Weekly Weigh-In/Month in Review

Well, this week did not go as well as planned. I was up 1/2 lb from 2 weeks ago (when I was up 2 lbs). But, we had a tough week so I'm thankful it was only 1 lb. No, I'm not making excuses, but life happens. Here is how life happened to me:

* Monday night, David's mom made us dinner. BBQ ribs, green bean casserole, texas toast, and cobbler. The cobbler was the only thing healthy. I did okay, but not great.
*AF is also visiting this week, and I always feel like I'm starving mid-week. So, yesterday was my "starving" day - seriously. I ate like I hadn't eaten for days!
* Today was food day at work. If you are a teacher, you know what food days look like! We had sub sandwiches, "salads", chips, and desserts. I use the term salads lightly. There was one relatively healthy one - mixed greens, mandarin oranges, walnuts, and a balsamic dressing. Then, there were the others... I actually didn't have any of the others. But, I blew it at the desserts. I have a confession in case you haven't figured it out: I am a CHOCOHOLIC. And I'm proud of it. I can usually contain myself and choose healthy chocolate. But food days? Those are just asking for me to eat all the chocolate in the world!
* I looked at my weekly view - only 2 days I stayed at my daily points. I used 20 of my weekly points which is VERY high for me (usually only use 5 or less). But, my cobbler with "healthy" ice cream and wine addictions for the week were worth those points!

So, my month summary: I lost a total of 2 lbs. David said I still earned my reward because I lost 4.6 the first week but then gained the rest of the month (well, last week I didn't weigh in, but the other 2 weeks I gained). I'm 5.4 lbs from goal right now.

But, you know what? I'm okay with it. I'm okay with the fact that I had a bad month. You know why? Because this is a lifestyle. I can eat whatever the hell I feel like. Yeah, I need to watch my portions and make better choices some days... But, this is my life. I'm not going to deprive myself of the chocolate that looks good, or my glass of wine when I want it..... or even the spinach and artichoke dip! Because that's not life. That's a diet. And I'm sure not going to diet for the rest of my life!

Tonight's meeting was about carbohydrates. Any "diet" that tells you to get rid of a food group is bad, right? Weight Watchers is about choosing the healthy carbs and limiting the not-so-healthy carbs. I can do that! Yeah, I like my sugar and my Diet Coke. But, I don't drink 5 cans a day - hell, I don't drink 2 cans a day! And my sugar is usually limited to right before bed - I HAVE to have something sweet before bed. It's against everything I know NOT to! And I can do it! Why? Because this is a LIFESTYLE.

David got me my hungry monster tonight! I'm not sure where he'll end up but somewhere that will keep me from snacking on not-so-good things!

(They were out of the magnets, so I get one of those, too, when we get restocked.) We also got a few snacks and a new cookbook. The latest book is called Hit the Spot. It has an entire chapter dedicated to..... Chocolate!!! And another chapter just for other desserts! Plus other stuff. David is excited to be home next week so he can cook for me!

Speaking of David... He finally joined the 21st century and made a blog! Check it out here! He promised he will keep up with blogging his progress and other random things (although I am wordier than he is!).

In exercising news.... David and I went for our weekly morning workout today. We always meet on Wednesday mornings at the gym because he works Tuesday nights and I don't have any other time on Wednesday. I like to workout before weigh in, so this is when I do it. Don't get me wrong - I am NOT a morning person (just ask him!). But, I like working out with my husband, so I deal. Anyways.... I got on the elliptical this morning and my left knee started bothering me after only a few minutes. I tried moving my feet around because sometimes that helps. Not this time. It actually got worse. I had to stop after 10 minutes. David put me through HELL with some weight lifting for my arms, and I did a little bit of ab work. I'm definitely not up to par there yet - I was sore for about 2 hours around my incisions. But, my knee is still really hurting tonight. We bought an ace wrap and some Excedrin. Hopefully that and a little ice will help get me back going. I'm definitely taking a few days off of cardio - I will probably go lift weights tomorrow night - and hoping my knee feels better soon!

This is the knee I had surgery on 11 years ago, so I always get nervous when it hurts. It's not swollen, but it hurts all over - not in one particular spot. Who knows what I did... I did some stairs at the administration building yesterday and I'm wondering if I took one funny or something... Only time will tell! I'm on my feet so much, though, that I really need to get better quick!

Oh, and the March of Dimes on Sunday.... We were in a severe weather warning so they asked us to not walk. Some people did, but I'm not a good "wet walker." So, I drove to the gym and walked it on the treadmill! I did the 3 miles just like I would have at Mahoney. It would have been nice to do it outside, but at least I did it! And I'm already planning my next walk: Race for the Cure on October 4th!

