Adventures of Gastric Girl

We're Getting a Trader Joe's!!!!

2011-09-21T09:45:00.000-05:00

Trader Joe's is coming to Houston! I am thrilled about this. Being an avid blog reader of food and health websites all over the US, I sometimes get weepy when I see all of these amazing items that people purchase from Trader Joe's that I simply don't have access to! So now here is where I need your help!
What should we get first? Help me build a grocery list! It hasn't even opened yet, and I'm not sure of the date, but I'm bubbling over in excitement and I'm SOOO ready to go shopping there! :)

I apologize to you all for being a terrible blogger. Life is busy, and the blog has taken a back seat for awhile. I DO have 2 product reviews and a giveaway planned - hopefully both within the next week or so! :)

Miss you all!

MIA

2011-08-19T16:40:00.000-05:00

I'm so sorry that I haven't been on here lately. Life has been extraordinarily hectic the past several months, especially with work. There's really not much new going on in my life lately (unfortunately!)
I have a few product reviews that I will be doing very soon as well - so get ready!
I will make an honest effort to update more often! :)
xoxox to you all!

L

Are You on Facebook?

2011-04-18T13:46:00.000-05:00

If so, please add me! I'm so far behind on reading blogs, but want to feel connected somehow! I had to just mark everything as read in my reader and start from scratch today. I HATE doing that, but I had over 1,000 unread blog posts... A tad overwhelming! :(

Anyway, please add me on Facebook if you haven't already - Laurie9797@yahoo.com If you don't mind leaving a message that you're a blog reader, that way I can make sure I accept you! :)

I will make a valiant effort to catch up with you all. I truly miss reading about everyone's day to day life! :(

xoxo
Laurie

Slackerface!

2011-04-15T12:30:00.000-05:00

I'm so sorry I haven't updated in well over a month. I had my revision surgery on March 10th. So far all is well on the recovery. I go back to the doctor on Wednesday for my 6 week check up. I ended up getting some major pains in all my joints about a week after surgery, and it ended up being gout. So, a week after surgery, I got put on steroids. It's not fun being able to eat just a few ounces and being constantly hungry because of steroids... Ugh!

Besides that, life is alright... I feel like I'm at a crossroads in every part of my life, so I guess it's just a time of self discovery. I feel like I just went through that a few years ago, but here we go again!

My Scentsy business is going pretty well. My team has grown from just me to having 7 people on it! I'm excited. We're expanding to the UK and Germany next week, so if any readers over there are interested in a wonderful opportunity, please contact me! :)

My cousin is coming in from New York next week - I'm super excited! We're probably going to visit San Antonio... fun! :) He's also going to spend some time in Dallas since I can't take the whole week off of work... I just used 9 days of sick and vacation during my surgery. :(

I hope all is well with everyone. I am working on trying to catch up with you all.
xoxox
Laurie :)

Life Update

2011-02-23T17:46:00.000-06:00

Hi All!
Sorry for the late update, but I've been living life, kicking ass and taking names! Well, not really kicking any ass or taking names, but you get the drift... :-)
My MRCP came back normal - I don't know if that's because I haven't had the seriously bad back pain since September/October, or if it is indeed not pancreatitis. I suppose that only time will tell - if the pain appears AFTER I get my ulcer surgically removed, then at least we know what to approach next. :-)
I have been bad. I'm basically eating whatever I want the past couple of weeks. It's been Valentine's Day... my birthday is coming up, and I am about 2 weeks out from a surgery which will prevent me from eating for approximately one month. So, I say to heck with it lately, and am just enjoying what I will no longer enjoy. I have gained about 5-7 lbs over the past 2 months, but I'm actually surprised it's only 5-7 lbs. With that weight added on, I'm happy losing 15 lbs total but more than that I will wonder if I look sickly.. that's why I'm not worrying about it!

On another note - I have the Mystery Hostess party open for 5 more days. Please take a look at my site! There are only 2 sales a year, and now is one of them - almost everything is 10% off! The product is wonderful and you could win 15% of the total party sales and up to 4 half price items if you win! Please click this link to get the easy peasy details on the party! I greatly appreciate you taking the time to look.. I've had a good month with Scentsy - I have 3 new people on my team! Exciting!!!

On yet another note.... I'm turning 35 in less than a week and I'm really bummed about it! :(

xoxo,
Laurie

Happenings

2011-02-09T15:09:00.000-06:00

Well, yesterday I had my MRCP to check for pancreatitis. I'm not sure if it will actually show anything since I'm not having a flare up... and the fact that I'm not positive it's pancreatitis - that may make it not show either, HA!
I hope to have the results tomorrow, but it's hard telling.
My surgery is four weeks from tomorrow. I am looking forward to closing that little chapter in my life, that's for sure!!!
The weather here in Houston is crazy. Last week, we got Friday off because we were expected to get 1-3 inches of snow, and lots of ice. No snow for us, but lots of ice. The next day, it was in the 60s outside!! No wonder everyone is sick around here!
Don't forget, I'm having a mystery hostess party! Just click the link for more details! We already have several entries going in, so we're off to a good start! Thanks for your participation, ladies!!
One of my dear friends is getting a new camera for her birthday next week, and I think we're going to take some photography classes together... awesome!!

Anyway, I just wanted to check in!!
Hope you all are doing well! :-)
xoxo

It's Party Time!

2011-02-03T07:00:00.002-06:00

Hi all!
In an effort to earn some money for my surgery next month, I'm having a Mystery Hostess Party for my Scentsy business!
What does that mean for you? Whoever wins the drawing will be the hostess of the party - earning up to 15% of the sales and up to 4 half price items. You can earn entries in several ways!
1) Earn 1 entry for every $10 purchased on the online party - Just click this link Another plus - During February only, almost everything is 10% off. Very few exclusions apply, and all prices are as marked on the webpage.
2) Want to earn extra money for yourself, and have a great time doing it? Become a consultant through me, and get 10 entries! February is the best month to join, as you get extra items - the current catalogs and scents as well as the upcoming catalogs and scents... best of both worlds!
3) Earn 1 entry for 'Liking' my Facebook page.
4) Earn 1 entry for blogging about this post!

Please leave 1 comment letting me know which entries you have earned, and I'll get you into the drawing. I'll use a random number generator to select the winner, and then contact you to pick out your free and half price items! :-)

A little information about Scentsy if you have never heard about it - We have dozens of gorgeous warmers available for our over 80 wickless scents. The highest wattage bulb is only 25w, so you can feel safe leaving it on 24/7 if you like. No more worrying about whether you blew that candle out! There is truly something for everyone. The company is only in it's 5th year, so the market isn't nearly as saturated as other companies as well! We are also getting ready to expand to the UK and Germany in the next few months, so there is a lot of opportunity there as well.

I really appreciate you taking the time to take a look at my site. It is going to be tough trying to come up with roughly $2,000, but I'm going to try my best! If you have any questions about the product or the opportunity, feel free to email me! Laurie9797@yahoo.com

I have a date!

2011-02-01T12:57:00.000-06:00

I got a call from my surgeon's office this morning, and I was approved. Huzzah!
I decided to schedule my surgery in March - one reason being that I am about to get my MRCP (I think that's what it is called) on my pancreas done next Tuesday, and I want those results in first, another being that February is a short month and I'm limited to next week only if I'm out of work for 2 full weeks by chance, and thirdly, it's my birthday month, and Valentine's Day... and I want to celebrate both... and not be in bed, feeling like crap, or just being woe is me in general. Wow, that was the longest run on sentence in the entire world!!!! HA!
So - March 10th it is. March 9th I will have my pre-op appointment and my hospital appointment. Then, the 10th, I will be getting my revision. I'm still a little nervous about losing too much weight, but I will be vigilant with my protein drinks, as well as trying to maintain my muscle mass as soon as I'm given the green light to work out.

The sucky thing about this is all of the money I am about to have to come up with. While I do have insurance, my out of pocket is $2,500. I am going to have to work my butt off to get some Scentsy parties scheduled to earn some extra money, that's for sure! I will probably do an online party with my blog buddies on here and have a drawing to see who will win the hostess goodies... yeah, that sounds like a good idea! :-)

Isn't it amazing how things can change so much in 24 hours?

L

Another Medical Update

2011-01-31T16:33:00.000-06:00

Hello to all - sorry I haven't updated, but there really wasn't too much to update... There, still isn't really, but I wanted to check in.

As far as my revision surgery goes - I still haven't gotten approval from my insurance company, so I'm playing the waiting game.

On Facebook, I was reading a thread about Pancreatitis.. So, I looked into it, and it matches EVERY symptom I have (the acute, not chronic). So, I made an appointment with my doctor. He agrees that it is definitely worth looking into, especially with surgery pending - if something is wrong, maybe I can get completely fixed while they're "under the hood." The thing that haunted me the most was the abdominal pain that radiates to the back with pancreatitis - that's not a common issue with ulcers. With pancreatitis, if left untreated, it could turn into diabetes. I did NOT lose 160 pounds to get diabetes. So, better safe than sorry.. With this, I got a lab slip to check enzyme levels if/when I have another flare up, as well as having a MRCP done (next Tuesday morning.)

I honestly hope that it is only an ulcer. But, at the same time, it's good to know that if it isn't just the ulcer, I know what it is, and can begin getting treated with that. Regardless, we know the ulcer is a recurring problem, and I will continue going the route of the revision to get that problem taken care of.

Well, that is all for me at the moment. I hope that everyone is doing well.

I'm ready for the next chapter of healthiness.... this crap is getting old! :-)

Thursday 13: Randomness

2011-01-20T13:08:00.000-06:00

Happy Thursday! I haven't done a Thursday 13 in ages and I've missed it. I don't have very composed thoughts right now (do I ever?!), so I figured I'd get a jump start with getting some of my random thoughts out in a lovely list form:

I need a new song for my alarm on my phone. Right now, it's the Rocky Theme Song, and that doesn't get me out of bed swinging like I thought it would. Any suggestions?
I've been lousy at meal planning lately. I apologized to John for feeding him taquitos last night. He laughed at me and said it's probably the 3rd time I haven't cooked something real. So, I guess I should just get over it! :-)
My surgery for my ulcer still isn't scheduled. I am hoping to hear from them soon. I'll give the surgeon's office a call on Monday if I haven't heard from them by then.
My baby puppy is now 58 lbs. My aging chihuahua is tipping the scales at 9 lbs. Who do you think rules the roost? LOL
I REALLY miss coffee. It was my vice. But my vice at the very least contributed to ulcer pain. This is sad.
I noticed that gasoline is hitting $3.00 again.. Ugh!
I'm SO glad that tomorrow is Friday.
I get to leave at 3:30 today - wahoo! I have a big Scentsy order coming in tonight so I will have time to sort it out and get it ready for my customers. :-)
My sister and my youngest nephew are coming into town for the weekend. My nephew has a soccer tourney this weekend, right down the street from us. I'm looking forward to some family time.
There is A LOT of tension at work, between two of my good friends. I am trying very hard not to get involved.. AHHH!!
I am craving Vietnamese food in a major way!!
I made my first batch of homemade pasta since getting my pasta roller/cutter attachments for my Kitchenaid Mixer.... it was alright, but I definitely need to tweak it a bit.
I desperately need to go clothes shopping. I have noticed that 75-80% of my clothing has been handed down to me during my weight loss process. I am ready for clothes that are 100% me. I love a lot of the clothes I have received, but I am ready for a few new pieces. :-)

Hope you all have a Happy Thursday! To join in the fun, visit Thursday 13!

Huge Favor

2011-01-19T19:33:00.000-06:00

Hello to all! Would you mind taking a moment of your time to vote for me on the left hand side of the page?
There is a little box that says "Vote For Us" Best Tomball candles, or something of the like... If you don't mind casting a vote, that'd be most wonderful of you! :-)

Thanks so much!

xoxo

Still Waiting....

2011-01-18T14:17:00.000-06:00

Have I ever expressed my lack of patience in the waiting department? For some reason, it seems like it's been AGES since the doctor's office submitted my paperwork. Granted, it's only been 3 business days, IF they worked on MLK Day. I had to! LOL
The good news is that I am not having pain every time I eat now... so the waiting game will be more bearable.. Whew!
It's been a busy month for me. I've had something going on every weekend, and will continue to for the rest of the month. I'm HOPING I get approved so I can time my surgery the way I'd like so it has a minimal effect on my job. February 7th would be the ideal day. John would be lucky. Our first Valentine's Day together, I was having massive gallbladder pain... Our second Valentine's Day together, I was having massive ulcer pain.. and here we are, coming up on our 3rd, and I will be unable to eat at a super-expensive restaurant for the 3rd year in a row! I don't like this trend... but it is what it is!
It is really sad that I'm looking forward to surgery.. But, I am! I am ready for life to be normal and complication (hopefully!) free! Also - a week to two weeks off of work would be amazing!!

Hope everyone is having an amazing day!
xoxo
Laurie :-)

Another Update - Surgery!

2011-01-12T15:10:00.000-06:00

Hello my lovelies!
It's been a hectic week for me... I went to Dr. A (my GI doc last week), and he referred me to the Davis Clinic for my revision surgery. I was supposed to get a call from their office, but they never called. So I called them Monday, and they refuse to see me or perform any surgery on me because they didn't do my original surgery.   Well, my original surgeon has retired... so now what?   The office manager continued to talk down to me, and had the nerve to ask me if I had tried medication for my ulcer.   Um.. Wow.   I don't know of many people out there who would opt for surgery when a pill would work, do you?    I've had FOUR ulcers in the past year, and each one gives me chronic pain for 2-8 weeks.   GAH!
Anyway, moving on from that - I called Dr. A again, and had them send me to a new surgeon. Their office was MUCH friendlier, thank the Lord! I already had my consultation with them, and they will be sending my information on to insurance to make sure it will be covered. If it is not, I will have to go to the emergency room when I have bad pain again.   What they will be doing is a revision of my gastric bypass. They have to remove a small part of my pouch as well as some of my intestine, and then reattach it all.   Recovery will be 1-2 weeks, and I will be on liquids a few days, then soft mushy foods, and then after about a month, I will be eating normally again.
I'm just ready for all of this to be over! 2 weeks recovery beats the ulcer any day!

Happy 2011!

