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

Weighing In - Week Twenty

Losing ground... OK, not really but it kind of feels like it. This was probably a week I should have taken off dieting since I was absolutely horrible about food choices. In other words, I managed to eat ALL my no-no foods and didn't do ANY exercising.

It started out like every other week. Sunday I spent time at the pool with the kiddos (recuperating from a hectic week before). Monday was much the same except that in honor of my son's birthday we had an enormous steak and potatoes feast. Yum, steak... no-no, potatoes... no-no. And of course, since it was a birthday, there was cake and ice cream involved too. Yum, cake... no-no. Tuesday, much the same. Wednesday it was back to school and unfortunately, I didn't have too many human clients to keep me busy. I spent most of the day working on my mannequin head doing updo's and trying to keep busy. When I'm not busy, I'm a snacker, and snack I did, all day.

Now I should probably mention that about four or five weeks ago I developed a weird bump under my right arm. At the time, I thought nothing of it. I figured it was from razor burn. An ingrown hair that got infected. Nothing, right? It got nasty, inflamed, did it's thing and then went away. A few weeks later, I got another one. Same arm, different spot. This time I chalked it up to a dull razor and all the time I'd been spending in the pool. Again, it did it's thing and then much slower this time, went away. Well last week, I got a third infection. This time on my left arm, lower down on the bicep where I don't shave. Hmm... I was having a harder time rationalizing this one. I figured it was from all the rubbing my arm was getting from my school shirt and me sweating while working on clients. It's been hot on the salon floor lately. It's been hot outside too. See, just sweat and rubbing. Excuses, excuses.

If you can't tell, I'm not one to rush off to the doctor. I tend to brush thingd of when it comes to MY body. My children however, different story, I would have had them in the ER at the first signs of something like this but myself... well, I am of the 'suck it up, you'll live' mindset. Well, I'm having dinner with my kids' grandmother Thursday night, and she mentions how exhausted I look, and I mention the growing red infection on my arm. One look and she freaks. Not because it was gory or anything but 1. she tends to overreact to everything and 2. she's just had a co-worker develop a staph infection that had them in the hospital on their back for three days. Now she's got me freaking. She's throwing out things like, 'blood poisoning' and 'you could die.' Needless to say, Friday morning, bright and early, I visited the local ER to have my arm looked at. And the doctor tells me, 'Yes, it looks like a staph infection but no, it won't kill you.' Huh. In all my 30 some-odd-years, I've never had a staph infection so I really know nothing about them. She tells me they're pretty common but still I'm stressed thinking about how long I've been living with this and if the kids possibly have this too, just waiting to rear it's ugly head. Stress... Stress.... Stress....

Anyhow, the doctor did her thing, which I won't go into details about but I can tell you it's painful and gross. I was sent on my way with some super antibiotics and I'm currently waiting for the cultures she took to be tested and for the results to determine which kind of staph and whether or not I need even MORE super antibiotics. I'm having to be my own nurse now, changing the dressing twice a day. YUCK and OUCH! This totally sucks. Not only am I in pain but I'm constantly exhausted. I haven't had the energy to clean my house, do my laundry, or even tie my shoes. Thank god for slip ons and flip-flops.

So, although it's not diet related, there is a lesson to be learned here. If you're a parent, and even if you're not, don't let these things wait and fester. Get checked out at the first sign of something not being normal. I wish I had and maybe I could have avoided the pain and exhaustion I've been suffering for the last month. Looking back, I realize this started about the time I phased out to the salon and began working on clients. I was chalking up the exhaustion to all the hours on my feet but I'm thinking now, it was probably the infection raging through my system. As they say, you live, you learn. I did, the hard way.

Now, all this Stress... Stress... Stress... took it's toll on my body this week. In addition to my monthly food binging that most women are familiar with, I've been going gang busters with the naughty foods. We're talking cold cut sandwiches with (gasp) bread, chips, cookies, french fries (double gasp). Ugh! I'm cringing while I type this. A blue-cheese burger, cake, ice cream and candy... I'm telling you, I went BIG this week in terms of blowing off this diet. It's been bad.

