couple bowls of Raisin Bran within the last week, week and a half.

So what gives? I really want to be regular. A daily shit is a must! Please bowel, just do what you are supposed to!

Good lord, I could hurl.

Maybe exercising on a full stomach isn't the brightest idea. However, it did boost my energy level.

I did the "High Calorie Burn" which is a 2-mile walk. Phew! Now that was a workout. I was panting and sweating and all that wonderful I'm-fat-and-out-of-shape glory.

Now, if I can keep dinner and the 16oz glass of water I chugged down, we'll be set!

Food Coma

Tonight my brother and SIL came over to have dinner with us. We got pizza. I ate more than I should have because now I feel sick. Plus, I'm crabby (could be that the kids were driving me nuts tonight, and I'm PMSing), tired and feeling very icky overall. Stupid pizza. Really, not worth it in the long run.

So, I'm going to go do my WATP workout and see if that gives me some energy back.

Weigh-In .... Week 3

It's time for the official weigh-in.

As the scale showed - I lost 4 lbs.

Current Weight: 225

I met both mini goals of losing at least 3 lbs this week, AND by losing 10 lbs by Feb 1st.

So, with that said, I'm going to set another mini goal. I'd like to get my total loss to 15 lbs by the time Mike and I go out on our "date", February 11th. So, I've got to lose 5 more pounds in 15 days.

I Cheated

No, not on the "diet". Instead, I weighed in early. It's unofficial. I won't actually use this weight. I'll still weigh in tomorrow. By then maybe the lemon meringue pie will have caught up to my ass. ;)

But, I am proud to say that I exercised 6 days out of the last 8, and I've also been using the weight loss patches for a little over a week now.

Anyway, scale shows a loss of ..... drumroll please ....


FOUR pounds!

Which means I just might have met both my mini goals. So, I can't wait to weigh-in tomorrow to confirm that. Of course, I could be setting myself up for disappointment if I get on that scale and it shows higher than 225.

Regardless, I'm totally stoked right now!!

Dear Lord, I Thank You

I've been depressed all day over my bowel issues, or lack thereof. I came home, took 2 stool softeners that had a laxative in them as well, and ate dinner.

Dinner consisted of pork cutlets, string beans and sauerkraut. I hoped for the best and had 2 helpings of kraut.

It acted as a laxative itself, because within 20 minutes my stomach was gurgling, my intestines were wiggling and all was right with the world.

I still feel as if maybe that's not all, but I am hopeful that things will be able to move much easier now that some has already been eliminated. And, who knows what will happen once those stool softeners kick in, too!

A bit of an internal problem

When I posted about my digestive issues over a week ago, I truly didn't think I'd be writing now wishing I could go.

But, the next night after my rant about my hour long poop party, I had more intestinal discomfort, though not as bad.

So here I am today, and I honestly can't remember pooping since those couple nights. That would make approximately eight days of a no-poop status.

That cannot possibly be good in terms of weight loss .... I mean, I have eight days worth backed up inside me .... that's got to weigh something.

If I don't go soon, I'm going to force myself to go buy some Correctol or something to try to evict it from my body.

Really ... if anyone has any good advice on how to poop, I'd like to hear it. Because I'm desperate to go.

Now THAT is something

I've lost 6 lbs total. I was a bit down about the fact that this past week's loss was so small.

However, when you see what all that fat actually looks like -- well, you just can't describe it.

Another Workout

I did the 1 mile walk again tonight. I skipped last night because I was out grocery shopping and then relaxed once I got home. I am hoping to get into the habit of exercising at least 5 nights out of the week.

So I added in 3 lb weights tonight with the walk. Boy could I really feel the burn then. Phew! I'm gonna be feeling that tomorrow!

But I am determined .... for week 3 I am setting a mini goal of a 3 lb loss.

For another mini goal -- I'd like to have my total loss up to 10 lbs by Feb 1st. That gives me 11 days to drop 4 more pounds. I CAN DO IT!!!

Weigh-in ... Week 2

Today's weigh-in, 229. I lost a pound.

I can't help but feel a bit disappointed. I really expected to see a loss of at least 2 pounds.

But, then again - at least I lost something.

And when I look at the overall loss so far, that's still pretty darn good because they do say the slower it comes off, the easier it is to keep it off. It's just when you want to lose so much weight in the first place, these small losses make it harder to digest because it could take me forever to finally get down to that goal.

That felt good!