2011-01-03T14:39:00.000-06:00

Happy New Year, one and all!
I'm glad that a new year is upon us... there is a freshness.. the flubs of 2010 can be a distant memory and the slate is wiped clean. I love clean slates!
I made an appointment with my GI doc for this Friday. At that point, he'll speak to a surgeon, and then I'll have an appointment with the surgeon... then get my surgery scheduled. I'm looking forward to it. Yeah, that sounds messed up, but when you've been suffering this long, and knowing that after a week or two of recovery, all will be well in the world.... it's worth it!!! I am hoping that I can get in for surgery the week of the 17th. It's hard telling dealing with surgeon schedules but that's what I'm hoping for! I'm nervous about my diet post op. I have a feeling it will be the same as the gastric bypass post op diet - liquids and then pureed foods for several weeks. Yeah, I'll lose weight. But I don't want to lose more than 10 lbs. I have a feeling that will be inevitable. Let's just hope that I don't end up looking too frail... That would suck! I've never in my life been worried about losing too much weight.. ha!
Hope you all had a safe and happy holiday season and have the best 2011 imaginable!!!

xoxo
Laurie :-)

Positivity and Reflecting Back

2010-12-30T10:02:00.000-06:00

Here we are, at the end of 2010.   Overall, it's been a great year.   I've had some really low points too, mostly health related with this stupid ulcer that came back AGAIN.
I am not one for resolutions, but I do want to try to make 2011 a POSITIVE year.   I think it will help my overall health to try to be a glass half full kind of person. I usually am, but I've lost some of that somewhere along the way, and I definitely want to get that back.
I also want to stop obsessing. About everything.   I can't control everything, and I need to make myself understand that.   I'm 3 years out from surgery and have maintained my weight within 5-10 pounds for 2 years. That's pretty damn good!   I am not exactly where I want to be, but I am so close. I need to stop revolving my life around losing those last 5-10 pounds and focus on living and just being happy.   Food ~~does not~~ should not control me. It shouldn't consume my thoughts like it does now.
Here's to 2010!

I got to go to Disney World and Universal Studios with my boyfriend. We had our first real vacation together and I got to meet his sister's family, who I adore!
I still have a job, when so many others are struggling.
Two of my best friends in the world are pregnant.
I started my new Scentsy business to earn extra money, and am doing quite well with it!
I was able to send my mom to New York to visit family.
I got my mom's garage completely cleaned out (with some help of course!)
John got me an iPad for Christmas!!! Wahoo!
I got my pasta roller attachments for my KitchenAid from my mom for Christmas. :)
I got in touch with my half brother and his family. I hadn't seen them or heard from them since 2003. I love Facebook for this reason!

I'm looking forward to 2011. I know I'll be having surgery for my ulcer, but I'm thinking of it in a positive way. No more suffering with this damn thing after that! AND, I'll get some time off of work! HA!

Happy New Year to all of you! I hope 2011 is the best year ever.
xoxo
Laurie :)

Crush

2010-12-29T10:14:00.002-06:00

Dexter

2010-12-27T15:59:00.000-06:00

I'm a little late on this (just 5 years), but over the past few weeks, I've developed an addiction to the show Dexter! The first 2 seasons were on Netflix through our PS3, and I watched those two seasons over the course of a week... then I rented season 3 and 4 at Blockbuster.. I hadn't set foot in a Blockbuster since the late 90's! LOL And then I got to Season 5, which just finished a few weeks ago on Showtime... so, what did I have to do? I'm now a Showtime subscriber! LOL
I heard that the Big C is a really good show as well, so I'll probably start watching that one while I have Showtime!
I got Showtime yesterday morning, and I'm already on Episode 6 of the most recent season.. I don't know what I'll do with myself once I'm done... maybe get off my ass and start working out again? Hmm...
Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! Mine was very nice! My awesome boyfriend got me an iPad for Christmas! I was totally shocked... wahoo! Did you all get some awesome loot as well?
Happy New Year!!

xoxo,
Laurie

Christmas Spirit

2010-12-11T22:10:00.000-06:00

I'm not much in the Christmas spirit this year, and it sucks! I think it's partially due to the fact that I've had a cold or the flu or something since the day after Thanksgiving, and I can't seem to kick my cough... and the other part is that I've done most of my Christmas shopping online this year. It's not very conducive to adding to my holly jolliness!!
I stayed up till 1 am last night wrapping almost all of the gifts that I've purchased so far, and I'm almost done with everyone on my list! That did help a little.. it'd help even more if I didn't wrap like a 12 year old boy! Ha!
There is a picture of our tree - John was sweet enough to put it up and decorate it for us since I was under the weather! :) He did a good job decorating it!
Also, here is a picture of us from the day after Thanksgiving... my sister took the pic. A few hours later, I was down for the count with the flu or whatever it is! lol

Reverb 10 Prompt: Wisdom

2010-12-10T12:20:00.000-06:00

Prompt: Wisdom. What was the wisest decision you made this year, and how did it play out?

This one is easy for me - my wisest decision this year was becoming a consultant for Scentsy. I've made my quest for debt freedom well known on this blog, and this has helped me a lot. In my first 2 weeks, I earned enough money to pay my electric and cable bill ($250!). In the month after that, I earned over $350. It's helped with my Christmas shopping (by using Scentsy products as a gift, and by the extra money I've earned), and I have FUN doing it. I've been looking for a new "hobby", and I have found it, so it's got a lot of benefits.

On other aspects of life, I'm trucking along. Work is work.. I start my time off next Friday, so that will give me a much needed break. I've set some goals for myself over that time - meal planning, getting organized, getting on a workout schedule, etc. Ever since I got my ulcer, I haven't been back to the gym, and my eating has been lax. I gained back the weight that I lost when I wasn't able to eat anything, and I need to get back on track. Weight Watchers has the new PointsPlus, and I know it's a great program, but it hasn't hit me yet, and I am not in the good habit of tracking lately... Ugh!!

I'm not sure why I have so many different fonts going on here, and it's not letting me change it! LOL

I hope you all are doing great.. I'm trying to get back into my bloggy ways as well... Here's to new forming new (renewed), healthy habits!!

:-)

xoxo,
Laurie

Reverb 10 Project

2010-12-09T15:07:00.000-06:00

I'm a little behind on jumping on this bus, but it looks like a lot of fun, and since I'm not feeling very inspired lately, this will give me stuff to write about.. Ha!
On Reverb10.com, there are daily prompts, and then you write about whatever the prompt is. Today's prompt is:
December 9 – Party Prompt: Party. What social gathering rocked your socks off in 2010? Describe the people, music, food, drink, clothes, shenanigans.

John and I have lots of social gatherings at our home. It's so hard to pick favorites because it's usually the same group of dear friends. I'd guess that the Halloween parties are my favorite, as everyone is a little out of their normal element and I get to see my friends' creativity in action! This year, I was Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty and John was Border Patrol.. ha! We've never done the matching costume thing, although I do think that's cute... Just saying it's cute would be a huge negatory for John though! :-)
I'll put up a few pictures later on from this year's Halloween party. I'm at work and don't have them here, unfortunately!

I actually TRIED to keep the food simple this year, with several dips, chips, etc, but it never stays that way. John doesn't feel like it's a party if he doesn't light up the grill... So, we ended up having steaks and fajitas too... and lots of beer for the boys, jello shots for the girls, etc.

Thankful

2010-11-23T08:19:00.000-06:00

Hello to all!
It's that time of the year that we reflect on everything we have to be thankful for. It's so easy to get caught up with life and lose sight of what really matters!
I am thankful for so many things - my health, my loved ones, my job (even though that's debatable at times), having so many virtual friends that I feel like I know personally, and the list goes on.
Thank YOU all for taking time out of your days for reading this little blog of mine.
I hope you all have a very Happy Thanksgiving. :)
xoxo

Oops!

2010-11-17T16:04:00.000-06:00

So sorry for not checking in lately..   Life has gotten in my way of blogging.. How dare!? I really haven't been a model citizen lately. I missed one Weight Watchers meeting (my first meeting missed), and I haven't been back since. I do have good intentions, but when the morning comes, I am literally dragging myself out of bed. That makes me get to work around 9 am, which means I have to stay until 5:30... which means that my meeting is already taking place by then. I'm not making excuses for myself. I have no excuse.   But I'm also in one of those moods where I just don't care about counting points or watching what I eat. I'm not gorging by any means. I'm just not scrutinizing every bite I am putting in my mouth.   I probably just needed a break, and I'm not going to beat myself up for it.
My launch party for my new Scentsy business was a success! I made my goal sales wise, and in my first 2 weeks, I made enough extra money to pay both the cable and the electricity bill!   And in the first 2 weeks of November, I have surpassed what I did in October, so my November electricity and cable will certainly be taken care of again! Wahoo! :)
Anyway, I just wanted to check in. I will hopefully be out of my funky mood soon!    I'm sure a few extra days off next week will be a dramatic help! :)
Hope all is well with everyone. I am working on catching up on blogs... just missing a day or two puts me totally behind!!

xoxo!

Thursday 13: Random Thoughts

2010-10-21T10:08:00.000-05:00

Wow, it's been quite some time since I did a Thursday 13. I have missed them but being sick had zapped my blogging energy (and any other energy for that matter!).
This week's edition will just be random thoughts going through my head...

I've had a Xanax prescription for anxiety for about 6 months and had not taken a single pill. Last night I took one and it was the first night that I can remember where I slept through the night.. NICE!
I am getting excited for the next Harry Potter movie to come out.
John and I may be going to Orlando again in December to attend his sister's graduation from college. I hope it works out! I'd love to go again.
I have a garage sale on Saturday and I have done little to prep for it. I can't wait for it to be over with!
I'm both nervous and excited for my Scentsy Launch Party this weekend!
I got my 10 lb star yesterday at Weight Watchers. I lost 2.4 lbs last week, totaling 12.2 since I joined!
I was excited to find out that my scale and the scale at WW match perfectly! Wahoo!!
A nap sounds amazing right now. I'm so tired... I slept great last night, but the past several weeks of waking up multiple times has taken it's toll on me.
I've started my Christmas shopping. I've got a long way to go, but I'm making definite progress.
I found out this week that I'm no longer upside down on my car. Now to decide if I should sell it and get something that's not going to be $500 a month! It's very painful!
I have been caffeine free for a week. I'm enjoying Tazo Passion Tea and Tazo Organic Apple Red tea as my drink of choice.
Does anyone know of a site where I can find out how much an autograph is worth? Back in my heavy metal days (about 20 years ago, ha!) I met Pantera and got the group's autograph.. I know one of the musicians was murdered a few years back, and I want to sell it to someone who would appreciate the picture more since I don't care for heavy metal at all anymore.
This week has been never ending. I'm ready for the weekend even though it will be one of my busiest weekends in ages!

Hope you all have a Happy Thursday and an even happier upcoming weekend!
To participate, head over to Thursday 13.

Doctor Appointment Update, Etc.

2010-10-20T10:20:00.000-05:00

Good morning, everyone!   I had my doctor's appointment on Monday afternoon as my follow up to my upper GI. My doctor told me that I have one month for the ulcer to heal on it's own, and if it doesn't, then surgery is my only other option.    I would likely use Dr. Davis, as my bariatric surgeon has retired, and several of the others in the hospital are not on my insurance plan. Dr. Davis (whether the father or the son) was on the show Big Medicine. I'm not sure which one I'll get if I have to go through with the surgery (but I have a feeling it's inevitable, given this is the 3rd time I've had a bad ulcer).    I also made note to tell the doctor that I didn't appreciate him calling my ulcer a marginal ulcer, as it certainly feels more than marginal to me.   He proceeded to tell me that marginal is the LOCATION, not the degree of the ulcer... I felt like a dork, but at least now I know! ha!

I am starting to feel better and better every day, and am eating all solid foods. I do feel discomfort after eating most meals, but it is not intense anymore and doesn't last nearly as long, unless I overeat.   Overeating is easy, as my stomach shrunk quite a bit from my liquid diet, and I feel like I have my tiny little pouch again. Also, I think that my body is changing how it reacts to certain foods. Some foods prior to the ulcer were super easy to eat, and now it's all changed.   I'm basically learning how to eat again! AH!!!

On my new business note, I am having my launch party this weekend.   If you're local, I'd love for you to stop by and check out my products.   If you're not local (Houston, TX), please check out my website and see what we have to offer.   Any orders received for my Launch Party will earn an entry for a raffle prize!   My website is:
http://LaurieSawyer.scentsy.us        I'd greatly appreciate you helping me get my new business off to a quick start! :)     If you have any questions about the products, just drop me an email and I'm more than happy to help!
Happy Wednesday to you all!!!     Life is finally starting to improve, and I'm glad my mood is getting better!   Being sick for almost a month really takes it out of you!!

Excited!

2010-10-18T10:36:00.000-05:00

Happy Monday to you all!
I'm super excited, as I have just signed up to be a Scentsy consultant.   We sell gorgeous candle warmers and the scents to go with them.   The scents are wickless, so they are safe, and there are tons of scents to choose from!
I hope you'll check out my site - and I would LOVE for you to host an online party so you can earn some free goodies as well! You start earning half price items and free product at only $150 in sales.   Wahoo!
Please check out my site! Laurie's Scentsy Page

On another note - I go back to the doctor today regarding my ulcer.   I believe we'll be discussing the options available to me and when/if I should proceed to have surgery.
Fun stuff, I tell ya! I will post an update tomorrow.
Have a great day! :)

Three Years

2010-10-15T08:47:00.000-05:00

Today is my 3 year anniversary of my RNY! Just 3 years ago at this time, I was recovering from the most dramatic surgery and most live changing event of my life. 3 years ago, I weighed 312 lbs. I couldn't go up one flight of stairs without feeling like the wind was knocked out of me. I couldn't cross my legs. I couldn't fit in an airplane seat, ride on a roller coaster, fit comfortably in a booth, and patio furniture was out of the question.
A lot has changed in 3 years.
Thank you all for being a very important part of my journey to becoming who I am today. It's been 3 years of self discovery that will keep continuing.

xoxo!

I'm sick and tired...

2010-10-11T14:45:00.000-05:00

... of feeling sick and tired!
I'm still not feeling 100%.. it's now been 3 weeks since I've been able to work out, and my body is feeling it.   UGH!     I never thought I'd say that I miss working out and getting exercise, but I do. I really miss my Zumba classes.
I am able to hold food down now, but it's touch and go on how my body reacts to it. Sometimes I can eat with absolutely no pain during the digestion process... Other times, I want to curl up into fetal position and just cry.    I had a bad episode this weekend, and it ruined the day for me. Today has been pretty good so far, so I think I may count my blessings and have a very light dinner.
Although I'm not considering it a bright note, because I know with fair certainty that I will likely gain some weight back, I am down to 154.8 lbs.    My lifetime goal with WW is 155, so if I stay down over the next two days, I'll hit lifetime.   My lowest weight ever post op/adult life, etc. is 154 point something, so it's definitely a bittersweet feeling.    My ultimate goal is 149.8 just so I can get out of the 150s for the first time in my adult or even adolescent life, but I'd rather do things the right way... Gahh!!!
I am feeling truly disconnected with everyone. Work has been trying to kill me, as well as my ulcer.   I marked everything as read in my google reader and am starting fresh today.   I know there is no way I can catch up on over 1000 posts.

I miss you all very much, and hope life starts to feel normal again soon!!
xoxoxox

Update on Ulcer, Etc.