But, I should mention that despite major water retention, bloating and horrible eating habits, I did just purchase some size 10 jeans that fit surprisingly well. Who would have guessed? So I can't complain there but really, I know this can't continue, and after today's birthday party, I'm going to have to get really strict about my diet again. Of course, I really can't help the exercising until this infection is totally cleared up. The more I move my arm the angrier it gets. And it get's wicked angry by the end of the day just by me doing normal day to day stuff without the extra exertion of rigorous exercise.

So what I've learned this week: 1. Don't put your health on the back burner... sometimes these things don't go away on their own. 2. If you have to, go ahead and 'stress eat' but try to keep it small. And finally,3. if I should ever mention interest in becoming a medical professional, smack me. I am SO not cut out for this kind of stuff.

Thanks to all my supporters... I promise to get back on track soon. I hope everyone has a wonderfully healthy week. Catch ya'll next week. Oh, and P.S. For those following, I found my cell phone (it had been lost in the chaos called the kids toy room and my car has been fixed and she's running like a dream. A few less Stresses on the list of life! Yah!

Total weekly weight loss: 2.4 pounds gained
Total overall weight loss: 30.6 pounds

Weighin In - Week Nineteen

Holding on... Holding on strong! Although there isn't a remarkable difference from last week, the half pound loss is one I'll gladly take. I'm not complaining. I have a feeling that these next thirty pounds are going to be more difficult to lose than the last thirty. But that's normal, isn't it? I've come to the conclusion that if I'm going to keep on schedule with my plan to reach 125 lbs by Halloween, I'm going to have to step up my game. Seriously step it up.

I only worked out twice this week. Obviously not enough to result in awesome weight loss. Of course, I had an incredibly busy week at school which always leaves me brain dead by 7:00pm. And then there was the spontaneous ER run on Wednesday night. Nothing like spending a few hours in the stress-inducing sterile environment of a hospital. Nothing like thinking your four-year-old daughter might need a nose job by age five. Luckily, at this point it appears to be only a minor fracture or a severe bruise. We're waiting for the swelling to go down. It's now Sunday and she still sounds like she's totally plugged up. We're hoping by Wednesday we'll better know the damage.

And then on Friday, I had a non-stop day in the school salon. Unlike most days, I didn't have any manicures or pedicures to allow me to sit for an hour or two during the day. I started the day working a roller set on my mannequin head which was interrupted half way through to assist in a full head of highlights on a client. It was hilarious really. Due to the fact that the client had heavily processed hair to begin with, we were required to get the foils in her hair quickly. There were three of us, working at lightning speed. Needless to say, we were sweating to get at least fifty highlight foils on her head and it was a bit cramped with the three of us crowded around the one salon chair. But in the end, we did it, and it looked great! As soon as I was through with that, I was given a shampoo, haircut and blow-dry which kept me on my feet right up to my lunch at 2:30pm. After quickly wolfing down a salad and some pita chips with hummus, I moved to my last client of the day. A childhood friend and her mother came in for services. Trina is one of those people who is blessed with a full head of fabulously curly hair. After a shampoo, blow-dry, and then two-person flat iron session, her hair literally reached down beyond her waist. At that point, I trimmed her ends and finished off the style with some smoothing product and she and her mom (who'd had a pedicure while she waited) were off. It was after 5:30pm at that point and I was exhausted. Clean up of my station and sanitizing my tools took me right up to 6:20pm and it was time to go home. Although I was pleased with the day's works, I was dead on my feet and it turns out, my abdominal muscles were none to pleased with me. All day Saturday I felt like my innards were going to fall out so I spent much of the afternoon bobbing around in the pool letting the water counteract gravity and giving my ab muscles a break.

And now it's Sunday, July 4th. Happy 4th! I have plans for another trip to the pool today as I'm still feeling the strain left over from Friday. I figure some laps in the pool will be better than no exercise at all. Then my kiddos are off to spend the afternoon and ultimately spend the night at the father's house. If I'm feeling up to it, I'll try to get a workout in when my house is tidy and empty (something that doesn't happen often or last very long). But, if my abs are up to it, I won't push it and I won't feel bad.

