Weighing In - Week Thirty-Three

Moving on down... the scale. It's happening again. I'm moving in the right direction! This past week was a bit rough, as I developed my first nasty cold of the season but in the end, it all worked out okay.

Last Sunday, I took my three kids for a hike in Briones Park. It wasn't a very long or strenuous hike, about two miles round trip, but it was great for getting the kiddos away from the video games and computers for a few hours. It felt good, getting out of the house, getting some fresh air. Lucky for us, the weather was amazing, and stayed, warm and breezy the whole afternoon. Perfect hiking weather!

Then Monday morning I woke up looking, feeling, sounding like death warmed over. I think I partied a bit too hard during the weekend and the powers that be decided I needed to slow down. Since I wasn't going to do it on my own, mother nature decided to do it for me. And wow, did I slow way down. Unfortunately, the horrible congestion and cough stayed with me most of the week. In fact, I still sound pretty bad but at least I no longer have the body aches and chills that plagued me earlier in the week.

Anyhow, despite my less than perfect health, I stuck to my "get the kids outside and moving" campaign and we went to a local park Thursday, Friday and Saturday. I got some great pics of my two younger ones having a blast. On Saturday afternoon we went for another hike. This one a little longer but with great incentives for my four-year-old. We visited three different playgrounds along the way! It really helps keep her moving if she knows there's something special a little further on down the road. And again, we were blessed with beautiful weather.

Now it's Sunday and time to visit somewhere we haven't been in a while. I think we'll go to the nature preserve out at the Martinez Marina. There is a great trail there that is relatively flat and winds around the coastline through the marshland. It's also a great place to see birds, something my eight-year-old really enjoys. And of course, there are a couple of playgrounds for both Addie and Jasper to hit up on our way to and from the parking area.

Well, I'm off to enjoy this beautiful weather while it lasts. Happy 10/10/10 y'all! See ya next week! Thanks again to all my super supporters. You're the best!

Total Weekly Weight-loss: 1.6 lbs
Total Overall Weight-loss: 39.2 lbs

Weighing In - Week Thirty-Two

It's been a bumpy road, but I've survived... Long time no hear from, I know. The past six weeks have been brutal but somehow I've managed to maintain my weight. Now that things are settling down for me, I think I'm ready to recommit myself to my weight-loss goals and ready to get back on track.

There have been so many changes since I last posted that I hardly know where to begin. I've had to reassess my priorities and took a leave of absence from my schooling. This was a painful and difficult decision. I really wanted to succeed but things didn't work out the way I had planned. Isn't that how it always goes? I haven't given up on my dream of becoming a licensed cosmetologist, I've just had to put the dream on hold. I think many single parents out there can relate. It came down to needing to take care of my family and responsibilities which meant more working and no time for schooling. I've come to terms with my decision and hope to return to school in a few years. We'll see. I have to admit, going back to the work force in a more regular capacity has been good for me. I really enjoy working and I've come to re-appreciate the challenges it provides. Sometimes, I think I just get bored with the monotony of things and need a little change. Cosmetology school definitely was a challenge. It also taught me new ways to approach situations and helped me form new friendships. Something you can never have too many of.

Now, as many people will tell you, when doors close others open, well, the same can be said in reverse. This summer I made new friends and connections but I also had to say goodbye to a very special person. Just recently, my grandfather passed away. It wasn't sudden or unexpected but somehow it still came as a blow that knocked me off balance for a bit. I think that when you watch a loved one slip away, the grieving process begins at the very moment you begin to accept it. You could say I've been grieving for weeks when really he just passed a little over a week ago. It was very difficult trying to adopt the 'let go, and let god' mentality that so many people were prescribing for me. And ultimately, I'm not sure I was able to at all but I will say that the wound is healing and that where for a brief moment I felt an emptiness in my life, I'm very quickly filling it with wonderful memories.

You see, my grandfather was an avid outdoors-man. He hiked, camped, fished, and traveled all over the world. In fact, what all he was able to do and achieve in his life, puts me to shame. He was truly a remarkable man. Unfortunately, my children were too young to really know the side of him that I did and so I feel it is my personal dedication to him that I try and encourage his love of the great outdoors in my kids. What this means is that instead of my workouts being limited to just me and my exercise videos and elliptical machine, I'm going to try and spend as much time as possible getting my kids outside hiking and biking and enjoying nature as their great-grandfather had. I'm breaking out the old bird books he gave me over the years and with bitter sweet memories, I'm going to try and teach my kids some of the wonderful things he taught me over the years.