I did my first workout tonight. Boy, did that feel kinda good. :)

I did Leslie Sansone's 1-mile Walk Away the Pounds DVD. Didn't use the weights like they do - but still could feel the burn. I can only imagine when I start using weights, too. I figure I'll do it this way a couple more times, and by that time I should have my body fusion kit and I can use the hand weights from that.

After my workout, I jumped in the shower, turned on the radio and jammed to some oldies music. LOL I danced the whole time. Didn't stop once .... so I figure I had a bit of fun and got in some more exercise.

Oh, and I forgot to mention...

The weight loss patches finally arrived today. So, crossing my fingers they help, because I need it.

Bummed

I weighed myself tonight when I got home from work.

I'm the same. I can't believe I haven't lost at least just one pound since I weighed in on Friday. I thought for sure I would have lost something by now, seeing as my next weigh-in is just a few days away.

Now I'm depressed.

Happy to be back to a "routine"

I have to admit, it is much easier to keep on track of everything during the work week. I guess it's because the food I have is what I have brought with me - so there is not much here to tempt me.

I'm anxious to start my exercise. I'm hoping my Walk Away the Pounds DVD came in the mail today. I haven't gotten notification that my Body Fusion kit has even shipped yet, so I'm not expecting that yet.

Tomorrow morning I have an appointment with the gynecologist for my annual (fun!!) and I know they will weigh me. So, I'll probably cheat and take an unofficial weigh-in tomorrow morning on my scale so that I'm not shocked when I see what the doctor's scale says. Every scale is different, so I get there tomorrow and it says I weigh more, I don't want to get upset. Or opposite, I don't want to be there and have the scale say I'm alot less and end up weighing in on Friday, to find I'm heavier than that. And then when the doctor decides to lecture me because I'm obese, I can simply say "Yes, I'm aware of that and I'm currently working on it. I've lost *x* pounds so far."

So, I started this morning by eating a slightly "bigger" breakfast to get some more calories in me during the day, rather than trying to get extra in later after dinner.

Breakfast:
2 slices 100% whole wheat toast w/butter -- 240 calories
8oz glass of orange pineapple juice -- 130 calories

Lunch:
Healthy Choice chicken breast & mashed potatoes meal -- 190 calories
2 tangerines -- 60 calories
1 bottle of water (16.9oz) -- 0 calories

Not bad -- 620 calories total so far

Not eating enough

Believe it or not, I feel like I'm not eating enough.

Many days I struggle to get up to 1000 calories. I'm not doing it intentionally; I'm trying to watch what I eat, and have smaller, healthier meals, but I don't think I'm getting enough in.

I'm afraid I'm going to slow down my metabolism (low calorie intake, body can make do with what it's getting, metabolism can slow down).

But I just don't know where I can start adding in more calories without it being too much, or in foods I just don't need.

Other than one thing I'm going to work on. I think I'll start my mornings with a bowl of cereal for breakfast. That'll be somewhat filling, and it'll kick my metabolism into gear for the day. Then maybe I can have fruit as a mid-day snack, opposed to breakfast as I had it a few times in the past week. I can probably even do 2 slices of 100% whole wheat toast with a smidgen of butter once or twice a week -- as long as the carbs are early in the day, I don't think it would matter that much. And with the toast and butter, I'd probably still only be getting in around 200 calories for that meal.

I should set some sort of breakfast "schedule". Something like M, W, F, Sa - bowl of cereal; T, Th - toast; Su - scrambled eggs. Except I know that wouldn't last long, as W would roll around, and I wouldn't be in the mood for cereal, or Su would come and I'd be too lazy to scramble some eggs. LOL

And I really HAVE to start going to bed at a decent hour. Remember how I said I was going to be in bed by no later than 11pm last night? Yeah. Didn't happen. Went to bed at 1am instead. And now once again, here it is ticking on to midnight, and I'm STILL awake.

Not a terrific day, though not bad either

I'm still probably way under my alloted calories, probably even under 1000 at that. But I just feel like today didn't go the way I wanted because - I didn't start the day off by eating breakfast.

I woke up at 6am (after going to sleep at 3am) with horrible stomach cramps and bowel issues. I was in the bathroom on the toilet for an hour. Finally got back into bed, started to doze, and heard the littlest munchkin stirring in her room. Poked at hubby to get out and tend to her since I had just missed an hour of my precious sleep. I barely slept the next hour, as the kids were up, making noise, moving around - and then I'm being asked if I want scrambled eggs or waffles for breakfast.

