March assesment

I know there were no updates in March.

Reason: sick mom, sick dad, sick baby. We traded sick for about 4 weeks and it was not fun or pretty.

I did however lose ONE pound. My measurements stayed the same.

Time to get serious.

I'm just not eating sugar, or treats at all. Not even my weekly treat from the store (which really was turning into an almost daily treat).

We also found out that our son has a peanut allergy. That has been a blessing and put us on an interesting new path. First, he is only peanut allergic, but because so many things are processed with peanuts, many things have been cut out of our diet. However most of these things fall into the chips, crackers, candy group, so really no big loss. Anything with chocolate is out too. Most mass produced candy that you'd find on a holiday isle is cross contaminated. So that is totally out too. I have found websites that do seel peanut/tree nut free candy etc, and I'm sure we'll be patronizing those eventually.

The peanut allergy really put Easter into perspective. We did not have a basket full of candy. We made some homemade sugar cookies -- that's all. It was fun and they were ymmy too. We also decided that everyone will be peanut free so it really is going to cut alot of junk out of all of our lives.

The other thing about a peanut allergy is if we want treats I will have to make them and since I really am not into baking and dessert making, that's not going to happen all that often.

So it's all good.

So on to April. I've exercised everyday for a week and have managed not to injure myself either. I'm going to keep on this. My goal for April is to lose 5 pounds. If I can lose 5 pounds a month I will be at my prepreganancy weight in 3 months and I can and do want to keep going. Perhaps getting even farther down the scale if and when we try to have another baby.

So there you go....on ward and down ward, without a peanut either.

Wedding Ring

My third post for today....I think I have a lot to say...obviously!

But this is big!! BIIIG!

I am wearing my wedding ring for the first time in over a year.

Thank you for celebrating this moment with me.

This week in half review

The first week is half way thru...

It's always the hardest in the beginning. But this beginning is not nearly as hard at that first beginning back in 2007.

Tracking is something that is always hard. I start out good in the AM, but by dinner I just forget. Despite that, I have stayed within 2-3 points over my daily points allowance. And to step down from my sweet tooth, which the holiday season did not help any, I've just had one or two cinnamon graham crackers after dinner. They are sweet enough to do the trick, but not sweet enough or full of fat to submarine me. I know in a few more days my palate will be where it needs to be and I won't even need the graham crackers anymore.

One thing that I love though are oranges. I'm from Arizona and grew up in an orange grove. In Arizona, during the winter (when the citrus comes in) you just don't buy oranges at the store, you just don't. Usually there are calls up and down the street and across town from families to "Come get some citrus. We're swimming over here." It's great. But being in the deep, dark winter of Northern New Mexico (I know not nearly as gnarly as say Minnesota or Nebraska -- or so my friends there tell me), there is no citrus and you have to buy your oranges at the store. For shame, for shame.

This year I actually did good with a box of Christmas navels. All of them have been very sweet and almost, but not nearly as good as oranges from our trees at home. So we'll make due with what we have. In good news though, my 13 month old son loves oranges. I slice them up into "smiles" for him and he likes to gnaw on them for a snack. A true Arizona baby, even though he was born here.

So for this week, down a pound, getting things back under control Only three more pounds to break into the 190s again...and that will be good.

What was really wrong...

Now it all makes sense...

Over the past week, it had been getting harder and harder to push the stroller up the hills in my neighoborhood. I kept thinking something was wrong with ME.

No. That would be something wrong with the stroller....like two flat tires. I have no idea where the tire pump is, and there is no way I am venturing into the man cave to find the pump. I will just have to think about walking and make extra good food choices today, because we are not strolling on flat tires anymore.

The Sour Cream Racket

Not only are my family notorious butter sumgglers, they apparently have gotten into the sour cream racket as well.

I thought I would be doing some cooking while here, but no. The Mormons* have come to our food aid with copious pans of enchaladas. I mean, we have chicken, beef, green chili, red chili, hot, and not hot. All with sour cream.

Not only that my Aunt Mae brought over some soup last night. I was eating a bowl, and thinking "How good and creamy is this?" It was then that I realized I was eating sour cream with some token potatoes and celery thrown in. Oh my -- but it was so GOOD!!

It's a good thing I brought my walking gear.