2010-10-05T12:31:00.000-05:00

Hi all, I'm so sorry for not posting any updates in awhile... Life has been busy, and I'm still feeling cruddy!
I went to the doctor last Wednesday, and had my endoscopy done last Friday.   The little bugger is still there and it is still inflamed, so time and patience is all I've got for it to heal.. well, time at least.. I ran out of patience with this awhile back.
During my doctor's appointment, he told me that I will likely need surgery to get rid of this thing permanently. There are three options for me: 1) To get my RNY reversed completely, going back to my old "plumbing", 2) to switch to another WLS, such as duodenal switch or gastric sleeve, or 3) to have that part of my intestine removed.
My choice would be #3, if that is an option once it is discussed with the surgeon. I don't want to go to duodenal switch because I think that would make me lose a lot more weight, and I am basically at goal, of not very close to it. The gastric sleeve or reversal are other options, but #3 is my ideal choice. It seems like the least invasive, and the best one for me.    I will know more once I get my 2 week follow up with my GI doctor.
I am definitely improving, but I still have bouts where I can not tolerate any foods, and end up throwing up or just being in major pain for 2-3 hours.
Anyway, I will update again when I know more, and I hope to begin blogging more soon. This is my hellacious week at work, so life has been super busy! :(

Ulcer is Back! :-(

2010-09-23T12:31:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the lack of posting lately... I've been feeling like poo. My ulcer has returned for a 3rd time. I am only on liquids for a few days while I'm taking my medicines to try to get rid of it. Eating food is just too painful when it passes the ulcer... Excruciating almost!

On the upside of that, I've lost 6.5 pounds. Yes, I know once I start eating normal foods again that the number will increase, but I need to focus on something happy, right? LOL

This is a short and sweet little post.. just wanted to keep y'all updated!
I hope to start the Thursday 13s again next week! I miss doing them!

Falling Apart!

2010-09-17T11:21:00.000-05:00

I'm highly, HIGHLY frustrated lately.   First of all, my back is killing me. I think I injured it in Zumba... no fault to Zumba, but I went on an evening where I was feeling kind of sick (killer headache, exhausted, etc).. I am one of those all or nothing people (working on it, but still a little overzealous) so I figured I'd force myself to go anyway. Well, all of the jumping and bouncing and quick direction changes really messed me up.   I can't sneeze without going into back spasms! :(

Anyway, enough of the bitching..    I am improved over yesterday, so IF I am feeling better tomorrow, I will resume workouts.

Wednesday was my WW meeting.   I chose to use my No Weigh In pass.   My psyche can't handle anything but a decent loss this week, especially with me mourning my workouts. I DID go to the meeting though.   And I'm glad I did.    The topic was about taking it slow... slow and steady wins the race.    Well, I needed to hear that this week.   Just like with going to church... sometimes you just feel like the message of the day was made especially for you! :-)

I hope you all have a fabulous weekend.    I will be taking it easy... maybe. :)

Happy Hump Day!

2010-09-15T08:43:00.000-05:00

I apologize for being a slacker in the blog department lately. My life has been consumed with work, working out, and Weight Watchers. I'm trying to find the balance between eating according to my surgery guidelines and keeping within my WW points. It's quite challenging. I am finding that I allow myself to eat a little more lax when on WW. A Fiber One bar can be 1 point, and it's a good snack in general. But for me post op, a few cheese squares is a better option. I'm terrible at using things that are pre-weighed, measured, etc. because I'm a freak when it comes to making sure I have my points calculated properly. It's all my internal neuroses rearing their ugly heads!

I need to keep the following things in mind constantly:

Regardless of how much I lose on WW, I have been VERY successful losing weight. I have lost 145 pounds in the past 3 years (My 3 year is coming up on October 15).
I need to stop being so hard on myself.
The weight is going to come off slow. Very slow. And it will go up and down from week to week. That doesn't mean I'm a failure. It means I'm normal.
As long as I focus on being healthy (exercise, eating right), the weight will eventually decide it is going to come off. Or it won't. Either way, I am doing everything right within reason. I am good 95% of the time. And the 5%? I deserve a break, damn it!

I am my own worst enemy. I analyze EVERYTHING, and trust me, I annoy the hell out of myself.. LOL I just need to keep it up, and focus on the positive!

Thursday 13: Things I love about Autumn

2010-09-09T09:07:00.000-05:00

Yes, I know it's still officially summer, especially in Texas. But Autumn and Spring are my two favorite seasons. I look forward to this time of year from June - September!

Thirteen Things I LOVE about Autumn

Drastically reduced yard work!
Milder weather.
Ability to spend hours outside without risk of heatstroke.
Fall Festivals!
The holiday season approaching... I'm a sucker for everything from Halloween to Christmas to New Years!
My spirit rejuvenates! The summer heat really sucks the life out of me.
Sweaters! Dressing in layers! Back to my favorite wardrobe!
Pumpkin Spice and Gingerbread Lattes... Mmmmmm...
Hockey Season! This year I REALLY want to go to an NHL game in Dallas. I will make it happen, and it's on my Day Zero Project list! SCORE!
Extra time off of work. Wahoo!!!
Improved mood of others around me. Yes, people get happier when it's not 100 degrees outside! YAY! That in turn improves MY mood!
Shopping. I LOVE SHOPPING. And I love shopping for others even more. Yep, it's getting to be that time of the year! YAY!
Lower electricity bills. AMEN!

If you'd like to join in the fun, just stop off at Thursday 13 and add yourself to the list!
xoxo!

Whew... What a week!

2010-09-04T11:24:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the lack of blogging, but my week was a week from hell at work. I'm covering for my friend at work while she's on maternity leave, and in addition to my regular whacked out hours during month end, it made for a crazy week! I even missed my Thursday 13 that I love doing so much!

Last week I went to the gym 5 out of 7 days and earned 33 activity points... It made a difference in my weigh in - I lost 2 pounds at Wednesdays' weigh in! Wahoo!! Since Wednesday, however, I have only made it to the gym once, this morning. I know I can catch up a bit over the weekend with my workouts, but work had me exhausted during the week! Today, I went to a different gym because I'm taking care of my friend's dogs, so I thought I'd try a gym in between our homes... I got there at 9 and changed, and it just so happened a ZUMBA class was starting in a few minutes. Taking a Zumba class is on my Day Zero Project list, so I got something knocked out today. I absolutely loved it. I am completely uncoordinated, but I thoroughly enjoyed it and look forward to going again next week!

Last night, I blew my points, but I am not going to sweat it. John and I went out for pizza.... and it was delicious... and I needed to get out with my man. We have both been so busy and it was nice for someone else to make dinner for us and we could just sit and talk!

We don't have too much planned for the holiday weekend, and for that I'm grateful. It'll be nice just to just hang out, work out, and be merry! Wahoo!
I hope you all have a fantastic long weekend!

Day Zero Project: 100 Things I Like About Myself

2010-08-31T09:05:00.000-05:00

Ugh... why did I pick this? I really have a feeling that this will be the hardest thing on my Day Zero Project list, so I wanted to get started finished as one of my first goals. Sad to say, listing 100 things I don't like about myself would be super easy, because I always focus on improving myself. Anyway, I don't want to start negatively - one of the reasons I started this project to begin with was to improve myself, and my own outlook on myself. :)

Here we go.... 100 Things I Like About Myself

I am a hard worker.
I have an unconditional love for my family.
I have an unconditional love for my boyfriend.
I have an unconditional love for my friends.
I truly believe I am a good person.
I am honest.
I love animals.
I have a good sense of humor.
I have strong fingernails. (LOL)
I am determined.
I am eager to learn new things.
I like change.
I am naive at times (which I consider a blessing).
I would do anything for my family/friends.
I am a good driver.
I like a wide variety of foods and will try anything (within reason) once.
I love to cook.
I take good care of my mom.
Making someone else smile makes me smile.
I am empathetic.
I love to travel.
I am definitely family oriented.
I am good with computers.
I can change my own tire if necessary.
I know how to jump start a car.
I try to learn from every experience.
I realize that everything happens for a reason.
I love surprising people.
Although I get bored easily, I find entertainment easily as well.
I am very good at my job.
I like culture.
I enjoy music and find it to be an important part of my life.
I am good at multi-tasking.
I love kids.
I can make an awesome salad.
I like my smile.
I like my eyes.
I have a nice neck. (That was weird to write lol)
I have good manners.
I will not let people walk over me.
I am intelligent.
I can get lost in a good book.
I like a wide variety of movies.
I am strong, and getting stronger every day.
My glass is usually half full.
I appreciate art of most forms (don't get the graffiti thing, lol)
I am generous.
I trust my gut instinct.
I usually FOLLOW my gut instinct (after many years of trial and error).
I always search for a good deal.
My lightbulb has finally gone off for becoming debt free.
I am becoming more disciplined in all aspects of life.
I try to live without regrets.
I am emotional (which has it's downfalls, but I wouldn't change it!).
I am a Christian.
I yearn to learn new things constantly.
I am experimental with my cooking, and it usually turns out alright!
I am finally starting to put myself first. I have periods where I forget to to this, but I think it's finally starting to sink in.
I can sleep through almost anything.
I am sarcastic at times.
I have a strange imagination.
I am constantly thinking (which I love, and hate! lol)
I am hopeful.
I often have more faith in people than they have in themselves.
I have a great family.
Although I rarely have extra money, all of my needs are taken care of.
I have lost 145 pounds!
I like doing laundry.
I am goal oriented.
My personality is mixed with mature and quite immature moments.
I have great teeth!
I like my lips.
I have long legs for my height.
I like to plan ahead, but can also be very spontaneous.
I've tamed my impulsiveness a lot in recent years.
When I have focus, there is nothing stopping me.
I am healthier than I ever have been.
I am still friends with people I have known for over 20 years.
I have a lot of common sense.
I am open minded.
I am becoming less timid with each passing day.
I have a love-love relationship with coffee.
I love to drive around on a chilly day with the windows down and the heater on.
I watch little TV, but what I do watch cracks me up usually.
I get along with 99.9% of people.
I rarely argue. It's just not worth it.
I don't take myself too seriously.
I am very forgiving.
I am very random.
I will admit when I am wrong.
I have a high pain tolerance.
I am a great listener.
I like that I have friends with very different personalities, and I see the best in all of them.
I have not adopted a "transfer addiction" from having my surgery. I could quit my coffee if I wanted to. LOL
I am not dramatic.
If I don't get my way, I get over it.
I am happy.
I am very reasonable.
I like to learn from others, and hope others can learn a thing or two from me.
Although there are things I want to change in my life, I know that everything will come in time. It's all part of a plan.

Whew! I did it! That was freakin hard!

Day Zero Project

2010-08-30T10:08:00.000-05:00

Happy Monday!   I'm in the process of starting the Day Zero Project and I am having a lot of fun coming up with the goals for it. If you are not familiar with Day Zero Project, it's where you set 101 goals for yourself to complete in 1,001 days. I have September 1 as my start date, as I'm still in the process of selecting goals for myself.   It's a lot of fun, and I figured this would be a great "project" for me to learn more about myself and as a chronic list maker, it's great to be able to check things off for the world to see!   If anyone has any ideas for me to add to my list, please feel free to share! :-)

How was everyone's weekend? Mine was pretty good.   Friday evening, I went to the gym. Then, Saturday morning, my friend Michelle picked me up and we went to the gym and then to Weight Watchers.    Afterwards we went to Ruggles Green and I had an awesome dish - it was a quinoa pasta with black beans, plantains, chicken, and all sorts of other delish things... It's something I could totally recreate at home.   Quinoa pasta is gluten free for those of you who are trying to reduce wheat in your diet, and it tasted great. It didn't taste anything like quinoa. I love quinoa on it's own, but I know a lot of people don't care for it's texture.. with the pasta, there is none of that texture to worry about.     Afterwards, we went to Whole Foods and bought some of that quinoa pasta! lol    Instant gratification!    Then, we drove by her slab... that sounds funny, but she's building a house, so we went to look at the progress. The frame is up, and pretty soon it will look like a real house!    After that - it was shaved ice time!!   I LOVE shaved ice, and there is a place by my house that has sugar free flavors... DIVINE!

Sunday - I slept in till about 8:30... then hung out with the puppies while John had to work.   I stayed in my pajamas until about 3:30 then I decided I needed to get off my lazy ass and go to the gym. Although I called myself a lazy ass, I did get 2 loads of laundry done and the dishes done and kitchen cleaned in my pajamas! LOL

And now here we are at Monday again - It's going to be a suckfest of a week because of month end, but hallelujah for a 3 day weekend coming up!
xoxox!

Saturday!

2010-08-28T08:49:00.000-05:00

Source

Good morning all.. I am starting to feel really strong and determined. While lots of people may have been out drinking or eating out, I spent my Friday evening on my elliptical machine. This morning, I'm headed to work out again, and then go to another Weight Watchers meeting. Wahoo!

I am really excited at how I'm feeling so determined lately. I don't know what hit the switch in my head finally, but I'm glad it's there, and I'm glad that I'm not blowing it off to be lazy.

This weekend I am going to try to plan my meals ahead so I don't have to deal with any frozen meals at lunchtime. They're almost TOO easy, and when work is busy, that's the best scenario for me. But, with a little planning, I can fix that! YAY!

With today's workout, I will have 18 activity points for the week. :-) I took Thursday night off because John and I went to a wake. But I've worked out on Tuesday/Wednesday and Friday this week so far.

Anyway, I just wanted to check in!
Hope you all have a fabulous weekend!

Happy Friday!

2010-08-27T10:07:00.000-05:00

Hello, and happy Friday to you all!
So, Wednesday I had my Watchers Meeting, and I was down 1.8 lbs! Wahoo! So new weight is:
166.8.
I was thrilled just having a loss at all. I need to fully accept that I will not drop 5-10 lbs a week as I did when I was over 300 lbs. It's going to be a long, slow process, as it's a lifestyle.     I just need to focus on doing the right things, and the weight loss will be a secondary (albeit exciting) thing.
And while I believe the above comment is true - I will have to go back to reading that when I get neurotic! (which is 98.6% of the time!) :-)

This weekend: I am attending another WW meeting with my friend Michelle. We are going to work out before hand, and then go to a new-ish restaurant in the area, Ruggles Green.   I have heard great things about this place, so I'm looking forward to trying it! :)

Are any of you on My Fitness Pal?   If so, add me! My user ID is gastricgirl. :)

Anyway, back to work for me! I hope you all have a great weekend! :-)

Thursday 13: Goals for 2010

2010-08-26T09:33:00.000-05:00

I can't believe that Labor Day is less than 2 weeks away. I don't know about you, but once Labor Day gets here, the rest of the year is a giant landslide and is over in the blink of an eye! That said, here is a small list of things I want to accomplish before this year is complete!