Now, I must sign off and get the kids ready for the pool. I thank everyone for the wonderful posts on my Facebook! You guys really keep me going! Take care! Have a happy, healthy and safe 4th of July! See you next week!

Total Weekly Weight-loss: 0.6 pounds
Total Overall Weight-loss: 33 pounds

Weighing In - Week Eighteen

Wow! What a crazy chaotic week full of highs and lows! But I survived and managed to lose nearly another two pounds in the process! As some people may know, from following my personal Facebook page, I had a heck of a time dealing with AT&T this week. After multiple mishaps and mis-communications (on their end) I am finally back online in my own apartment! Yah! No more trying to get a wifi signal on my back patio! Which, by the way, is NOT easy. That in itself was a workout! You should have seen it, me constantly moving the laptop this way and that to keep the signal. It would have been funny if I hadn't been paying AT&T for a secure in-home signal the whole time! But I'm happy to say that as of 10:30pm on Friday, it has all been fixed!

It turns out there is truth to the saying, 'There is a silver lining to every rain cloud." Since I was stuck at home for most of the week (waiting for the elusive repairman) I did finally get to some LONG overdo house cleaning. Again, another unplanned workout. When it's 80 degrees outside, these tiny little apartments tend to heat up regardless of how many fans you've got going. I was seriously dripping buckets of sweat while scrubbing my kitchen floor on my hands and knees! I can't complain, those two pounds pay off nicely despite the aggravation it took to get me there.

This week also marked the end of a a very long and stressful chapter in my life. Thursday afternoon, one door closed and another opened. A process, I had been working on for over three years. And while it is always sad when one must cut their losses and move on, it was way past time. I am now happily divorced. Don't get me wrong, it was not like my ex and I hated one another or were one of those couples you see on Jerry Springer or Divorce Court. In fact, we were the only two people in the courthouse laughing and joking through the whole process Thursday afternoon. But we've both come the realization that we make better friends than spouses and it's such a relief to know that we can now move on with our lives. It's been funny, people don't know whether to congratulate or console us. Let it be known that we couldn't be happier with this outcome regardless of the fact that in the eyes of many others it appears that we failed miserably in our marriage. All I can say is, come on, it wasn't a total wash, we have three of the most beautiful amazing children as proof. But enough of that... in short, a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders and I feel like a new woman.

Now, with this emotional roller coaster of a week, I was bound to have a few diet hiccups. Which I did. But for the most part, I wasn't so bad. After another no show by the repairman on Wednesday, I did want to dive into the carton of Rocky Road ice cream and not come up for air till I hit bottom, but I didn't. Instead I vented, ate three cups of 10 calorie Jel-lo and then went to bed. On Thursday, in celebratory fashion I allowed myself, not one, not two but three glasses of wine and even ate some of the Rice-A-Roni I'd made for the kids. I did stick to a veggie burger instead of the lamb chops I'd grilled for the kiddos. And on Friday, after the repairman finally came and then left and we were over-joyed to be back online, so I treated the kids to Happy Meals from McDonald's. I, myself, ordered a medium fry but wasn't able to finish it. About halfway through I got the "B.G.'s" (bubble guts) and decided not to push my luck. I don't think my body liked all that grease and salt. But I'll admit it, boy did they taste good. Other than that, I've really been trying to stay true to my healthier eating. I have been drinking lots of water since it's warmed up considerably around here. And I've tried to stay active as much as possible considering I wasn't at school most the week so I wasn't rushing around the salon floor burning calories like a mad woman.

All in all... it's been another good week. So, thanks again to all my supporters and thanks for all the wonderful compliments! I'm still hoping to hit a size 10 by mid August and I think I just might since my 12's are getting quite baggy. I'll keep you all posted. Until next time, I wish everyone a wonderful week!


Total Weekly Weight-loss: 1.8 pounds

Total Overall Weight-loss: 32.4 pounds

Adventures in Waiting

Adventures in Waiting - A Non-Weight-loss Blog
It is day two in my quest to locate the elusive mythical creature called 'AT&T Repair Tech.' I'm honestly doubting all previous tales of this being's existence. I think I'm more likely to spot Nessie swimming in my bathtub but never the less I push on. Hope springs eternal and all that.