Ummm....NEITHER. I was just crapping my brains out for an hour straight - I'm in no mood to eat. So - I skipped breakfast, afraid I wouldn't leave the bathroom for the rest of the day.

I ended up making 3 more trips to the bathroom since 7am.......the last one being while I was at the store around 12:30 this afternoon. So, needless to say by the time we got back home for lunch, I was not in the mood to be that picky. I had some leftover rice-a-roni fried rice and a small bowl of pasta with tomato sauce.

Like I said, still probably way under my calories - but I still feel I "cheated" somehow by NOT eating. I did have some chicken for dinner, nothing else - I should have a little something else before it gets to be too late (it's already 8pm) - because I am feeling a bit hungry still.

And I am going to try my hardest to get to bed by - no later than 11pm tonight to catch up on some rest. I know that not getting enough sleep can be hurtful to weight loss, too. So, I need some Zzzzzzzz's.

Coming Soon: Exercise

I've been debating about buying a step; really wanting one, but not wanting to spend the $100 on the "original" club step that's out there. I have also heard good things about exercise balls and such, so that was at the back of mind as well.

While surfing the web yesterday, I happened upon The Step Body Fusion kit.

I did a bit more searching and found it on sale at Target. Since I had some gift cards from Christmas, and that we have a $20 credit sitting on one our credit cards, I ordered it. I also found an online code that took $5 off an order of $50 or more. It'll end up costing $10.60 out of pocket.

I can't wait until it arrives and I can start working out! It'll be a start at least. I can alternate the stepping with the Walk Away the Pounds DVD I also ordered. And - eventually, once our community rec building is finished (just in beginning construction phase right now), there will be a gym there for us to use. That'll be nice.

I'm actually looking forward to exercising .... hoping to see even bigger results once I add that in with eating right and drinking water.

Weekends

Weekends are hard. This morning wasn't too bad, but as the day wears on, the harder it gets.

Did some errands today (stopped at the mall, got gas, car wash, etc) and picked up Wendy's kids meals for the kids. I was so tempted to order something for myself, but didn't.

I have to decide what to have for lunch. I probably could have had Wendy's and still not gone over the 1730 calories max that I can intake in order to still lose weight.

Breakfast:
Small bowl of cantaloupe and tangerine -- estimated 60 calories
Glass of water (16oz) -- 0 calories

Lunch:
Healthy Choice chicken & mashed potatoes meal -- 190 calories
1 slice 100% whole wheat bread -- 90 calories
Glass of water (160z) -- 0 calories

Snack: (here's my downfall)
Tortilla chips and Chipotle Cream Cheese dip -- estimated 240 calories

Dinner:
Tuna w/1 tbsp Miracle Whip on crackers (10 Ritz whole wheat) -- 300 calories total
Glass of water (16oz) -- 0 calories

Total - 880 calories

Keeping track

I'm finding that keeping track is good for me. Plus, maybe I can make some sense of some of the stomach issues I tend to have (besides being lactose intolerant) by keeping a food log.

Breakfast:
small bowl of Special K w/strawberries cereal (and I say small because it was a serving size bowl, I ate 1/2, didn't like it and gave the rest to my husband) -- 110 calories

Lunch:
cheeseburger "Boca Burger" on a piece of 100% whole wheat bread with ketchup, mustard and romaine lettuce -- 207 calories
glass of water (16oz) -- 0 calories

Snack:
2 peanutbutter chocolate chip rice cakes -- 120 calories

Dinner:
salad with chicken and lowfat italian dressing -- estimated 120 calories
glass of water (16oz) -- 0 calories

Snack:
2 buttered popcorn rice cakes -- 70 calories
1 peanutbutter chocolate chip rice cake -- 60 calories

Late Snack:
Kemp's no sugar fudge bar -- 50 calories
glass of water (16oz) -- 0 calories

Total: 737 calories

Weigh-In ... Week 1

Today's Weight: 230

I lost 5 pounds!!! YIPPIE!!!!! I'm thrilled. Very happy to see good results, as it'll keep me motivated to lose more and more.

Today's Calories, Wendy's & a Treat

Ate at Wendy's for dinner tonight. Had the Chicken BLT salad with lowfat honey mustard dressing and croutons. Total of 520 calories there, and had diet coke with it.

Then, went grocery shopping and found Kemp's brand no sugar added fudge bars (they are sweetened with Splenda) and they are only 50 calories each.