So, this is has gotten really long, but one more thing... Baby related stuff... David is going to see the Urologist sometime in May - he is calling tomorrow. I'm increasing my Payflex contribution for next year so that we can get any treatments payed for pre-tax, and then have some left over for pregnancy and delivery. Right now, the time line is David gets on Clomid in June (possibly May depending on when he get in); 90 day test in August; try on our own September. If nothing, then we will do an IUI in October. And hopefully baby in July!

Oh, and one more thing... David's brother, Matt, joined the army about 9 months ago. He was stationed in New York (Ft. Drum), and was almost deployed a few weeks ago. Please say a prayer for him, his wife Tina, and their two young sons. It will be really tough on them because they are so far away from all family. Also, David's mom got some bad news at the doctor - her cancer continues to spread. He didn't really give her a time line, but she probably will not be here this time next year. So, prayers for her and our family during this time... She is a strong woman and has battled alot in her lifetime - I want her to continue so that she can meet her son's children!

Okay, now I'm really done. :-) Night Night!

March for Babies!

Well, today was the March of Dimes for babies at Mahoney. Summer is sick, so I went down by myself, driving through rain. I didn't know the forecast, so I thought it was supposed to clear up a little.

I got there, waited for a little bit, and when the race was supposed to start, they announced we were in a severe weather warning and they advised against walking. Of course they couldn't say "don't," but they strongly encouraged we not walk.

I was really sad, but figured I could just drive home and do the 3 miles at the gym. So, that's what I did! I didn't want to let my sponsors (or myself) down and not complete the walk altogether. The gym wasn't as much fun as the outside walk would have been, but it was just as fufilling!

I'm proud of myself for making the committment to do this - a year ago, I would have said no way in hell! Especially when Summer got sick... I would have said Nope! Not goin' by myself! And then, when it was cancelled, I would have just come home and crashed on the couch. But, I made the committment and I followed through. I'm already looking forward to next year!

Weigh In!

Well, I went back tonight! The last time I weighed in was January 28th. That's right! 5 days later, I got sick, and all the other fun stuff that has happened.... So, remember how I had gained weight during my illness but lost it?

Well, I posted a loss of 1.6 lbs!!!! I have lost 54 lbs! I am just over 8 lbs away from my goal weight! David came to weigh in and is basically starting over. He couldn't find his book and their "high tech" system lost his info. He's down from where he was last week, but he also hasn't eaten much (gotta love flu and bronchitis!), but up from where he was before I got sick in July!

We are back to making monthly goals. I reminded him that I never did get my reward from January - Wii Active Play. So here are my goals, and I'm stickin' to 'em!
* Exercise: Cardio 3 days a week. My body is still recuperating, so right now, 10 minutes is good. By the end of the month, I want to be back up to 45 minutes! My second goal is to walk in the March of Dimes, a 3 mile walk at the end of April. My reward is dinner at a local restaurant - they do have healthy choices, but this is a slightly pricier restaurant, so it's a good reward!
* Weight: 4 lbs. It seems low, but I know that since I'm getting closer, I may hit a plateau or consider myself "lucky" to lose one pound a week! My reward is another new outfit (1 top, 1 bottom - don't have to match or both be for work). I told David I NEED new clothes!

David's goals are:
* Exercise: 4 days a week of high intensity cardio. Reward: Movie night (but I have the right to veto because I don't like scary/gross movies)
* Weight: 10 lbs. Reward: Night away from home (hotel or something like that)

We also set long term goals. When I hit Lifetime, I get to go to a Bed & Breakfast. David set 10% goals each getting a trip. We set the rule that, when the goal is reached, we will book the reward. So, it may be a few weeks or a month, but it will happen. His lifetime goal is to book and go on a 7 day cruise!

Sunday night, I'm making a new recipe from my leader. It sounds really yummy, so stay tuned! :-)

March of Dimes

My friend Summer invited lots of her friends to help her in a mission: either walk with her or donate to March of Dimes. The walk is 3 miles long on April 26. 33 days. I can be healthy and walking 3 miles easy by then! :-)

Money is tight (as it is for alot of people right now), so I told Summer that I would walk with her! If you could help this wonderful organization out, please go to my page and donate. Every dollar counts to help these babies.

When Summer asked me to help, I thought about several children that I have cared for that were born premature. I took care of Haley when I worked at a daycare during college. She was born at 21 weeks. She is now in 1st grade and doing well! I actually saw her mom at UNO last semester and she has a sister now, who was born at 31 weeks. I also took care of Julia and Claire, 23 week twins. They were both healthy, slightly delayed (of course), but loving girls who were growing and so smart!

I am so happy that I can be a part of this! Now that I've entered a healthy chapter of my life, I can help people of all ages by walking for their cause. Please join me by donating or walking in your local area (or join our team!).