Get to my goal weight (154)! I'm not too far away, so I need to hunker down and get there!
Participate in my first 5K. And maybe my 2nd. (I just registered for my first, so this will happen for certain! Wahoo!)
Reduce my debt by $500. Yeah, it doesn't sound like much, but I want to be realistic. Christmas is coming. lol
Have a garage sale at my mom's house when the weather cools down a bit. (this will help with #3!)
Work out 3x a week. I started back at the gym last week and have been 4 times in the last 7 days... so far, so good! I just have to keep it up!
Read one book per month. My reading has been slacking.. I've been reading the same book for the last 4 months... lol
Practice doing my own pedicures. I have the shakiest hands and the last time I did a pedicure, it looked like a 4 year old did it.
Paint one room in our house. I love color, and our walls are a dull off-white. I'm ready to make it beautiful!
Try to score tickets to see Daniel Tosh when he comes here in October. I love him!
Reduce my dependence on coffee. It's like crack, but legal! Well, I wouldn't know, as I've never done crack... but still! You get the idea.
Make time in my schedule to read/comment on blogs from home since I can't do it from work as much! GRR!!
Develop a love for water... I don't drink enough!
Get a massage!!!! Or two... I need one.. badly! But I am not allowing myself one until I lose 10 lbs. Only 7 to go!

There ya have it for this week..... I hope you all have a Happy Thursday.. If you want to participate in Thursday 13, just click the link! :)

5K

2010-08-25T12:54:00.000-05:00

I did it! I registered for my first 5K. I have a month and a day... It's a walk, but it's a start.... I am going to try to jog as well depending on how my knees hold up (arthritis if you're new to reading my blog!). I am excited. If I enjoy it, I will sign up for another one on 10/30.. it'll be one with costumes! FUN!

Sorry for the super short post today - I have to leave work in an hour, and it's been so busy. I am desperately missing commenting on blogs.. I can read them through reader at work, but clicking through to the sites gives me an error on my browser saying that I'm trying to go to a social networking site.. AHHH!!!

Perfection is Not Possible!

2010-08-23T13:33:00.000-05:00

When it comes to a lot of things I do, I am definitely a perfectionist.   I am either 100% in or I don't want to have anything to do with it.   That statement alone is probably what got me to be super-morbidly obese at 312 lbs... If I fell off the diet wagon once, I wouldn't pick myself up and dust off and start over.. I would just say "Screw It!" and go out to dinner with friends.   Not Good... Not at all...
So, with that said, when I weighed in at WW last Wednesday, a gain registered. A 1.6 lb gain. Which almost erased any progress that I had made during the previous two weigh ins. I immediately flipped out (internally) and sat and let it sink in a bit... and then I fought back the tears.   I sent a text to a few of the people that I report to, and confessed my weigh in.   I thought about the past week.   I had my stepdaughter over that weekend, and we had Olive Garden... my meal was 24 points (which is 2 more than I am allowed in a day). I didn't eat it all at once, but I ate it over 3 meals.   In each of those 3 meals, I had a breadstick (3 points). John grilled chicken for us Saturday night, and I had chicken with sweet potato fries and Velveeta Shells and Cheese. I didn't eat a lot of either, but I'm sure it was more than I should have had.   Friday night, I had Dippin Dots. Then, Wednesday (my weigh in day), I had a cupcake for my bosses birthday.   So, why was I shocked and hurt that I had a 1.6 lb gain?   I didn't go over my weekly allowance, but what I did consume was highly processed, sodium loaded, and not good for me.   The more I thought about it, I was kind of glad I had a gain. If not, I may have taken that loss as an invitation to eat like that again.   Don't give a former fat girl an invitation to eat whatever she wants.. it's just not a good option!
Fast forward to after my weigh in - I have been to the gym 3 times. I have earned 18 activity points (and am not using them towards extra food) and I have used some of the points in my weekly allowance, but I still have 21 left, and I weigh in again in 48 hours.   I am not planning to use them! For my own sanity, I need a loss this week, even if it is minor.     At each meeting, I set a goal in mind for that week. Usually the leader gives us a goal too (this week - having a filling food at each meal... check!), but I like to make my own as well. This week was to earn 12 activity points. I did it, wahoo! I am also trying to not rely on those processed Weight Watchers meals and instead opt for fresh foods that are not loaded with preservatives.

I think the hardest part of all of this is learning to forgive myself for mistakes and not dwelling on them.   It's so easy to see the negative in yourself, but the positive is much more rewarding!

Thursday 13:

2010-08-19T08:10:00.000-05:00

First - I must share an awesome deal with you - it's valid at ANY Gap, but it's $25 for $50 worth of product at the Gap - Baby Gap, Gap Kids, Etc, just not the outlet stores...check it out!

Anyway - welcome to this week's Thursday 13! This week, I have to keep it a little bit simple since work is trying to kill me! LOL

13 Songs on my Workout Playlist on my iPhone:

Bad Romance by Lady Gaga - Yes, I still love her... and she's great to get your heart pumping!
My Humps by Black Eyed Peas - Love them too... older song (most of mine are b/c I've been too cheap to get music lately! LOL)
Heart of Glass - Blondie
Stronger - Christina Aguilera
Sexyback - Justin Timberlake
Good Vibrations - Marky Mark (I will forever love Marky Mark! LOL)
Mr. Brightside- the Killers
No One Knows - Queens of the Stone Age
The Way I Are - Timbaland
Low - Flo-Rida
Cities in Dust - Junkie XL
Waiting Room - Fugazi
Paralyzer - Finger Eleven

I like a very wide variety of music and need to change up my list a bit, as this has been part of my playlist since I got my iPhone in February! LOL What are some of your favorite songs to sweat to?

Play along with us! Just visit Thursday 13!

Toothpicks Needed...

2010-08-18T07:48:00.000-05:00

...to hold my eyes open!   I have no idea why, but I have been so freaking exhausted lately!   Well, I know why... Caffeine detoxing (not to go completely off of it, but to cut back), not getting enough sleep, stress at work, etc..

Last night, my work had a happy hour to say goodbye to one of our longtime employees who just quit.. she was actually the person that hired me!   I was a good girl and had 1/5 of a Bloody Mary (I would have had more but it was so freakin strong!) and a few quesadilla pieces... I looked it all up on my WW etools and "charged" myself 8 points... well within my point allowance for the day.    Prior to gastric bypass surgery, I would have had several drinks, but that 1/5 of a drink got me a little loopy.. ha! I only stayed an hour because I didn't want to overeat or overdrink and I had an hour long drive ahead of me...   I fully intended to go home and take the dogs out and then head to the gym, but instead I just changed and went to bed. I just didn't feel good, and I couldn't explain what was wrong with me besides having a slightly sore throat and being 100% exhausted. John was a little worried about me because in the whole time we've lived together, I have NEVER gone straight to bed, even when I'm sick.    Well, I still had trouble waking up this morning.    I did make it to work for 7 am, but it was tough!!

Wow, this post has absolutely no rhyme or reason.. ha!

Anyway - today is my weigh in day at WW.   I am a little worried, but if you've been reading me long, you would probably use neurotic as one of the words to describe me.   I did go over my points on the weekend, but I did not go over my weekly allotment so I SHOULD be in decent shape.. Hopefully the scale gods will be on my side this evening... I'll give you an update tomorrow!!

And the winner is.....

2010-08-16T08:25:00.000-05:00

Tim!    Tim, I gave your email address to CSN so they will be contacting you shortly to arrange shipping of your prize!   I used a state of the art system to pick a name, and it worked beautifully!   Wahoo!!    It's fun having someone pick a number for you. :-)

Thank you to everyone for participating in my first giveaway.. I already have another one planned, which I will do within the next month or so.

I hope everyone had a good weekend. Mine was fun, but way too short. I had my stepdaughter this weekend for the first time in over a year, and we had a great time. I can't believe she's 13... It is just crazy!   We grilled some chicken, went to Dave & Busters, got a little shopping in, and slept late... the life of a teenager! HA!   I had a lot more planned but she slept until noon one day, and until 1pm yesterday...    So needless to say, me waking up at 7 or 8 am didn't help me get a lot more done! hehe

I got to go to Whole Foods yesterday, and although it was a fun experience, going with my trusty POINTS calculator was a rude awakening for me. So many of the foods that I thought would be good for me to eat were way too high in points for me to consider worth spending.. SIGH... I did find a few new things, but a lot of the dishes I wanted to try were 8 points or more per serving.. NO THANKS!

Again, I apologize for the delay in drawing for the contest - I had forgotten about my half day at work when I mentioned Friday as the drawing day, and then the day just got away from me!
Hope you all have a great day and awesome week!!!

Winner Announcement Tomorrow

2010-08-15T14:20:00.002-05:00

Hi Everyone!
Sorry, I've had a super busy weekend and I'll update you all on that tomorrow as well... just wanted to let you know I haven't forgotten, but I don't have time to do a proper drawing until tomorrow....
So, stay tuned!!

Thursday 13: Alternatives to Snacking (Plus Giveaway)

2010-08-12T07:47:00.001-05:00

Happy Thursday everyone! If you have a moment, please visit my previous post and enter my giveaway! It's for a set of kettlebells (basically handweights with handles!).. They're a great tool to work out with! I've been doing Weight Watchers for a little over two weeks now (down 2 lbs!) and I'm becoming more conscious of my snacking/eating. Below is a list of some of the things I do to avoid snacking!

Blog - I read blogs and write blogs as a form of motivation and inspiration. I read others to get inspiration, and I write my own to motivate myself. The written word is powerful... it's proof that you actually had those thoughts at one point in time, and it's great to look back and see how you were doing when times were easy, tough, etc.
Clean - Since I'm working on "cleansing" my body of these last few pounds, I have been working on clearing my house of some clutter as well. It's a great feeling.
Work on those Pearly Whites - Have you ever snacked while you have bleaching trays on? If so, you're quite talented... and strange! LOL I have 2 weeks worth of teeth whitening in the evening.. I just put them on a little earlier than I'm supposed to so I can prevent myself from snacking!
Exercise - If you're not really hungry and are just in the mood to snack, turn that energy into something positive.. Walk around the block, do some sit-ups, get out the kettle bells, etc! If you're still feeling the need to snack afterwards, treat yourself to a small snack.
Give yourself a mani/pedi - The more things you do to beautify yourself, the more you'll think twice about grabbing that cookie!
Turn off the TV - do you get the munchies when you're watching the TV? Turn it off!
Take a bath - It's another way to relax from a long day, and it doesn't add calories!
Do some Laundry! - Yeah, yeah, not fun.. but there is never a lack of it, and you can save yourself some time later on to do something more fun!
Create/Change your workout play list - I don't know about you, but my workouts get dull when my music has been the same for too long. Change it up and get moving!
Read a book or magazine - a little distraction can go a long way.
Go to bed! If you've had a long, stressful day and want to eat everything in your home, why don't you just call it a night early? You'll feel better and more refreshed in the AM.
Write a list - Yes, chronic list writer here... Make a list of awards you will get for reaching your goal, a To Do List, or any other kind of list you can dream up!
Play a Game - Whether you're into those Facebook games, want to shoot and kill something in a video game, or just like something like Pac-Man or Frogger (yes, I'm a child of the 80s), keeping your hands busy will keep them from transporting food to your mouth!

There you have it... What are some of the things you do to distract yourself from eating?

Join us in the fun!

My First Super Fantastic Giveaway!

2010-08-10T09:32:00.003-05:00

CSN Stores graciously contacted me to host a giveaway for my lovely readers, and I hopped at the chance. They have everything at their sites, from a great coffee maker (you know me, and my love of all things hot and caffeinated!) to treadmills, cookware, home decor, DVDs and more!

Since my website is mostly about health, fitness and weight loss, I picked a kettlebell package for you as my giveaway! It's something I would love to win for myself, and I figured almost anyone could benefit from it, whether you are 150 pounds from goal, or at goal already!

There are a few ways to enter (please post a separate comment for each entry so I can keep track easier!):

Become a public follower on my blogs via google friend connect (if you already are, just post a comment stating that).
Link back to this post on your blog.
Follow me on Twitter (@Laurie9797) and post about the giveaway.
Add my site to your blogroll.

I will draw a name for this contest on Friday, and CSN will send the kettlebells to you directly! Offer is limited to readers in the USA and Canada!
Thank you so much for reading my blog, and good luck with the giveaway!

WW Weigh In!

2010-08-06T08:45:00.013-05:00

My first meeting was on a Saturday and I decided that I think Wednesday meetings would be better for me. I was nervous to weigh in, as it had only been 4 days since my first weigh in, and I was going in the evening, instead of before I even have a sip of water.   Well, regardless of all of that, I was down 1.4 lbs!    My new weight is 167.6. I am officially less than 15 pounds away from my ultimate goal weight of 153. Why 153? Well, it puts me in my normal range, and that is the lowest weight I've ever seen myself at. So, I know it can happen. The cool thing is that my 10% goal is my ultimate goal too... Wahoo! :)

I am so glad I decided to rejoin Weight Watchers. I need the accountability of going in and facing the music on a weekly basis, and it forces me to track.   If I do it "on my own", it's so easy for me to just skip a day tracking, and if I miss one day, I'm done.. I know how my mind works!

Yesterday's meeting was about secret eating, binging, etc. It was great for me.   As you all know, I had RNY gastric bypass, so if anything goes in my mouth, people like to critique it. I eventually started snacking in my car, or stopping on the way home to get a snack, or eating a lot more in the evenings since John isn't like that with me.   It isn't my meals that I've had trouble with, it's all the snacking. With WW, I'm conscious of my snacking, and plan accordingly. My job is nice enough (ha!) to provide us with free snacks, free drinks, etc. This week we were even provided with a fajita lunch for our accounting close.   I have been great at avoiding the foods I shouldn't be eating (are the points worth spending? Usually no!). I haven't even been too tempted, which means I think I'm finally in a good mindset again. I'm re-teaching myself to differentiate between hunger and cravings.    Having weight loss surgery will NOT fix your head, and I'm starting to wonder if it messes your head up more than you started!

On another note - I have been reading everyone's blogs, but for some reason I haven't been able to comment on most of them. We have a massive web page blocker system at work, and I think it's blocked going to the comment link.. It wants me to log in, and then once I do, I go back to the log in screen. So, I really apologize that I haven't been commenting on blogs very much, but please know I AM reading!!! I may have to rearrange my schedule at home a bit so I have some reading/writing time at home!

xoxox!!!

Thursday 13: Movies I Haven't Seen!

2010-08-05T08:07:00.000-05:00

According to my boyfriend and many of my friends, I should be ashamed that I've never seen some of these movies. Some, I'd like to see, but I have never gotten around to. Others, I have no desire!