I am going to still try and get down to my goal weight and I'll still have to utilize those god awful kickboxing routines but I feel now is the time to focus on my family and how I'm going to include them on this journey. I hope you'll stay tuned and follow our adventure as you have been. And it will be an adventure, as I'm not nearly as versed in outdoor activities as my grandfather was. In other words, this could be a laugh. I'll keep you all posted. Today, in fact, I'm taking the kids out to a local regional park despite the 30% chance of rain, to do some hiking. There may be some fun tales to be told when we get home.

And finally, on a happy and uplifting note, as so many of my friends and followers have been asking, yes, my "boo" and I are still going strong. I have to laugh. It seems that many of my weight-loss supporters are also cheerleaders for my personal life. You guys are great! It has been the love and support of my friends, family, and fans that has made this difficult time in my life, that much easier to endure. So with heartfelt appreciation, I thank you all. Well, it's that time of day when the kiddos emerge from their lair and I must go feed my hungry little beasts. I hope everyone has a wonderful Sunday. See you soon and "Happy Trails" to you all.

Total Weekly Weight-loss: 0 lbs
Total Overall Weight-loss: 37.6 lbs ... and counting!

Weighing In - Week Twenty-Six

Oops, my bad! So, you may have noticed that last week I didn't blog. It wasn't that I forgot, just that I wasn't actually in town. I spent the weekend camping at Jenkinson Lake in Sly Park with my family. What an amazing place! It was absolutely beautiful and relaxing. Well, relaxing until I slipped a disk in my spine on Sunday morning, while loading the car to head home. Not good.

After a very painful two hour drive home, I was barely able to get out of the car. What I needed to do was stop right then and there and stretch out on the sofa for the afternoon. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to. Instead, super-mom that I try to be, I unloaded the car, got myself and all three kids bathed and dressed in fresh clothes, and then headed to a family BBQ in honor of an out-of-town guest. Ouch!

Needless to say, come Monday, I was broken. What had started out as a painful pressure in my lower back, was now a full on spasm running down my right leg, leaving the toes on my right foot tingly and numb. Loss of feeling in your gas/brake pedal foot is rather alarming. So, after a trip to the local ER and three different prescriptions, I was officially out of the game and on the disabled list. This wouldn't have been so bad for my weight-loss journey if I hadn't spent the previous weekend eating and drinking beer, then eating and drinking some more. I had gained 5 lbs by the time I had returned home. Instead of being able to work off those pounds, I was told to do pretty much nothing for two or three days in order for my back to heal. Well, sorry doc, no dice.

You see, having three kids pretty much requires some form of movement at all times. Whether it be bathing the 4 year old, picking up after the 8 year old or cooking food for the 11 year old (which is almost constant) you find yourself moving. Anyway you look at it, to be a single mom of three, you have to be mobile. So, instead of rest and relaxation, I found myself popping muscle relaxers and pain killers so that I could do little things like unpack from our camping trip and try to clean the house.

Anyhow, at this point I'm already up 5 pounds and feeling pretty miserable so, to top it all off, Tuesday was my birthday. I haven't had an actual birthday party in at least a decade, if not longer, so my neighbors, friends and I had been planning this luau themed BBQ party for months and here I was, feeling like the tin-man from the Wizard of Oz before Dorothy helps him with that little can of oil. Let me just say, pain killers and muscle relaxers DO NOT mix well with alcohol. Although my back was giving me no trouble after beer number three, by about midnight I was dead to the world. Happy Birthday to me.

In addition to the birthday BBQ, there was the birthday lunch at the Cheesecake Factory followed by the birthday dinner at Flora in Oakland with my parents. Do you see a theme here? Food, food and more food. None of which was "diet friendly" to say the least. Now, I've sworn off beer for a while now. Empty calories and all that (plus, I'm still having to take the occasional prescription pill to get through my day to day chores around the house). And I've been drinking water and V-8 by the gallon, so instead of being 5 to 10 pounds up from my weigh-in two weeks ago, I'm only up one. Not bad, but definitely not good either. Grrrr!

