Diane

Good Morning!  My doctor’s scales finally registered a loss - 9 pounds in 3 1/2 weeks!  I was so excited that I almost pulled an Ashlee Simpson on SNL, but it would have made me cough and I can’t do that.  Was at the doctors because I have strep throat now!  I’m 35 years old and this is one first I could have gone to my grave never having experienced!  Anyway, I’m on rest and a lot of fluids for the next couple of days. 

Good news is, according to a recent study, diet and exercise equal out when it comes to weight loss.  Since I really don’t feel like eating much, I’m still losing.  I am so annoyed that I haven’t been able to exercise because even though I’m losing pounds, I’m not losing inches quickly any more.  However, I have to look at the other side and realize that any amount helps at this point.  I admire those of you who can exercise through illness.  I just can’t on this one.   

Now I need to go make sure my kids haven’t ransacked the kitchen, a favorite past time of theirs.

It’s been quite a week.  Kids have been sick and that’s kept us trapped inside all week.  Both finally seem to be feeling better.  DD acutally ate something today.  Just trying to keep up with laundry was a nightmare.  I’d finally almost done that when a jar of concentrated food coloring gel got into the dryer and nearly destroyed all of the kids clothes.  There are still some stains, but at least everything isn’t peach colored any longer! 

I’m so hoping that all goes well and I can get to the gym this week.  I joined so someone else can watch the kids while I exercise, but I’m not going to take them there when they’re sick.  And I’m tired of hearing my sister-in-law complain that my mother doesn’t take care of her kids enough.  Every time I talk to Mom at least one of the girls is there!  Well, not every time, but at least 4-5 times a week.  Right now my Mom has to take my father to the hospital 3 times a day for treatment and she is still expected to watch the girls so my brother and his wife can have a night out.  I guess my biggest problem is that they willing do this to my parents and that my mom complains about it but does nothing.  I know, totally off topic, but it is a stressor in my life.  I live 1000 miles from my family and yet I seem to be the only one who cares about making my parents life easier.

Anyway, I’m off to pick up all the fallen branches in the back yard.  Hopefully my daughter will enjoy being outside as well.  I hope everyone has a great weekend. 

Well, whatever darkness was surrounding me the past couple of weeks has finally lifted.  A couple nights of sleep helped, I think.  Kids are on the mend from a combo of strep throat, colds and a stomach virus.  My dad is leaving the hospital today after almost a week because of a staff infection.  I wish I lived closer so I could help, but couldn’t at the moment anyway.  And if I hear of one of   my brothers asking to drop off a sick kid for Mom to watch, I may just drive to Maine and give him a black eye!

Anyway, I have my menu planned for the week.  I’ve switched from coffee with creamer to green tea.  Found one that tastes great - it has acai berries in it as well.  And I’m determined to get my exercise in despite not being able to go to the gym.  I have equipment here and I may even try the belly dance dvd I have AFTER making sure all the blinds are drawn and drapes securely drawn over them! 

Have a great week everyone.

You are all doing great! 

I just wanted to say thank you to all who have been an encouragement to me lately.  It’s been a tough couple of weeks and I truely appreciate all of the positive notes and comments. 

Tonight my husband is working so I get to decide - Do I leave the house a mess and get in a long workout before going to bed or pick up and try to get some sleep, provided the kids actually sleep tonight.  My personal favorite right now is to do next to nothing, but that’s how I ended up in this place to begin with.  Besides, doing nothing doesn’t make me feel any better.

Once again, thank you. 

Hope everyone has a great evening.

I am still trying to deal with this only being Friday!  Last week I joined the Y and I have yet to go back.  Kiddies or I have been under the weather ever since.  My daughter has strep throat and they both have an intestinal bug.  I feel terrible that I didn’t take her to the doctor earlier.  She’s 3 and a half and has never had strep or an ear infection or anything besides a burn that needed a doctor’s attention before.  Now I think my son is getting it too.