Titanic - Am I the only American who has never seen Titanic? Or maybe in the world? I know what happens, and have no desire to see it! I don't like crying in movies.. ha!
Lord of the Rings - This upsets my boyfriend greatly. I actually have seen the first one, but none of the rest. I would like to see them one day, but now I'm not allowed to watch them until the extended versions come out on Blu-Ray!
The Notebook - Am I the only girl alive who hasn't seen this? I would like to one day, but who knows when!
Annie - Nope, never seen Annie. I'm sure this is a great one to watch, but again, haven't gotten around to it!
Confessions of a Shopaholic - I LOVED these books, but I'm nervous to watch the movie because I'm afraid it will be screwed up.
Breakfast at Tiffany's - Would like to see this one day, but still haven't!
Somewhere in Time - Not sure how I feel about seeing this one.... I've heard it's amazing though!
Interview with the Vampire - I'm not a Brad Pitt fan, but with loving the Twilight books, I have an interest in vampire flicks now! lol
The Dark Knight - I was a big Heath Ledger fan, and I think this may be too eerie for me to watch. I'll get over it one day and watch it!
Braveheart - My boyfriend loves this movie and has tried to get me to watch it for some time... still hasn't happened yet! Muahaha!!
Star Wars Episode III - Revenge of the Sith - I really really want to watch this one, as it's probably one of the better ones.. one day!
Indiana Jones (any of them) - Nothing against them, just need to have a movie marathon one day!
The Rocky Horror Picture Show - Not sure if I want to see this either!

There you have it! There are many, many more that I haven't seen, but this is a start! :)

I hope you all have a very happy Thursday!!
If you want to participate, just go to Thursday 13!

Dealing With Stress

2010-08-04T10:01:00.000-05:00

Wow, it seems I'm definitely not alone in the stress coping department. My goal is to stop turning to food when I'm stressed or bored. I found this list online, and it sounds like we could all use it!
Enjoy!
101 WAYS TO COPE WITH STRESS

Courtesy of the Tripler Army Medical Center, Honolulu, Hawaii

Get up 15 minutes earlier
Prepare for the morning the night before
Avoid tight fitting clothes
Avoid relying on chemical aids
Set appointments ahead
Don't rely on your memory ... write it down
Practice preventive maintenance
Make duplicate keys
Say "no" more often
Set priorities in your life
Avoid negative people
Use time wisely
Simplify meal times
Always make copies of important papers
Anticipate your needs
Repair anything that doesn't work properly
Ask for help with the jobs you dislike
Break large tasks into bite size portions
Look at problems as challenges
Look at challenges differently
Unclutter your life
Smile
Be prepared for rain
Tickle a baby
Pet a friendly dog/cat
Don't know all the answers
Look for a silver lining
Say something nice to someone
Teach a kid to fly a kite
Walk in the rain
Schedule play time into every day
Take a bubble bath
Be aware of the decisions you make
Believe in yourself
Stop saying negative things to yourself
Visualize yourself winning
Develop your sense of humor
Stop thinking tomorrow will be a better today
Have goals for yourself
Dance a jig
Say "hello" to a stranger
Ask a friend for a hug
Look up at the stars
Practice breathing slowly
Learn to whistle a tune
Read a poem
Listen to a symphony
Watch a ballet
Read a story curled up in bed
Do a brand new thing
Stop a bad habit
Buy yourself a flower
Take time to small the flowers
Find support from others
Ask someone to be your "vent-partner"
Do it today
Work at being cheerful and optimistic
Put safety first
Do everything in moderation
Pay attention to your appearance
Strive for Excellence NOT perfection
Stretch your limits a little each day
Look at a work of art
Hum a jingle
Maintain your weight
Plant a tree
Feed the birds
Practice grace under pressure
Stand up and stretch
Always have a plan "B"
Learn a new doodle
Memorize a joke
Be responsible for your feelings
Learn to meet your own needs
Become a better listener
Know your limitations and let others know them, too
Tell someone to have a good day in pig Latin
Throw a paper airplane
Exercise every day
Learn the words to a new song
Get to work early
Clean out one closet
Play patty cake with a toddler
Go on a picnic
Take a different route to work
Leave work early (with permission)
Put air freshener in your car
Watch a movie and eat popcorn
Write a note to a far away friend
Go to a ball game and scream
Cook a meal and eat it by candlelight
Recognize the importance of unconditional love
Remember that stress is an attitude
Keep a journal
Practice a monster smile
Remember you always have options
Have a support network of people, places and things
Quit trying to fix other people
Get enough sleep
Talk less and listen more
Freely praise other people BONUS: Relax, take each day at a time...you have the rest of your life to live!

How Do You Deal with Stress?

2010-08-02T13:43:00.000-05:00

Old Laurie would scarf down whatever she could get her hands on when stress is present.. or boredom... or happiness... you see the pattern.

My question to you is: What do you do to handle and deal with stress, boredom, etc.?

I'll follow this post with a new post that puts everyone's answers for easy access!

Thanks for your help!! :)

Weekend Recap and First WW Meeting

2010-08-01T20:05:00.000-05:00

Hello to you all... wow, I think this may be my first time ever blogging on a Sunday! LOL
I had a nice busy weekend.. Friday, John and I helped some of our friends their move.. then, on Saturday I had my first WW meeting (more on that below), then went with my friend to help her choose stuff on the house she's building. It was a lot of fun, but it was even stressful to me, and I'm not the one buying the house! You have to choose everything down to what the faucets look like.. GEEZ!!   Saturday evening, John and I went back to help our friends with their move again.. They ended up moving a week earlier than they had originally planned, so they weren't really too prepared!    John is actually over there now helping with some other things.    Today, I slept till 11 am for the first time in ages, and after that I went grocery shopping for my mom, then took her to pick up John's birthday present.   Then, I did my shopping. I went to Costco and HEB (LOVE THOSE STORES!).    I was getting some crazy looks because I was writing on all of the packages as I put them into the cart - I figured it'd be easier to write down my points values then and there since I was looking them all up anyways! lol    Now, I'm just working on laundry that has been ignored for 2 weeks... blah!

On to my meeting! I had planned to hit the 7 am meeting, and then my 8:30 am Muscle Blast class, but we didn't get home from helping our friends on Friday night until 1:30 in the morning... ouch!   Needless to say, that did NOT happen! Instead, I hit the 8:30 am meeting. I really enjoyed the leader - she was energetic and funny. I need both, especially early in the morning! The meeting was about treats vs. snacks.    I am a snacker unfortunately, so this was a good meeting. Basically, treats have no nutritional value and don't fix your hunger.   Treats = Head Hunger and Snacks = Real Hunger So, when I went shopping today, I was mindful of that, and I made some great choices for snacks for the week. I stayed for the orientation after the meeting and went on my merry way!

I didn't get back home after my meeting to compare scale accuracy (yes, I'm neurotic about that stuff), so I don't know where my scale is in line with that. When I signed up online, I weighed at 169.8 in the buff that morning. When I weighed in on Saturday, I was at 169 even (wearing clothes). So right off the bat, I end up going from 23 points a day to 22.. LOL!    It's a good thing though!

Anyway, I really think that at the very least, this will give me new focus and help me finally get to my ultimate goal weight.   FINALLY!

This week is going to suck at work. I'm still playing catch up from vacation since no one helped me while I was out (my choice, as I'm anal like that and want to do it myself), and this week is my normal hellacious week at work.   I hope it's not as bad as I expect it to be though..

xoxo
Laurie

Insanity is..

2010-07-30T10:29:00.000-05:00

...doing the same thing and expecting different results. I tried to find out who is credited with that quote, and I got everyone from Benjamin Franklin to Albert Einstein.
Regardless, it is so true! How can you get different results when you try the same things on a day to day basis/ You simply can not!

I can't expect to feel well rested when I continue to go to bed late at night.
I can't expect to lose those last pesky pounds when I haven't made any changes in "diet"/exercise.
I can't expect to get out of this rut that I'm in by having the same routine every day.

So what the hell am I going to do about it?!

I re-joined Weight Watchers. There are things I love about the program, and there are things that don't work well for me. What I need out of it is the accountability, the weekly weigh ins, the meetings and the tracking. So, the majority of it will help me right now. And realistically I am only 10-12 lbs from what I can establish as a lifetime goal... with that, moving forward...
I am setting goals and giving myself rewards. 155 is my lifetime goal. Once I am at that for 6 weeks, WW will be free for me. As a reward for hitting lifetime (and staying there 6 weeks), I will re-join a monthly massage place as my reward (The cost for that is $10 more than what I pay for WW, so it's only spending $10 more for a massage, not bad!) I will start saving and if I stay lifetime for 2 years, then maybe I'll treat myself to a boob job! WAHOO! LOL
I will make sure I get 2-3 workouts in per week. I will NOT use my activity points in Weight Watchers, but I will track them.

Yesterday when I weighed on my scale, I was 169.8 (FREAKIN SCARY!)... Today when I weighed, I was 165.6. (Still out of happy zone). My all time low was 153, albeit I was only there when I was sick and unable to eat because of my ulcer. My comfortable weight zone is 155-160 and 165 had been my PANIC mode weight... so, I'm in panic mode! My official first weigh in will be tomorrow morning.. Wahoo!

Another thing - I refuse to diet. I am not going to allow myself to get back into that pattern in my life. I have spent basically the last 34 years of my life on a diet, and I am not going to start that vicious cycle all over again. I am going to eat more consciously. My job is stressful to me, and I eat when stressed. I need to eat only when hungry, and not let my emotions dictate what goes in my mouth.

Anyway - That's what's been happening in my little corner of the world... I will continue to update.

Thursday 13: Places I'd Like To Visit

2010-07-29T09:48:00.000-05:00

Good morning, guys and dolls!   Thank you for all the support on my post yesterday... I didn't get a good night's sleep because John had to work an overnighter again, but I swear it will happen soon! Out of my control.... AHH!   At least today, I have no headache and I am fairly conscious! haha

This week's Thursday 13 will be places that I'd love to visit.   I think that the travel bug constantly lives inside of me, and if I had unlimited funds (if only!), then I would probably be a world traveler!
1) England - I would love to ride the tube in London, go to Stonehenge, and swim across the English Channel (Ha!, not really, but sounds fun!)..   It just seems like a great place to visit.
2) Japan - There is always something intriguing about Japan to me.. I'd love to go when the cherry blossoms are in full bloom. I would DEFINITELY get my fill on sushi while I'm there as well.   I've heard you need a small fortune for anything there, so I'm not sure why this one is so high on my list!
3) Australia - Every picture I've seen has been absolutely gorgeous, and going to a country where I understand the language would be so nice! haha!
4) New Zealand - Same as above, but I'd also love to meet some of my blog friends!
5) Italy - The food, the fashion, the architecture... it'd be a great place to spend some time!
6) Greece - I've always wanted to go here as well.. The architecture would be amazing to see in person!
7) Egypt - I don't think I'd ever feel safe here in this lifetime, but at the same time, seeing the pyramids in person would be very cool!
8) France - I would love to go to the art museums, visit the Eiffel Tower, and have lots of French wine!
9) Costa Rica - I've seen many beautiful pictures from here as well, and it'd be a great tropical destination!
10) Banff, Canada - Ok, I've been here before, but it's so beautiful that it made my list anyway. It's in the Canadian Rockies, and the town is so cute and quaint!
11) New York City - I have been here twice but I loved it so much, and there are still so many places I want to go.
12) Peru - I'd love to go to Machu Picchu, and who could resist going to Lake Titicaca? HAHA   It was the easiest lake ever for me to remember in my geography class!
13) Germany - Although I am not a beer drinker, my boyfriend is... I'd love to go to Oktoberfest and experience it with him!

There ya have it.. I'd love to visit everywhere if I could, but alas, there are only 13 spots! haha
If you could go anywhere, money not a question, where would you go?

Want to participate?   Thursday 13

Rough Time

2010-07-28T09:41:00.000-05:00

I don't like posting when I don't have a lot of positive things to say, but I realized I haven't written in awhile. Maybe this will help!
I feel like I'm stuck in a rut right now and am having a hard time digging myself out!   I don't know what brought it on.. maybe post-vacation back to reality?   maybe the fact that I've gained a few pounds? maybe the changes at my work that make the future unknown (lots of new management changes)? maybe that since we got back from Florida, I haven't been able to spend much time with John since his work seems to be trying to kill him with hours?

I KNOW that I've been making bad choices with food lately. 80% of my choices are excellent, but those 20% are REALLY REALLY BAD, and probably completely discount the other 80%.   I haven't been working out.   I have been consuming extreme amounts of coffee (although low calorie, not exactly something that a health-conscious person should be doing). I haven't been sleeping well.   I'm normally a very social person, but lately I just want to hide in a hole.

I don't want this to be a pity party, but I also had to get it out there.    Maybe that's what I need to do just to start to dig my way out!

My first step is to try to get at least 8-9 hours of sleep tonight.    It's hard to want to do anything when you can barely keep your head up from being so tired! I actually LOVE being at the gym, but the biggest chore is getting dressed and ready to go to the gym.

Anyway - I mainly wanted to check in and let you all know I'm ok..   I will get out of this rut, and I'm actually surprised that it's been awhile since I've been in a rut.

xoxox to you all!

Happy Friday! Plus a recipe! :-)

2010-07-23T08:15:00.001-05:00

Hello guys and dolls! Happy Friday to you all! :-) I have a short day at work, and I'm excited about that.   I have a lot planned for the weekend, although most of it is low key!   I think I am going to start looking for a part time job over the next few weeks, as I had an unexpected expense come up, and I can't seem to squeeze that amount out of my budget.. EEK!    Getting it paid will be a huge weight off of my shoulders though, so I know I can do it!

On another note, Saturday is the one year anniversary of the date John and I moved in together.. wahoo! :-) And he even remembered... DOUBLE WAHOO!! :-)

I made chili the other night, and I swear, it is the PERFECT "diet" food...   It's extremely low fat and low carb, and has tons of protein and flavor.. Delish!
My version:
2 lbs of extra lean ground turkey
1/2 medium onion (chopped)
2 medium green or red peppers (chopped)
Cumin
Oregano
Garlic
Chili Powder
Paprika
Salt
Pepper
Red Pepper
4 Cans of fire roasted Tomatoes
2 Cans of Dark Red Kidney Beans (all beans drained and rinsed)
1 Can of Black Beans
1 Can of Pinto Beans

Saute onions, garlic and peppers until onions are translucent. (I use Pam to saute). Add ground turkey until cooked thoroughly cooked.   Add everything else and simmer for an hour or so... DELISH! Sorry, I don't measure my spices... I just prepare to taste.     It lasts for several days so you have a quick go to meal! If it's not enough food for your significant other, give them some corn bread or put the chili over rice or pasta.   It's delicious on it's own though!