I've been advised by doctors, families and friends to just rest and not push my back but I'm hoping to begin some mini-workouts on Monday. I really am going nuts being so sedentary. My apartment looked like a tornado had blown through since I hadn't been able to successfully keep up on the little stuff. Blessed as I am, I have amazing friends and a super boyfriend who are keeping me in check and helping me clean up, little by little. They have even managed to enlist the help of my not-so-helpful children! Amazing!

Now it's Sunday morning, and I've confessed to most of my dieting sins from the past two weeks. Ahhh, what a cathartic experience. And I'm off to go make some waffles for my kids Sunday brunch and then try to do some of that relaxing everyone has been talking about. I must thank all my supporters who even though I've looked yucky and puffy for the past week, they continue to cheer me on and give me words of encouragement. You guys are the best! I wish everyone a wonderful week and I'll see you next Sunday, hopefully with some weight loss instead of gain.

Total Weekly Weight-Loss: 1 pound gained
Overall Total Weight-Loss: 37.2 pounds

Weighing In - Week Twenty-Four

Doing just fine. So... I haven't been working out as much as I should. I know this. But aside from that, I've been pretty good about my diet.

I have gone back to eating meat but only in limited amounts and not as often as once used to. Of course, as fate would have it, the new "man in my life" grills a mean steak, so I'm really having to watch myself now. He loves to cook and since I'm pretty much burnt out on it, this could lead to a dieting-disaster for me. Somehow, he even got me eating asparagus this week! Of course it was wrapped in prosciutto and pan fried with garlic but asparagus nonetheless! For those who know me, that was right up there on my list of "icky veggies" with Brussels sprouts and cooked spinach! Anyhow, when I'm not being tempted into eating deliciously decadent no-no foods, I'm still eating my "rabbit food" salads as often as possible and of course, I'm loving this fresh fruit and veggie time of year.

I'm still not dropping weight very quickly but I find I'm quite happy with my progress so far. This week I really tried to make sure I was drinking more water since I had slacked off for a bit there. I've been having about 60 to 70 ounces per day which is really good but of course, this means I've become acquainted with most of the public restrooms in a 10 mile radius!

A little hiccup I've had this past week has been stress. I have been stressing out over all sorts of things and it's messing up my sleep cycles and energy levels. I've been told that stress can be a contributing factor for weight gain, so it's really important for me NOT to STRESS. Ha! Easier said than done! It's definitely been an interesting summer with lots of little highs and lows but I recognize that for both my mental and physical health, I need to make a better effort at riding the waves instead of fighting them.

So goals for this week: Continue drinking copious amounts of water. Exercise, exercise, exercise. Oh, and try not to stress over the little stuff.

Thanks to all the fabulously supportive people in my life. You guys are wonderful! I got a little thrill this week having an old friend tell me I looked "damn good." To which I replied, "Thanks, I know!" Ha ha! I guess my sassy old self is coming back. Man, I've really missed me. Well, I'm off to a mini-amusement park with the kids today. The weather is a bit breezy but otherwise beautifully clear. I hope everyone has a wonderful week. See you next time!

Total Weekly Weight-Loss: 1.4 pounds
Total Overall Weight-Loss: 38.2 pounds

Weighing In - Week Twenty-Three

Hmm... I'm not complaining, but note-to-self: more exercise, less beer. Since it's summer, I've been having a lot of beer and barbecue. Too much, probably. And although I didn't gain any weight this past week, neither did I make it to 155 lbs as I had hoped. Of course, it would have helped if I had actually exercised just once.

Early last week I developed a toothache which was uncomfortable but bearable most of the time. Then on Wednesday I did the unthinkable and ate this delightfully decadent cake with Parisian creme filling. It was to die for... and then the toothache took on a life of it's own and I was wishing I really had died! I got no sleep on Wednesday night so by Thursday afternoon, I was miserable. I ended up coming home at lunch and taking everything I could find to kill the pain and then a 3 and a half hour nap. It worked. Since then I've been, for the most part, pain free. Needless to say, I'm trying my damnedest to avoid the sweets, and a repeat of last week. I know, I know, what was I thinking eating cake when I'm supposed to be losing weight! Well, it was a graduation party and I was doing my part of the clean up... cleaning up the cake, that is! Oh well, lesson learned and I'm figuring this is Mother Nature's way of saying, stay on track with the diet, little girl!