So, here's what today's menu consisted of:

Breakfast:
2 tangerines (60 calories)
small glass of water (4oz - 0 calories)

Lunch:
Lean Cuisine baked chicken & dressing with mashed potatoes (230 calories)
1 bottle of water (16.9oz - 0 calories)

Snack: (okay, so it's really not a snack)
1 bottle of water (16.9oz - 0 calories)

Dinner:
Wendy's Chicken BLT Salad with croutons & lowfat honey mustard dressing (520 calories)
Diet Coke (0 calories)

Snack:
Kemp's sugar free fudge bar (50 calories)

So, today's total calorie count

drumroll please ......... 860

Wow! Even with splurging by eating out at a fast food joint and having a snack that almost seems like the real thing (LOL .... really, for those that have Kemp's brand in stores near you, pick them up - they are not bad at all and you cannot go wrong for only 50 calories), I kept it WELL under 1000 calories and I am NOT EVEN TRYING TO DO THAT!

I figured that if I keep my calorie intake between approximately 1230-1730 (I think that is the figure I got (did it at work so the paper is on my desk there), somewhere in the mid-1200 to mid-1700 range), I should lose at least 1 pound per week (should being the key word there).

Unfortunately today's water intake is only at about 38oz. I should have at least one 16oz glass before bed, though which will bring that up a bit.

And, tomorrow is the big day. My first weigh-in! I did my first weight late afternoon, early evening, fully clothed, so that is how I plan on continuing to do it.

Wish me luck!

Am I hallucinating?

This morning as I was dressing in the bathroom - I glanced in the mirror.

There I was in just my bra and panties. I caught a glimpse of myself, and stopped.

Is my stomach smaller?? It can't be. How??

I haven't done any form of exercise other than my normal daily routine of being up and down the stairs a few times, or the bit of movement from desk to printer, to fax machine, to back room, etc, in the office.

But, I SWEAR, my stomach appears like it shrank a little bit. Perhaps I'm losing the weight from my fat gut first (I HOPE, as I'd like to keep my boobs - LOL)? I've only been at this a week .... not even, in fact.

But I have cut down what I eat by A LOT. I admit, I cheated last night. I had quite a few pretzels (okay, so that's not too terribly bad), but I did have some bridge mix. I've been dying for chocolate.

Even with my indulgences, I probably still did not go over 1400 calories for the day. And I ended up getting in 74oz of water.

Tomorrow is my first weigh-in, and I'm even more anxious now.

3 meals, less than 1000 calories

So, I'm content with a full belly.

Tonight's Dinner:
1 tilapia fillet with a light bread crumb/parmesan coating
1 small helping of rice-a-roni fried rice
1 large helping of carrots

Estimated calorie total ...... 500.

Bringing my daily total to ...... 945.

And - I'm not starving! Right now I'm actually REALLY full because I'm having a glass of water. But, I probably will have a snack tonight when I sit down with my husband and watch Lost later.

But -- keeping my calorie count at bay (definitely not aiming to be under 1000 or even under 1200 - as that can be unhealthy), how can I NOT lose weight?!

This will be the death of me

I am going to drown. Seriously. No, I take that back. I won't be able to drown because I'm peeing EVERY 3.5 minutes.

Well, that's what it feels like at least.

I'm having another glass of water now, which will make 57oz of water thus far today.

Happy Healthy Humpday

Okay, here we are midweek. I have my first weigh in in 2 days. I'm anxious.

At any rate, here's todays meal menu thus far. I did keep track of calroies for this.

Breakfast:
1 pckg Smart Portions blueberry muffins (140 calories)
glass of water (8zo - 0 calories)

Lunch:
1 cheeseburger "Boca Burger" (meatless - 100 calories - and not bad AT ALL, actually kinda tasty)
1 slice 100% whole wheat bread (I cut it in half and used it as a bun for the burger - 90 calories)
ketchup & mustard (less than 15 calories)
1 tangerine (not sure exactly, getting different calorie counts on different sites -- estimating 30 calories)
1 bottle of water (16.9oz - 0 calories)

Snack:
2 buttered popcorn rice cakes (70 calories)

Total so far for the day ...... 445 calories

Tuesday Check-in

Okay, so I figure the more posts, the sooner my before pictures are off the main page and into the archives. :) LOL

Anyway, here's a brief rundown on what I ate today.