I'm currently lying in wait, hunkered down quietly in my humble abode trying to find ways to pass the time. It is amazing the revelations one can make when they are stuck at home without their three children running amok to keep them busy. Did you know it is humanly possible to splatter coffee six feet up a kitchen wall? Well, it is. I found proof just earlier today when I went to take out the garbage. I'm not sure when that happened but said proof has since been removed from white wall. What truly boggles the mind is how I'm the only one who drinks coffee in this house and I'm only five feet tall... Hmm. And also, have I mentioned that a home without children present stays neat and tidy for more than twenty minutes! And even better, I haven't had to remind a single soul to put the seat down or stop wrestling in the living room. All in all, my apartment is eerily quiet. If only I could here the pitter-patter of repairman feet on my front step... Well now, what I really meant to write about is this:

I love forced productivity. I'm not talking about the kind where someone is standing over you nagging you to clean your room or else... No, I'm referring to the kind that only happens when you can find absolutely nothing else to do but BE productive. For example, the Wednesday morning dishes that usually reside in the kitchen sink until I return home from school that evening are currently loaded into the dishwasher. And said dishwasher has already been run. Unbelievable, I know. I'm slightly startled by this every time I enter my kitchen.

Oh! And another gem of productivity I tackled thus far: mopping. As many of you may already know, I detest mopping my kitchen floor. I find it disgusting, pushing a dirty mop full of once clean but now thoroughly dirty water across the floor where it will undoubtedly pool beneath the baseboards. Yuck, yuck and yuck! Well, it turns out, when you have nothing but time on your hands and all the slightly more pleasant tasks that need doing require leaving your home (which is an absolute no-no since that is exactly the time the repairman will decide to show up) your kitchen floor gets scrubbed... by hand. Yes, she said by hand. And did you know that Cascade dishwasher detergent makes a wonderful floor cleaning agent? I didn't but as it turns out, my delightful children used all the Spic and Span (for lord knows what) and since I cannot leave my home for reasons previously mentioned, I was forced to be creative. My kitchen floor is quite literally clean enough to eat off of! Well, at least, in theory. But please, don't tell my children that, since I'm sure one or two would be inclined to test such a theory out but back to the story at hand...

Once the laundry was folded and put away, the apartment vacuumed, the kitchen mopped, dishes done and still no sign of the repairman, I was in need of other time consuming tasks. As they say, when the cat's away the mice will play... well, in this case it was vice-verse. This cat decided to play with the mouse's new keyboard. Did you know that playing piano is much like riding a bike? It's all about good form and once you know how, you never forget. (Thanks Dad, those lessons way back when are still paying off!) After an hour of awkward practice and a few dozen horribly wrong notes (sorry neighbors) I'm able to play Fur Elise like a pro! OK, more like a fifth grade, third year piano student but hey, it's still music. Sort of. And not only have Beethoven and I bonded but I whipped out a mean Mozart Rondo, a melodious Moonlight Sonata, and just for kicks and giggles, I unearthed the sheet music for the Beverly Hills Cop theme song! My son will be so thrilled! Now I say 'unearthed' because literally my front bedroom remains a hard-hat required disaster zone. I will take desperation beyond what I've encountered today, to motivate myself to tackle unpacking all those boxes and sorting through all those toys. Of course, the day is young... and as of yet (3pm) still no repairman so who knows, the desperation my come yet.

Now a few of you may be wondering, "Why isn't she exercising? This is a perfect opportunity to burn some calories!" To this I say, Ah... no. My luck would be that at the exact moment I'm midway through my workout, and I've worked myself up to a startling shade of red that implies need of emergency medical assistance, would be the exact moment my wayward repairman would arrive. So, no thank you. I'll have to wait for another perfect opportunity that doesn't mix copious amounts of sweat with strange people in my home.

Well now, I've killed about half an hour rambling here. And no, the tech has still not arrived, so I'm off in search of more ways to entertain myself. I wonder if Addie will mind if I organize her My Little Ponies magnets.... Hmmm. Well, tah-tah for now. Stay tuned for more Adventures in Waiting! Maybe I'll have photographic proof to sell to the tabloids if this so-called 'AT&T Tech Repairman' ever decides to show up!