*We are Mormons, when Mormons get sick it's typical that members of the congregation will bring over food etc, for the sick person's family. Since half my family is our congreation, you can see how they have gotten into the sour cream racket. :)

Going out to dinner

In a rare event, we are going out to dinner -- because I worked hard after my husband's recent surgery and I deserve to not cook.

I hesitated to tell my husband I wanted to go to Chinese, because I knew what he would say. And he said it. "We can't go there, it would kill us." I know that's true, but I've never had trouble saying no at a buffet. He does, but I don't. I am in the mood for Chinese....I have 24 hrs to convince him that it will be ok.

Back at last

I just got back from a week at my Mom's house, which is also known as comfort food central. The day before we left our scale broke and my husband had to get a new one. I don't know how these two scales match up as I was gone for a week. My side by side weigh in this morning told me that my old scale weighs me 5 pounds less than the new scale. My husband tells me that both scales weigh him the same, so I am having a bit of a quandry. I don't really want to admit to myself that I have gained 5 pounds. Arrrgggghhh!

While home I also was able to get some orthodics made for my shoes. My uncle is a podiotrist and was able to do it quickly. They have made my feet feel tons better, however I can only wear them for short periods of time otherwise my feet and legs will get very soar. Oddly enough the whole week I was home, my feet did not hurt. I don't know if it was the fact that I was at a lower elevation or that I was not climbing hills everyday.

So back to the plan, back on the wagon this week. I have a lot of work to do.

Eulogy for a bike

Good bye excercise bike. You served us well as you took us to nowhere. You went and went and went, and yet you stayed in the same place. Saturday night when you fell apart, it was sad for us. But more than that, it was sad to have to clean up the mess your untimely demise left. Now you're going to a better place--the dump. Have a nice time there with the bugs, crows and garbage. We won't miss you too much, because we've already replaced you. No, we have no shame or loyalty, we're just that shallow. And in a million years when some archeologist digs you up and wonders what you were, we'll look down from heaven and laugh at you--because you were a bike that went nowhere.

Vay-cay twists of fate

I'm back home and so glad to be here!

I was able to go walking today...I LOVED IT! It felt so good to be out in my neighborhood, seeing my dog pals, the houses, the vacant lots and so on. It was a little bit warm, but it felt good.

I also have to say that I wore shorts. It's the first time my legs have seen the sun since, I don't know when, maybe 1991? I needed shorts instead of capri length pants so that they would tan up evenly. Right now I have tan between my sock line and my mid calf. It's silly looking. I can just have a sock tan, but not a half-calf tan.

And in an amazing twist of fate....I LOST 2 pounds on vay-cay! ?!!??!?!!. Ya, I'm stumped. I ate out more than I care to say, ate almost no fruit and veg and had more junkfood than I've eaten since before WW.

So, I'm going to continue on this good weight loss vibe. I am only 11 pounds from my goal weight. Now, once I get to my goal weight I want to try and loose 10 more additional pounds--just for the fun of it.

Chicken fat is back and is past the mental wasteland! I have focus once again, and I am ready to go again.

The Post Easter diet apocolypse

The holidays are over, at least for the time being. Oh, I love Easter, I really love it, but we went home and when we go home to Mom's there is always food, and never the food that is on the WW list.

We ate out at:
Mongollian BBQ--mostly veggies and yakisoba noodles

IKEA--small meatalls, sauce & red potatoes (I love me an IKEA lunch!!)

Barro's Pizza--the best pizza in the world! (I really went off the wagon this day, I figured if I'm going to eat pizza, I'm really going to eat pizza!!)

Wendy's--on the way home from the airport.

There was also lots of desserts, good comfort food and lots of dead pig on Easter Sunday! I love dead pig....

Ok, so I'm going to stop talking about food.

I did walk most mornings while at my mother's house. My husband had never come with me on my walks, so he was surprised that I walk so fast and can go for a long time.

In all I only gained a pound, but I'm not sure how accurate my scale is, and I think I think I'm stopped up...but that's too much information. At least I didn't gain a million pounds, which I was really worried about.

So today, I'm back on the wagon, back on the program. Someone asked me if I'd had green chili since I've been home. No, I have not, truly I'm sick of eating. I was just happy to eat my hot mush with wheat germ this morning and to go a walk.