Breakfast:
1 slice of 100% whole wheat toast with a smidgen of margarine
1 small glass of orange pineapple juice

Lunch:
lemon pepper tuna w/crackers
1 tangerine
2 rice cakes
1 bottle of water (16.9oz)

Dinner:
1 large chicken breast
1 small helping of parmesan rice
1 large helping of string beans
1 glass of water (16oz)

I have to admit, today was harder. I was more hungry. And I still am. Honestly, what I'd really like to do right now is sit down, watch some tv and have a snack. Or two. Or three.

I will try to overcome the desire to eat every bit of junk food in this house (I'm ovulating and desiring CHOCOLATE something terrible!).

Before Pictures

I can't even begin to tell you how horrifying this is.

But, my blog weight-loss buddies were brave enough, so I should be too.

Here goes ........... my before pictures.

It was a good day!

Okay - today was a good day. It's already after 10pm, and I don't have the urge to snack. It could be that I'm fighting off another caffeine withdrawl headache, though. So, 2 more analgesic pills down the hatch.

Other than that, I'm finishing my last glass of water, which will make 64oz today. The most yet. And -- not a single snack today. :) I had saved one of the tangerines from lunch to have as a late afternoon snack while at work, but never had the desire to eat it. Not because it didn't taste good or that I didn't like it - I just didn't have the desire to eat anything.

So, I feel all in all today was a good day. Despite one thing - didn't get any exercise in. Still trying to figure out what I'm going to do for that. I really would like to get a step and start doing some step aerobics. Yes, it sounds cheesy, but I did it in gym class in high school and it was one of the few activities I really got into. I can see myself hopping around on the step, getting into it and not feeling like I was being forced to exercise.

So - if anyone out there has a stepper they'd like to get rid of -- let me know!

Monday's Menu outlook

Today's menu is going to look something like this:

Breakfast:
1 pckg Smart Portions banana muffins (2 small mini muffins)
1 bottle of water (16.9oz)

Lunch:
lemon pepper tuna w/crackers (generic ritz)
2 tangerines
1 bottle of water (16.9oz)

Dinner:
small portion of pasta with sauce (no meat)
carrots

And of course, I'll continue my water drinking throughout the night, though I may break down if necessary and have a can of Diet Coke, as I was suffering from caffeine withdrawls last night and had to take two analgesic pills (aspirin, acetiminophen, and caffeine).

I also hope to avoid any snacks. Nighttime is my hardest time to stay away from food, though, as once the kids are in bed and I can relax, I'm looking for munchies. So, I will try to make healthy choices, perhaps by having some fruit rather than chips or chocolate covered raisins. :)

Diet Patches

I've always been skeptical about diet pills, bars, drinks, you name it.

I was browsing online, looking for perhaps some exercise video (anyone have any comments on the Walk Away The Pounds series?) or something for ideas to help get this weight off.

So I happened upon weight loss patches. You wear 1 all day, every day. They are reasonably priced, too ($13.95 plus shipping for a month's supply).

I figured, what the heck, and ordered my first month's supply today.

As with all diet products - the disclaimer reads that eating healthy, drinking plenty of water, and exercise is the key and will give you the best results while using the product.

I figure trying this can't hurt. I'll continue drinking water (so far only have had 16oz, but the day is not over) and trying to eat well (this is the part that is still very hard for me, because I LOVE food -- and there are still plenty of things in the house that are tempting). And, I don't think I'll use weather as an excuse for not exercising. There is no reason I can't go out and at least walk around our subdivision to get in some exercise.

So, I'll be sure to update when the patches arrive and when I start using them.

Water

So one of the things I'm going to attempt to do in my weight loss endevour is drink water. And LOTS of it.

So, I started tonight. Had 3 big glasses .... I'm guessing a total of 48oz. I suppose that's a start at least. It's amazing how quickly your bladder fills when you drink so much water. I suppose that's my body doing it's thing to flush out all the toxins. Hopefully I don't wet the bed tonight, though. LOL ;)

The start of a new year ....

This is my second attempt at weight loss.

In January of 2005, I started to watch what I was eating, drink more water and try to get some form of exercise in. I lost 11 pounds in the first few weeks and then it was downhill from there. I'm not sure what went wrong, but I dropped what I was doing.

Here it is January of 2006, and I'm officially 16 pounds heavier than I was when I attempted the weight loss last year.

So, here goes nothing.

Starting Weight: 235
Goal Weight: 160
Pounds to Lose: 75