Diet and exercise were out the window.  I did manage to get in some yoga and a little tai chi.  Since I’ve been feeling a tad ill, I haven’t wanted to eat much so I guess that is all balancing out.  Most of all, I feel like I wasted money by signing up at the Y and not going.  I know there’s nothing I can do about it.  I’d be pretty ticked if anyone dropped their kids off at child watch knowing they were ill.  I won’t take mine there if I think they’re even getting sick and I wish everyone else had the same way of thinking.  I don’t want to make anyone else’s kids sick and I don’t appreciate it when others don’t take the same care.  Can you guess that the only place   my kids have been around other kids was at the Y?

Okay, I’m off my soap box now.  I’m planning to do the cranberry flush this weekend in the hopes that I can kick whatever it is that’s making me sick.  And my husband would add cranky.  I’m using coconut water with the cranberry juice and an ounce of chia seeds to keep the nutritional level a bit higher.  I love Jungle Jim’s.  They have stuff that even the health food stores here in Cincinnati don’t carry.

A good evening to all, especially the Violets!

I have decided to cut most of the added sugar from my diet.  If it’s not there because of fruit or dairy, I’m not going to eat it.  The one exception is coffee creamer.  I drink one cup of coffee a day with 1 tablespoon of creamer and I’ve found that gives me the energy to keep going after being up all night with kids.  I may try green tea again to eliminate even that, but not right now.

My husband and I were talking over the weekend and I got a whole new perspective on this weightloss thing.  I’ve been trying to lose weight my whole life.  I think the last time I weighed anywhere near 130 was when I was about 13.  This weekend I realized that there is an end to this journey.  If I continue to eat healthy and exercise, there will come a day when I no longer have to lose weight.  Someday, within the next year or two, I will no longer have this albatross haunting me.  To have one day where I don’t need to be concerned about being over weight, that has been my dream for so long, but I don’t think I ever really thought it could happen. 

Yes, this whole thing would have been a lot easier if I had continued the weightloss years ago when I only had 30 pounds more to lose, but I didn’t.  I don’t focus on that.  I won’t focus on that.  I’m no longer there.  That is no longer the reality of my life.  I am making this change.  I am doing it for me, for my kids, for my husband.  I can see the end, something I couldn’t see when I had only 30 pounds to lose.  I am content knowing that I will get there and that I AM getting closer every day.

This is such a typical Monday.  I had an appointment at the Y to get   all the machines set up on their computer system for me at 9.  My son never got up until 9:15.  He was up during the night so I shouldn’t have been surprised.  So I was going to just go do my regular workout and my daughter would not cooperate for anything this morning.  By the time she finally did what she needed to do to leave the house it was 11:30.  I decided to still go out and do something so we were going to walk around the block with the dog.  Well, it’s now 11:51 and it took almost 15 minutes to walk less than a quarter mile.  My son wanted to go in one direction and my daughter in the other, all this while I’m trying to make sure the dog doesn’t tangle either of them or me in her leash! 

I am going to get my workout in today even if it is at midnight!  It might not be at the Y, but I am going to do it.  Oh, to have my parents living near so I could drop the kids off on them for an hour!  Why can’t Portland, Maine be a center for the aviation industry?!

Great job!  49 pound total, WOW!

Despite not being able to exercise much last week, I did manage to lose a couple of pounds.  I have now lost a total of 14 pounds in 2 months.  I have to remind myself that that isn’t bad.  I’m doing it the right way and that this time it will stay off.  I just have trouble not getting depressed with the slowness of the whole process.  I really don’t care that it took me over a decade to put on the 100 plus pounds from my lowest weight as an adult.  I want it gone and I want it gone now!  Of course, it would help if I didn’t have to deal with depression in the first place, but I do, so I will.  Today is just a bit of a downer because I’m tired and sore.

On the upside, my kids don’t want to stay inside at all.  Yesterday we all walked around the block (a half mile) and my 18 month old walke the whole thing himself.  My daughter will walk about a mile before wanting to get in the stroller and this was the first time my husband had been home to go out with the kids.  No way I’m dealing with two little ones walking beside a busy street on my own.  Now I just need to clean up the back yard so they can play out there. 

Good luck to everyone on the Blue and Red teams today.