Well, it's about 6:20 AM and the sun is up, so it's time for this happy little clam to get ready for the day. I've promised another day of "fun in the sun at the pool" for the kids. I really think that should count as exercise or at least a cardio-workout. I swear I burn a bazillion calories trying to keep an eye on all three of them at once. It seems like my heart pounds a mile a minute as I watch my four year old jump into the pool too close to the wall, the eight year old snorkeling around clueless of the people jumping directly above him and then myself having to dodge water balloons and other projectiles the eleven year old is aiming at me. It really is a three ring circus and I'm just along for the ride.

As usual, thanks to all my super-duper fans and friends. You guys are an amazing support system and I am blessed to have you. I hope everyone has a wonderful week. See you next Sunday and hopefully with some real results.

Total Weekly Weight Loss: 0.4 lbs
Overall Total Weight Loss: 36.8 lbs

Weighing In - Week Twenty-Two

On the road again... The road towards my goal of 125 pounds! I had been aiming for 160 pounds this week, so I'm obviously pretty stoked about pulling a 156.6! I think, in hindsight, it was good for me to plateau around 161 pounds for a while. It seems to have given my body time to catch up and the energy to move on.
Not much has changed in my overall routine, except that I did make a point to exercise three times last week. Now that I'm no longer battling infections, I find that I have more energy than before. And of course, it didn't hurt that I took a well deserved weekend off, to unwind by the lake. If I could just make weekends like that happen every few months rather than once a year, I think my overall health would be greatly improved. It's hard not to run yourself into the ground trying to be everything for everyone, everywhere. I highly recommend regular mini-vacations to other people with weight loss struggles.
And finally, it seems that after years of being completely off the dating radar, I'm back in the game. I've been ridiculously happy this past week. There is something refreshing and motivating about a new possible relationship. You find yourself smiling a lot more and actually wanting to exercise rather than making yourself. Whether or not, this new situation will pan out to be the real deal, I can't possibly say at this point, but it seems to be great for my diet!
Well, it's an incredibly beautiful Sunday morning. There isn't a single cloud in the sky. I've got to go make the kids breakfast and then we're going to spend some time at the pool. I'll be swimming laps; they'll just be making a ruckus. Let's shoot for 155 pounds next Sunday. Oh, and by the way, for those who've been following my mini-goals. I had hoped to be a size 10 pant by my birthday in mid-August. Well, that goal was actually reached back in week twenty! So now, my goal is to fit into a size 8 by the big event. Let's see how close I can actually get! There are still almost three weeks until then, so with a bit of luck and a heck of a lot of exercise... I should be able to pull it off.
Thank you to all my awesome friends, family and fans. You guys are really great on a gal's self-esteem. Keep the compliments coming... my favorite from last week had to be, 'You look like your ten years younger!' That would put me at about 22 years old... which was just a year after my first child was born. Not bad. I'm shooting for looking like I did BEFORE my first child was born. Now, that would truly be makeover!
Until next time, have a wonderful week!

Total Weekly Weight Loss: 4.8 pounds
Overall Total Weight Loss: 36.4 pounds

Weighing In - Week Twenty One

And you thought I forgot... Well, I didn't. This is going to a short a and sweet blog.

I just spent the weekend up in the foothills, relaxing by Twain Harte Lake and wasn't home to do my usual Sunday morning blog. As I sip my coffee, I thought I'd quickly post the latest (and not exactly greatest) weigh in. Obviously, not much has changed since I last posted. I'm still hovering about 160 lbs.

With the weather being so warm, I foresee much water drinking in my future but not much actual vigorous exercise. It's going to take extreme dedication on my part, to get me off this plateau. Here's hoping that this week I'm able to find my inner cheerleader. Goal: Drop below 160 lbs by next Sunday. Stay tuned to see if I'm able to pull it off. I hope everyone has a fantastic week. See you next time.

Total Weekly Weight Loss: 1 pound
Overall Total Weight Loss: 31.6 pounds