Well, I am going to get back to work since my time is limited here today... I hope you all have a great weekend, and I will probably be blogging some more over the weekend!!

xoxo to you all! :-)

Thursday 13: Weekend Edition

2010-07-22T09:27:00.000-05:00

Happy Thursday to all!
I wanted to do a quick update on a couple of previous Thursday 13's first -
From my Bucket List Edition - I can remove the Disney World from my list! Wahoo! It is a great feeling to remove something from a bucket list! :)
From my Shopping Edition - I can remove #1 - our new camera! Wahoo! We ended up getting a slightly nicer one - we purchased a Canon T1i, and I absolutely love it. I'm still learning how to use it, and got a dummy book for it, but we can look forward to getting some more pictures on this blog now that I don't have a crappy ass camera! Wahoo!! Oh yeah, I got some running shoes while on vacay as well, so I can take TWO Things off!!!!
Now, here we go with this week - I'm going with a weekend edition because I'm a To Do List queen, and I have a lot to do. John has to work most of the weekend, so I'm going to try to fill it with some ME time, as well as some time with my girls!

Movie with my mom - I am going to take my mom to go see Eclipse, even though I've already seen it. She's read all of the books just like me, and wants to go see it! I still want to go see the A-Team, but I'll wait and see that one with John when he doesn't have to work.
Farmer's Market - I haven't been in well over a month, and I need to get some more things. I got a few veggies at Costco this weekend, but the deals are unbeatable at Farmer's Markets.. There is a new one in Tomball where I live that I want to try!
Bike Riding - I haven't gotten much time with my bike in, so hopefully this weekend, I can get some miles in, even if it's just in my neighborhood!
Mow the Yard (or find someone to do it for me! HA!) - since we were on vacation, and now with John working some crazy hours, our grass is TALL! My poor little chihuahua gets a wet belly just walking in the grass to do her business! haha!
Get some reading in - I'm still reading City of Bones and need to get it back to it's rightful owner.. hopefully I can finish it this weekend!
Get some pictures framed and put up. I ordered several pics from Snapfish from our trip, and hopefully they will be in today or tomorrow so I can get them framed. We also got my mom and John's mom some frames as souvenirs, and we got a picture to put in it! :)
Take a nap! I LOVE NAPS! They're truly one of life's joys for me. Hopefully I can sneak one in on Friday or Saturday. I have a half day on Friday, so my weekend starts at noon! WAHOO!
Spend some time with Michelle - I haven't seen her since the day before my vacation, and that day wasn't really hanging out too much!
Spend some time with Jil - I haven't seen her in awhile either! I miss my friends!
MUSCLE BLAST! I haven't been to this class in 3 weeks because of vacation and a day that I had to work during the class... and I need to firm up a bit! Ok, who am I kidding, a LOT!
Prepare for John's birthday - his birthday is in a few weeks, and I want to plan his little party that I'm having, as well as budget what I'm going to get him, etc.
Pay bills - BORING, but necessary!
Make a huge salad to munch on during the weekend... I've been craving salad like crazy!!!! YUM!

Ok, that's it for this week! If you'd like to participate, just go to Thursday 13!

Guest Post: Christie - Not the Quick Fix

2010-07-21T11:58:00.000-05:00

Good morning sunshines! I had one more guest post that I wanted to share, even though I'm back! Enjoy!!

A little about me... I'm 27 years old, married, and live in Colorado. I had the Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy 2 months ago and I am down about 50 pounds. To learn more about me and my type of surgery, please feel free to visit my blog.

What I would like to address today is dealing with the Quick Fix Mentality. What I mean by this is that unfortunately many non-ops, even those who have struggled with weight their entire lives, may tend to look down on WLS patients as those who have "taken the easy way out", gone for the "quick fix", or even, "given up." Do you feel angry just thinking about it? I know I do... partially at myself because I used to feel the exact same way.

I came across a new blog today that I absolutely love. A great woman who has overcome a lot and lost her weight "on her own" and has been maintaining the loss. We all know how rare this is and how difficult it is to do. I read many of her posts and started to really like this blogger I didn't know... started to feel like she was a new friend (as bloggers and blog readers alike, I'm sure you can understand this feeling!) Then I read her about me page and she said something along the lines of any of you can do it, just use your determination - and not for a quick fix like weight loss surgery.

My heart sank a little. Shouldn't she understand? Shouldn't people who have gone through The Struggle of Weight be supportive of others in the same boat, no matter the method they use to try and overcome it? Being a blogger myself I knew that the best route, rather than hastily leaving a comment about being offended, would be to email her privately, share a little of my story, and hopefully plant a seed of understanding so that she would be more open to the journey a WLS patient goes through. Since I found her blog through another WLS patient to begin with, I'm sure I am not the only one reading and not the only one who would feel a little disheartened.

I was pleasantly surprised by a lovely response she wrote to me. She explained that she knew she had it in her, hadn't done everything she could, and choosing surgery would have been the quick fix for HER. But that she knows it is a hard journey as well with lots of work involved and she doesn't look down on it. She even plans to change her wording in her About Me section. All in all it was a great exchange.

I thought I would share a bit of what I had written to her, in hopes that it may encourage others to stand up for themselves with critical friends, family members, blog readers, whoever. Remember above all that your journey is yours alone and it is no one else's place to judge.

Excerpt...

While I totally respect that for you going to a weight loss surgery seminar was a reality check and from that point on you did it yourself, I was a bit offended that you said "use your determination, and not on quick fix weight loss surgeries..." etc. I can understand where you are coming from. I have been in the weight-loss-blogosphere for going on 10 years. I used to never get involved with bloggers who had done weight loss surgery, since I was trying to do it on my own, because I thought we were in totally different worlds. I used to think it was a quick fix too. I considered LAP band surgery in 2003 at age 20, but decided against it because I thought to myself "that's too drastic, and I can do this on my own."

I have always been willing to put in the work, like you say, you have to do it. I've counted calories (or points) religiously, exercised 3-6 days a week regularly, lost 40-45 lbs every time that I really got serious about it for 6 months or so. One component that was always missing for me was the psychological factor and working on the emotional eating. In the end, this always sucked me back in because when I would hit a LONG plateau (at one point up to 6 months with no weight change after losing 45 lbs), the emotional factor would get me. I'd give up. I'd feel bad about myself and I'd eat those feelings.

7 years later at age 27, I found myself with major back problems (degenerative disc disease, 3 herniated discs in my thoracic spine, 2 in my lumbar spine and arthritis in my sacrum/tailbone.)... knee problems, arthritis, plantar fasciitis (severe foot pain), and really bad hip problems caused by the arthritis in my sacrum. I had lost and gained weight so many times. It was not as though I never tried and gave it my all. I had done major efforts for 6 months to a year at a time at least 10 times since my teenage years. Last November I started therapy with someone who specializes in eating disorders and I FINALLY started digging in to the deeper stuff. I was making a ton of progress with eating intuitively, not eating emotionally, self care, really getting my whole life together. Yet I was still gaining weight. I thought ok, I have the food under much more control, now I need to get exercising again. I walked, I did the Wii, I went to the gym. But every week something would start hurting worse. My hips and back especially. My back got so bad I couldn't stand up some days.

I went back to my doctor and said WHAT ELSE can I do for my back? I want to get my exercise and it keeps stopping me. He told me we had been through this before, I'd done a year of physical therapy, etc... and basically I had two choices - back surgery (which would only help short term anyway, since my condition is degenerative) or weight loss surgery. I'm only 27 and really don't want to have to have back surgery yet.... I've watched my mom have countless back surgeries (I inherited these probs from her) even though she never had a weight problem... it's scary. I also responded poorly to his suggestion to have weight loss surgery. BUT I AM TRYING TO DO THIS MYSELF... I'm in therapy... I'm eating right... and I'm trying to get my exercise! I am putting in the effort, why would you suggest surgery to me which is for people who aren't willing to work at it?

He explained to me it is just the opposite ~ he usually suggests it to the people he knows WILL work at it... because the surgery is just a tool, and it only works if the person USES it correctly, and uses it long term. He said he knows I can do this, and that without the help of surgery, I would most likely not get anywhere because of the amount of pain I was having with my various conditions. I cried in his office, and I hated him a little, but as I thought about it for a few days, I saw his point.

I went to a seminar and the surgeon said the same thing - it's a tool. You have to use it. You still have to make all the lifestyle changes you would be making without surgery if you want it to LAST and be successful long term. This made sense to me. Many people have WLS and gain all of their weight back. I was always secretly afraid (back when I was looking into it at age 20) that would be me. But now, having been through 6 months of therapy working on emotional eating and my deeper issues, knowing I have what it takes to put in the work, etc... I thought... I can do this. This can really help me. I can put in the work but actually get somewhere instead of getting stuck.

On May 20th I had the Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy. 85% of my stomach was removed. No intestinal bypass or anything else is done... this was the right option for me. They say the rate of loss is slower with this type of surgery, but I have blown their minds with almost 50 pounds lost in 2 months... surpassing even my husband, who is both a man and who started out 30 pounds heavier than me. He was at 37 lbs at 6 weeks, which I was at by 4 weeks. He should be flying by me but here I am. Proving to the world that I will work hard at this.

Even though I still have pain, it's so much better. My back and hips are still bothering me a lot, but my knee and foot pain is mostly gone, and my back pain is more manageable. I've been working out about 4-6 days per week since the 4th day after surgery. With this surgery I can eat much more than a bypass patient (2-3oz from day one... now I'm at about 3-4 oz usually)... and have no "help" from malabsorbtion... so if I don't make the right dietary choices, I'm screwed. But I work hard to make high protein, low carb, reasonable fat choices. And I kind of LOVE it! I love that I can be full on so little, making the right choices has actually been easy for me, and I am loving having less pain and being able to get my workouts, because I'm actually really enjoying them.

I know a few things you may be thinking. 1) I'm 2 months out, so of course I'm doing well, how about in 3 years? Well, I don't know, but I am certainly determined, working hard, and hoping for the best. 2) You may be thinking okay, surgery sounds ok for me based on what I've said (or maybe you're not, who knows), but most surgery people are slackers looking for the easy way out. Just think though that everyone has a personal story and without knowing it, how can you know? and 3) this has been way too long winded. So I'll wrap this up.

I just wanted to share my story in hopes you would change your opinion about WLS being the easy way out or "quick fix." I certainly don't approach it as that in my own life and I see it as a blessing and a tool to aid me in accomplishing my goals and improving my health. I work hard and I'm sure many other WLS patients do too. While it is FABULOUS that you have been able to do this on your own and maintain the loss, many...MOST.. people can't. Statistics recently say only 2% are able to lose and maintain more than a 100 lb weight loss even with proper diet, exercise, meds AND therapy combined. You have beaten the odds but I just hope that you won't look down on those of us who have not been able to. Some people think I gave up... but giving up would have been eating myself into oblivion. Instead I took ahold of my life and I'm trying to change my fate.

Stand up for yourself when people criticize your choice to have surgery. I think it is important to stress that the only way to have "given up" would have been to stop trying. By having surgery you made a decision to improve your health and your life. Be proud of that. Be proud of yourselves.

Back to Reality

2010-07-19T14:11:00.000-05:00

Hello my lovelies!!   I'm back in rainy Texas, almost back on my normal schedule. I took an extra day off to recover, but tomorrow is back to the grind!
John and I had a great time in Florida.   It was awesome getting to meet his sister and her family. I love them all! We were going and going every second. We went to the four Disney Parks (Epcot, Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios) as well as the Universal Islands of Adventure.   I rode several roller coasters, and even got John on one or two... wahoo! :)
I didn't make it to my H&M store that I'd been waiting on, but I did go outlet shopping with his sister. It was great getting to spend time with her and get to know her better. :-)   We'll be planning a trip to New York within the next 6-9 months, so hopefully I will make it to my H&M store then! :) They REALLY need to open a location in Texas!!!!
I have a HUGE number of blogs to catch up on, so I'll be working on that as I can...    I've missed reading about everyone's adventures through life!

I will write more tomorrow - off to take my dog to the vet! Her poor allergies are making her wheeze like crazy.. :(

Heather's Guest Post: Who Can See Your Potential

2010-07-16T08:41:00.006-05:00

Heather's blog is one of the first blogs I ever started reading. She disappeared on me for a little while due to real life getting in the way, but I'm SOOO glad she's back. If you ever need a dose of positive vibes, be sure to check her out!!

As I sit here and consume my second cup of coffee while thinking of a moment that has changed my life to write about, I was reminded of an experience that I will never forget. This last spring I was student teaching in a fourth grade class. One day, we were working on division problems and a young girl was struggling with the process. She came to me and said that she just can’t get the right answer. I asked her to work it out for me so I could see how she was figuring it out. This student was not at the top of the class and I knew that she may struggle a bit, but I wanted to see what was tripping her up the most so that I could break it down to a point that she would understand. I could see that she had the right idea, but was missing a step or two. I looked at her and said, “Slow down and think about the process. I know you can do this.” She then replied with, “How do you know I can do this.” I simply said, “I see it! I see it in you and I know you can do this.” She looked at me as if she thought I was magic. I could almost see her thinking, “I don’t see it, but if she does then I’ll try.” She then returned to her desk and worked out the problem. She brought it back (with a smile) and much to her surprise, it was correct. The next day, when she brought in her homework, I made a point to look at her work first. Sure enough, she had every problem correct! I was so proud! I went over to her and I said, “Wow, what a great job you did.” She said to me, “You were right. I did have it in there.”

That moment changed my life and confirmed that I am exactly where I’m supposed to be. Thinking on that moment also made me realize that all we need is someone to recognize that we have it in us. Picture, if you will, something that you struggle with or wish you could accomplish. It could be losing weight, exercising, saving money, or whatever. If someone were to approach you and say, “I know you can do this because I see it in you,” would that enhance your motivation? The “someone” that recognizes your potential, whether they know it or not, is creating a partnership and creating a great deal of encouragement. Maybe that is all we need, someone to recognize our potential and push us to the next level? Is it possible that our friends need that from us also?

I know that my potential has increased and I have gained a great deal of support from my “blog land” friends (as I like to call them). Having this experience has brought encouragement, drive, and a sense of accountability that I wouldn’t have had on my own. That being said, I love to read about others and their experiences yet I am not one to comment all of the time. I am pulling for them in their lows and excited about their highs, but I don’t always tell them. Just thinking about this experience has made me recognize how important comments and encouragement are to my friends and fellow bloggers. I am grateful for those who choose to be a part of my success and want me to be a part of theirs, even if I’ve never met them face to face. I can count on them to be there and say, “You can do this because I see it in you” and I will be overjoyed to return the favor.

Christine's Guest Post: Pink, Fuzzy Handcuffs!

2010-07-14T08:38:00.009-05:00

Christine is another blog that I recently have started reading, and I've loved every one I've read.. she's got a great mix of humor, information, and day to day stuff! :) Enjoy!

You’re heard the saying. “When life hands you lemons, make lemonade.”

I say, “When life throws you pink, fuzzy handcuffs, bust them out and make an impression.”

Hi, my name is Christine and I run a little weight-loss blog called Phoenix Revolution (www.phoenixrevolution.net). If you don’t know me already, here’s a little background: I’m 32 years old, I has gastric banding surgery a little over a year ago, and I’ve lost 85 pounds so far. I’m pretty mousy in real life and have an uncanny ability to blend in with a blank wall. Every now and then I open my mouth, and when I do, I think I send the whole world spinning backwards. Or, that’s what it feels like sometimes! Here’s a case in point:

While I was in graduate school, I decided on the spur of moment to romp off to The Netherlands to visit a friend. I threw my clothes in a backpack – I travel lightly – and hopped on the soonest plane to depart.

I had never been to The Netherlands before, although I’ve toured Europe fairly extensively. I of course, wanted to visit Amsterdam and all the delightful areas of town that involved. As you can imagine, I ended up in the heart of the Red Light District. Yeah, it was pretty spectacular. Naturally, I wanted some kind of souvenir to remember the trip by. I wasn’t keen on bringing home a STD, so I figured something a little tamer might be more appropriate.

I walked into a sex store. Oh boy! What treasures that store contained! They had, ahem, gadgets of all varying shapes and sizes. They had “reading material” (can I call it literature?) for every discerning preference. They had clothing that covered – and uncovered – all kinds of bits of flesh! Oy, it was all quite overwhelming. But then I saw it – the perfect souvenir! A pair of pink, fuzzy handcuffs!

They were so cute! So Barbie-doll pink! So soft and fuzzy! I had to have them. I slapped a few Guilders down on the sticky counter and giggled like a silly schoolgirl.

Now, remember I said that I pack light, right? I hate checking luggage – it’s time consuming, and my bags always end up in Oklahoma or some remote destination. Well, even though I was in graduate school, I am not always the brightest bulb in the room. I put those pink fuzzy handcuffs in my backpack with my clothes and yes, I went through security with them, intending to bring the bag with me on the plane.

Naturally, the hottest Dutch man was working the security point that day. He put my bag through, smirked, and then ran my back through the X-ray machine again. He called over another security-buddy of his, who just happened to be the second-hottest Dutch man I’ve ever seen. He looked at the screen, and then looked at me. Looked at the screen. Back at me. He started laughing.

I thought I was going to die from humiliation.

They called over not one, not two, but three more security officials – all men. All hot. They couldn’t contain their laughter. I think one guy started crying from the laughter. I wanted to crawl into my backpack and die.

Eventually they opened my bag and pulled out the pink fuzzy handcuffs. All the people held up in line behind me started tittering. The first security guard gave me a warning look and said, “Next time, check your bag, okay?” He handed back the handcuffs to me and sent me on my way.

I stuffed the handcuffs in my purse as fast as I could and hauled ass off to my airplane terminal. I was originally booked for a flight direct from Amsterdam to NYC. It was a completely full flight, except for two empty seats. One of those seats was right next to me! Hooray! I thought that my luck had turned around. An extra seat to spread out in during an international flight, especially as I was quite overweight at the time, is akin to a bubble bath and deep-tissue massage after a long hike up a volcano/mountain. (Read about that trip by clicking here: http://www.phoenixrevolution.net/archives/295) An extra seat is delicious and glorious. I settled in with a smile on my face.

Then the stewardess got on the intercom. “I regret to inform you that there is an emergency situation, and we need to pick a few passengers up at London, Heathrow Airport. This short delay will only put us into our final destination 30 minutes late. If you have any questions about a connecting flight, let me know.”

Well, dammit! What passenger can be so freaking important that they would re-direct a nearly-full airplane to pick them up?

J.K. Rowling. That’s who. We stopped in London, and J.K. Rowling, her husband and children got on the plane. She handed the kids over to her husband, and took the seat right next to me. I knew who she was instantly. I love Harry Potter, and I’ve seen several interviews with her. It had to be her.

As I sat there wondering whether I should say something to her or not, she opened up a notebook and started to write. I think it was Book Four of the Harry Potter series. Glancing over her shoulder, I could see her write about Harry, Ron, and Hermione. I was so giddy and nervous I started shaking a little.

I had to get her autograph. Hers would be a fantastic addition to my collection. I grabbed my purse to pull out a pen and piece of paper.

Out fell the pink fuzzy handcuffs. Right there on the airplane tray. Bang. With a clatter. Ms. Rowling looked up from her scribbling. She looked at her handcuffs, then looked at me with more than a little uncertainty in her eyes.

When life hands you lemons, make lemonade.

Gulp.

I picked up the handcuffs and turned directly to her. “I know you’re JK Rowling. And I know you’re writing a Harry Potter book right here. You’ve got two choices. Either you can give me your autograph, or I can handcuff you to this chair and you can tell me whether Harry lives or dies in the end. Your choice.”

I smiled.

I say, “When life throws you pink, fuzzy handcuffs, bust them out and make an impression.”

Visit my blog!!! www.phoenixrevolution.net

No Excuses - Guest Post by Emma!

2010-07-13T08:30:00.002-05:00

From Laurie - I've recently had the honor of reading Emma's blog. I am thrilled to have her posting for me this week while I'm in Orlando! Please be sure to check out her blog and follow her!

I was thinking the other day about all the excuses that we make to ourselves about why we can’t lose weight or why there’s no time to do exercise today, or whatever. Then I started thinking about the excuses that others make for us. So I thought I would write about that for my guest post here. I’m wondering if others find the same things happen to them.

I’m a lifelong wheelchair user as I have Cerebral Palsy (CP). But I’m not someone whose been overweight all their life. In fact when I was little my mum used to worry about my eating because I was such a fussy eater (and in some ways still am). I gained weight when I left home and suddenly I was the one who chose what was on the table and didn’t always make good choices. And I lost some of it slowly. Then I got hit by a bad bout of depression which I’m still clawing my way out of several years later. It all went to pot and I ended up at the highest weight I’ve ever been.

One of the things I try to do now is to be honest with myself. It’s not the easiest thing to do all the time and sometimes I slip up. As a part of that I refuse to justify things to myself. If I eat a bit worse than usual then I do and I just treat that as a part of my journey. If it’s because I’ve been to a special occasion like a meal out then fine. But it doesn’t become an excuse to eat whatever I like for days on end and slip back into old habits. I’m trying very hard not to use food as a comfort and a reward anymore. Which means I’ve stopped coming up with excuses about why it’s ok.

I am managing to lose weight now and I have some wonderful support. From friends and family and from people I’ve met online through the Healthy You Challenge and other places. Then there are those who make excuses in their being supportive.

A good friend of mine once told me “You’re in a wheelchair Emma, no one expects you to be thin.”

I realise that was meant to be helpful and supportive. What she missed however was for me it’s not about being “thin” but about being healthier and finding things easier. Doing this is what I expect of myself for myself.

And several people have made comments along the lines of “it’s not easy for you to lose weight” [because I have CP]. Again that was meant to be an encouraging and helpful comment. I do appreciate the support – and usually it’s not the whole of the conversation.

Weight loss isn’t easy full stop. Maybe because of being on a low income, or busy at work. Or people might not be able to get to the gym. There are millions of reasons and excuses why now isn’t a good time for weight loss and healthy eating. I’ve stopped making those excuses. Now I just need others to stop making them for me.

Guest Post: Tiffany!

2010-07-12T07:49:00.014-05:00

Laurie here: I've been following Tiffany for well over a year and a half.. she is truly an inspiration, and I've enjoyed watching her relationship with her now husband blossom as well! :) Enjoy!

Hi, I’m Tiffany from Change is Good, Changing for Good. I am honored to be guest posting at Laurie’s blog. A brief background about myself: I had the Duodenal Switch weight loss surgery March 26, 2007. My highest weight was 393.6 pounds, and I have been morbidly obese for most of my life. The last ten years of my life being super morbidly obese. I have lost 254.6 pounds.
Before and After Pictures:

This was not my heaviest weight. I estimate that I gained another 15-20 pounds before having weight loss surgery. I wore a size 36W jeans and a 5X/6X top, which had to be ordered from the two major online women’s clothing companies.)

Boston, MA June 11, 2010 (139 pounds)

I debated about what I would post, but decided that I would write about what I do to maintain my weight loss. I have maintained my current weight for seventeen months. Since most of my life I have gained weight, maintaining is a new ground for me.

Tips and Tidbits:

1. Never drink your calories. I was a huge Coca-Cola addict pre-op. I don’t waste any calories on liquids (with the exception of protein drinks).

2. Don’t keep “trigger” foods in the house. For myself, bread is a huge trigger food. I can very rarely eat bread in small portions. At restaurants, I will ask for the bread basket to be taken away, or not to be brought at all.

3. Be prepared. When I don’t have many choices, I will inevitably make bad choices. I always have “go to” snacks that I can eat, so this rarely happens. Stock up a desk drawer at work, stash things in your purse. Argue with TSA that peanut butter is not a gel, and that you should be allowed to take it on your flight.

4. Customize your food when you are out. Don’t be afraid to ask for things to be made a specific way. Have the server go back in the kitchen to find out an answer to your question. Look at menus online to have a game plan for when you go to a restaurant. There have been some ethnic restaurants that I didn’t feel had a lot to offer me, so I brought my own dinner when meeting friends. The world doesn’t care if you are fat, we have to take our healthy eating into our own hands.

5. When you make sweets, give them away as soon as possible. As a former severely overweight person, I never had the problem with sweet items “going to waste” in my house. They were cleaned out very quickly. I love baking new things, but what I do is allow my husband and I to have a small sample, then I send him around to all our condo neighbors, until the items are gone.

6. Be diligent in medical care follow up. This is especially true if you have had weight loss surgery. Make regular doctor’s appointments for yourself, and don’t be afraid to ask your doctor tough questions, or to seek second opinions. Insist on regular lab work to be done, and make sure you understand the results of that lab work. One thing I am compiling this summer is a “Medical Spiral Binder” for my husband/family. This is going to contain ALL the medical notes from my doctors over the last five years. If ever something serious happens to me, I want them to be able to use that data to decide what the next steps in my treatment are. Having it all organized in one place will help in this process.

7. Find some way to deal with your emotional baggage. If you have been heavy for any amount of time, there will be feelings of low self-esteem that you need to build. You will have to find your way out of the heavy mode. This may take many different forms. For myself, I had to rediscover who I was. That is the basis of my blog. I’ve went skydiving, horseback riding, and am learning how to cook. Being able to maintain a healthy mindset will help to keep the weight off. I’ve found so much support through the online blogger community as well.

8. Take pictures. Pictures are a good form of accountability. They let me know when I am slipping up. Sure, there is always the occasional unflattering angle or outfit, but this shows progress (good or bad) over time. It is amazing to see the progression over time.

9. Wear clothes that fit. Yeah, I had the elastic waist pants by the dozen too, but you are different now. You can judge by how a pair of fitted clothes feels on where you are weight wise. Take someone who knows how to help you find the proper fit. I found my viewpoint was very skewed in this regard. I started out with a size twelve skirt, and thought it fit just fine. My friend went back and got me an eight. I would have never bought that without her saying, “Yes, this fits you.” She was right, I just wasn’t able to see it yet.

10. Weigh yourself daily. This can frustrate the tar out of someone, including me. I have kept up with my weigh ins online. There are many places you can do this online. I use Med Help trackers. I now don’t panic when I see a spike, especially if I notice it is a trend that my body goes through. Even if you cannot commit to weighing yourself daily, almost all physicians recommend that you weigh yourself weekly to maintain your optimum desired weight.

11. Give up fast food. I was a hardcore fast food addict. Most days, I had fast food twice a day: always super-sizing, getting extra dipping sauce, you name it. I have been fortunate that most fast food makes me nauseous. McDonalds is the absolute worst, and I won’t even let my husband bring it in the house or eat it in the car with me. I have about four items total that I will eat from all the various fast food places. It is processed junk. I’ve learned that I am worth more than that. Again, going back to planning, I would much rather pack something from home, or swing by a grocery store to eat something that is good for me.

Thank you for letting me share. If you have any questions, I’d love to answer them for you. You may contact me through my blog. Be kind to one another, this journey is hard, no matter how you choose to battle it.

I’ll leave you with a quote from one of my favorite bloggers, Frayed Laces,

“There will come a day when you can no longer do this, today is NOT that day.”

Mmm... Apple Chips (Guest Post!)

2010-07-11T09:24:00.015-05:00

Today we have a post for a delicious healthy recipe, courtesy of Freckle on the Nose of Life's Complexion. If you haven't checked out her blog yet, please do so! It's hilarious, and there are lots of great recipes!!

Enjoy!

If there are chips in the house, I will eat them. Kettle cooked, baked, wavy… I am an equal opportunity consumer of junk food. Summer may be the season of bathing suits and shorts, but it’s also the season of ridiculously good food.

Just think about it - picnics and cookouts and barbecues… it’s easy to get into trouble! And I do, which is why I fully embraced my recent (and rare) craving for a healthy snack.

I decided upon apple chips, even though they require lots of bake time and I possess limited quantities of patience. And turning on the oven when the air conditioning is running full blast just feels crazy, but if it keeps me away from the Cheetos, I’ll take it!

After picking up a few apples, the first step was to core them.

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af282/freckleonthenose/006-1.jpg

I was tempted to stop here and eat ‘em up but I marched on. I cut the apples into thin slices and set them aside. Then I separately mixed some water and sugar over the stove that would eventually coat the apple slices.

The sugar can definitely be substituted with Splenda or something similar. Otherwise, this healthy recipe… isn’t so healthy, haha.

I let the sugar water boil and poured it over the apple slices.

After some stirring, I let the apples cool a bit before spreading them over a couple of cookie racks (which apparently should now be called “healthy snack racks”). I put some foil underneath to catch drips before putting them in the oven.

This definitely isn’t a quick snack – I put them in the oven at around 200 degrees for nearly three hours and then brought them out to cool.

They are yummy! I won’t lie and say they fulfill my craving for salty deliciousness, but it was definitely tasty enough to tide me over in between meals. I do have a few tips though:

-          Spray the racks before laying down the syrupy apple slices. I didn’t think about that and I had to peel them off one by one – oops!

-          After they’re baked, don’t let them sit too long – I found that they needed to be thrown away after about 36 hours.

-          It might be fun to sprinkle a little cinnamon into the syrup. Cinnamon makes everything a little more delicious!

Enjoy! And a big thanks to Laurie for letting me guest post! Have a great vacation!

GRRRRRR

2010-07-09T09:24:00.000-05:00

I hate it when mechanics assume they can screw you over just because you're a woman. I'm getting my car looked at before we leave tomorrow, and requested an oil change and an alignment. Instead, they're wanting me to do about 400000 other things, at a total of $1400!! Hell, it'd be cheaper to rent a car. I'm so irked! I called John to ask him what I should get done, and I'm only getting that taken care of, but now I have to add another errand to my list, which is going to Discount Tire to get new tires... they wanted to charge me almost $400 for new tires... I DO NOT THINK SO!!!

Anyway, had to rant.... back to cleaning, packing and list writing!

xoxox!!

Thursday 13: Travel Edition

2010-07-08T12:08:00.000-05:00

Happy Thursday to you all! This week's Thursday 13 is a list a stuff that you should never go on vacation without!

Camera - It's important to catch some great moments while on vacation! :)
Reading Material - We're driving.. and I get bored easily. So, I'll be bringing several books and magazines to keep myself awake!
Ample clothing - I once underpacked when I went to Mexico. When I went there, I was morbidly obese, and found that they don't sell plus sized clothing in that part of Mexico.... Not fun! So, I always keep in mind that I need enough clothes with me! haha
A nice outfit - even if you're just going to do casual things, you want at least one nice outfit in case you have a change of plans.
Identification - ID, Passports, etc. and the numbers to your bank and other financial institutions in case something goes wrong!
Chargers for all of your electronics: Phone, iPod, camera, etc. It's a pain to not be able to use something just because the battery died!
Seasonally Appropriate Items - Sunglasses, jackets, etc.
Map or GPS - you don't want to get lost!!
Music - there will be lots of dead time with radio stations, so it's ideal to have your iPod, or some CDs made!
Cash - You never know if a place won't take a credit/debit card, so it's always good to have some cash on hand.
Emergency numbers - if you lose your phone, do you know how to reach ANYONE? I only know a few phone numbers by heart, and I think I'm not alone! It's no longer necessary to memorize phone numbers like it used to be!
Medication, Vitamins, Etc.
Toiletries - A girl has to have her makeup, toothbrush, and other girly stuff!!!

No wonder we get criticized for over packing.. but I've underpacked enough times and end up spending too much money replacing what I need! :)

Happy Thursday to you all! If you want to participate, just go to Thursday 13!
I will see you all around the 20th - but keep visiting me, as I'll have some awesome guest posters!
xoxo
Laurie

Made it Through...

2010-07-07T16:19:00.000-05:00

Ahh, I made it through my deadline with no casualties!   Excellent, indeed!   I have gotten a little delirious over the past couple of days though.   This morning, I sneezed, and then I said, "Bless You!" to myself.   I seriously thought someone else just sneezed... Of course, someone else heard it, and we both ended up laughing so hard we couldn't breathe! lol

Tonight I am starting my long list of things to do.   One of those things is to go to sleep at a decent time. I have a knack for getting sick when I'm about to go on vacation since I fill up my time doing too much crap!   So, I will TRY to thwart that by getting a good night's sleep tonight.

I looked at the weather for Orlando over the next 10 days. Rain every day! HA! Go figure! :)    I know that will likely change, either for the better or worse, but I refuse to let that damper my time off.   It'll be great getting to know John's family and I know we'll be able to make it to some of the parks. Wahoo! :)

Tomorrow will likely be my last post until I get back, and then you'll have some great guest posts! What I've gotten so far is awesome!

Hope you all are doing well.   I have 419 unread posts in my Google reader... EEK!    It was over 500 this morning.   I can't get to some blogs on the actual sites so I haven't been able to comment! BOO!    I am sure my work has blocked something... punks!

'til Tomorrow!
xoxo
Laurie

Wahoo, Counting Down!

2010-07-05T08:52:00.000-05:00

Hello, boys and girls!   It's officially my vacation week, and I'm counting down!    I only have 3 workdays left, this week, so I'm thrilled!
John bought us our new camera this weekend, so we can scratch that off of my Thursday 13 Shopping List. Hurray! :)    We played with it a bit this weekend, and I ordered a dummy book that's specific to our camera that will arrive on Thursday.    John suffers with motion sickness, but I can read while he drives, and before you know it, I'll be a pro on that camera.. wahoo!!!
Last night for the 4th, we had a few friends over.. We grilled some delicious steaks and some chicken, I baked some potatoes, and we chowed down.   I have lots of leftovers, so I think cooking for the rest of the week will not be necessary.. SCORE!    I have a lot to do this week.
I love that I have the day off, but I think doctors should have to work so I can stream down my ever-growing to do list! LOL
I hope you're all having a fantastic Monday!

OH! I have FOUR guest posters who sent me their posts already.. you're going to LOVE them!   I just need 2-3 more!    You can write about ANYTHING you want, as long as it's PG or PG13! LOL

XOXO to you all!
L

Thursday 13: Gotta Love Snacks!

2010-07-01T10:22:00.000-05:00

Happy Thursday, one and all! I hope your week is going well. Mine is incredibly busy, but it's flying by! Wahoo!
Today, I have a guest post over at Kim's blog, Knitten Kittens - please go give her some love while she's on a mission trip! :-) Speaking of guest posts, I still need a few more for when I go on vacation.. The topic is yours to choose, and hopefully you'll get some blog lovin from some new people! Email me if you're interested! laurie9797(at)gmail.com

Today's Thursday 13 is a snack edition - I'm unfortunately a stress eater, so these are my go-to snacks so I don't do too much damage!

Jerky - High protein, and low fat... It's a great snack. Just watch the sodium! Good thing is it makes me super thirsty too, so I drink my water! Have you all heard that there is a caffeinated jerky out there? Have any of you tried it?
Cheese - Who doesn't love cheese? Another high protein snack, but gotta watch the calories. The great thing is that a little goes a long way.. it's incredibly filling!
Hard-boiled eggs - Yum! I love these, and they're the perfect little snack.
Meatballs - Yeah, a weird snack, but I get some chicken/pineapple meatballs at Costco, and they're delicious. I usually have 2-3 meatballs for one of my meals/snacks, and it's delish!
Edamame - I love these lil soybeans! Seapoint Farms has a dry roasted edamame, and I love the steamed ones too. They're very good, filling, and yes, high protein!
Jicama - I love jicama...I sprinkle a little salad dressing on it, and it's a great mini-meal!
Watermelon - Mmmm... I can eat so much of this stuff. It's unreal! My favorite fruit by far.
Carnation No Sugar Added Instant Breakfasts - If I need something sweet, this is something that I love. It's full of protein and vitamins, and tastes pretty good too!
Coffee - technically not a food, but I have a love affair with coffee. This would actually be #1 on the list. This week, my favorite is the skinny vanilla latte... next week, who knows! LOL
Tuna Fish/Canned Chicken - Instead of mayo, I mash up avocado and use that as a dressing... it's really good! Add some celery and hard boiled eggs, and it's a meal!
Pop Chips - this is an empty snack, but I'm human, right? LOL
Tortilla Pizzas - so many varieties for any taste... delicious! :)
Bananas - YUM! I love these things.. :)

Well, that's it for my Thursday-13! If you want to join in the fun, head on over to Thursday-13.

Super Busy

2010-06-29T09:34:00.000-05:00

Sorry I haven't updated in a few days.. Work is keeping me really busy all week with month end, and then the upcoming holiday. I'm just keeping in mind that once I make it through this week, I only have THREE work days left before my vacation! :)
Besides work, I've got a LOT to do in prep for my vacation:

Try on my bathing suit - and hopefully not cringe... If it's cringe-worthy, go see if I can find something a little less cringe-y!
Oil Change, Alignment (had an incident with a curb at Starbucks - before I got my coffee), and tire rotation since we're taking my car.
Mani/Pedi
The list goes on, but I can't think right now! :(

Am I the only person out there that is a big list writer? I have to have lists or I can't focus on what I need to get done. And, if I get overwhelmed, I'll write down a few things I've already done, just so I can scratch them off! I'm a quirky lil freak, huh? LOL

Well, I better get back to it! I will certainly check in within the next day or two as well as try to catch up on blogs! I'm pretty behind right now, unfortunately!
Lots of love to you all! :-)

Thursday 13: Guilty Pleasures TV Edition

2010-06-24T09:44:00.001-05:00

Happy Thursday to you all!!! Wow, these weeks sure are passing by fast. I can't believe the year is halfway over already. It's been rainy for the past few days here in Texas so at least it hasn't been as hot as it usually is. I'm still counting the days down to my vacation. I can not wait!!!! I have only used 4 hours of vacation time so far this year, so I'm long overdue for a little time off.

Anyway - here is my Thursday 13 for the week. Last week I gave you 13 guilty pleasure movies that I love to watch.. and here I am with the TV shows! I'm not a HUGE TV watcher, but there are several shows that I DVR on a regular basis, and some of these shows aren't even in the weekly rotation anymore, but I love them.

Glee - This show is highly addicting for me. The entire cast is lovable, and I instantly feel my spirit lifted after watching it. It's not for everyone, but it is certainly for me!
The Vampire Diaries - Another show that I love. It's based on the books, which I haven't read yet. I got them at the half price bookstore though, and they're in my long line of summer reading.
Parenthood - This is a new show this season, and I really enjoy it. I'm only a few episodes into it, but I have them all DVR'd and am catching up!
Chopped (Food Network) - This is a fun little show where 4 chefs compete making 3 dishes using secret ingredients.. after each round, a chef gets CHOPPED! The ingredients are usually quite whacky, and I don't know how they come up with what they do!
The Next Food Network Star - Yeah, I have been watching Food Network a lot lately, since I'm trying to improve my cooking skills (and creativity) in the kitchen. I started watching this show this season, and I'm already hooked!
Big Brother - OMG, I LOVE THIS SHOW! This is the definition of a guilty pleasure for me. It's trashy reality TV at it's finest! :) I can't wait for it to start up next month!
So You Think You Can Dance - This is my favorite of the singing/dancing type shows. I love the numbers that they come up with, yet at the same time it depresses me because I have two left feet. Two very awkward left feet. :-(
My So Called Life - Very defunct, but I LOVED this show when it was on.. It was fantastic!
Gossip Girl - I'm quite behind on this show, but I really liked it when I was able to watch it on a regular basis. I need to get the DVDs from Netflix so I can watch them.
Entourage - This show follows an up and coming movie star with his "entourage".. It's very funny!
Felicity - Now defunct, I followed Felicity since she followed Ben to NYC, all the way to the end.. I loved it!
Dawson's Creek - I was a late watcher of this, but I started over from the beginning, and fell in love with it!
The OC - Wow, so I love teeny boppers and reality TV! hahah The OC is another teeny bopper show, but I really loved the cast. I think everyone needs somebody like Seth in their life! :)

There you have it - my super high quality TV shows! I do like shows like CSI and Criminal Minds, but those don't qualify as a guilty pleasure to me.
What are some of your guilty pleasure shows?

Happy Thursday to you all!!!

McDonald's Toys and Obesity - Your Opinion?

2010-06-23T08:40:00.000-05:00

I heard about this on the radio this morning:
http://www.wgntv.com/news/wgntv-mcdonalds-toys-lawsuit-june23,0,5489276.story

McDonalds may get hit with a lawsuit over its "Happy Meal" toys.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest is threatening to file a lawsuit against the fast food chain claiming the toys are causing kids to become overweight.

It says McDonald's unfairly and deceptively markets the toys to children, who then nag their parents to take them out to eat.

The group is hoping McDonalds will agree to stop selling the toys before a suit is filed. CSPI says the suit would be filed in state court.

The center has not settled on a state yet, but the group believes the toys in Happy Meals violate state consumer protection laws in Massachusetts, Texas, the District of Columbia, New Jersey and California.

But, McDonalds disagrees, and says it offers more food varieties than ever before. It also requires happy meals to contain 600 calories or less.

What are your thoughts on this?

Seriously... I'm having issues today.

2010-06-22T10:29:00.000-05:00

I'm trying to get a love affair going with dear old H2O... Water, that is... hehe   It has had it's ups and down today.   I'm over halfway done with my 32 oz Weight Watchers mega mug... but a good 2-3 oz. of it is on my shirt... and on my jeans.. because apparently there is a gigantic hole in my mouth today.
Yep, it's one of those days.    I'm FREEZING now because I love my water to be super duper cold, with lots of ice.       AHH!!!!!

So, beyond freezing and drinking, things are going well. Work is busy, but not making me insane. Insanity begins next week!
I only have 11 more work days (not counting today) until my vacation.   Then, I have ELEVEN full days off of work.... 7 of which are work days...   I can't wait! My mom is going to watch the pups and the cats. I hope she can handle Seth.. he's got so much energy that I wonder if I can handle him.   I brought her over on Sunday so she could meet him and he was as calm as could be.   He took a few long naps and was an angel... SOOO not like him! HA!   So now my mom thinks she has a calming effect on little creatures... I hope she's right! :)

I've never been to Orlando before. Can anyone give me some ideas of things to do, just in case?
I know we're going to the new Harry Potter park at Universal Studios, Disney World.   I've also told his sister that I want to go to H&M and get my shopping fix since we don't have that store here.. boo!    Beyond that, I'm not completely sure what's going on. John's sister lives there and we're staying with her. His uncle and family are also coming out so it will be a lot of fun. I've never met his sister's family but I met his uncle and his family on John's birthday last year.

Anyway, I'm rambling bigtime today!!!!   EEEEK!

Back to work for me... I'll touch base with you all tomorrow of course!
xoxoxo
Laurie :)

Award Time!

2010-06-21T14:02:00.000-05:00

Thanks to Tracy at Just Being Who I Am for giving me this award, I truly appreciate it!
It looks like I list 7 things about myself that you may not know, and then pass on the award to 5 deserving bloggers!
Seven Things You May Not Know About Me

I get anxiety over the stupidest things.. And the things that would cause anxiety in NORMAL people, don't bother me at all.
I have a bit of a lead foot. While I was super-morbidly obese, I was always able to get out of getting a ticket. Since losing all of the weight, I get a ticket every time. LOL
I have 3 half brothers from my dad's first marriage. I haven't talked to any of them in ages.
My mom is one of 10 children, so needless to say, I have a HUGE extended family.
Ever since I got my gallbladder removed, I can't eat popcorn, nuts, or extremely spicy foods without paying the price. I miss popcorn!
I rarely wear shorts or dresses because my legs are so pale. I'm afraid they will cause aircraft interference and I'll be featured on the news! :(
I have some Skechers 4 Wheeler skates, and I want to go practice so I don't fall on my ass in front of my boyfriend! hehe

Now the hard part - awarding this to only 5 of my fellow bloggers? ACK! I wish I could list you all... normally I'd cheat and say, EVERYONE wins, but I'd like to feature some blogs that you may enjoy following as well!
In no particular order:
Kim at Knitten Kittens
Heather at Heather's Roller Coaster Journey
Kristin at Bringing Pretty Back
Falon at She's Done Lost It - And it's her birthday today too! Happy Birthday, Falon!
Rachel at Randomness with Rachel

There are so many more I'd love to feature!

Anyway, I hope you all have a Happy Monday! :)
xoxo
Laurie

Need Guest Posters for July!

2010-06-21T09:16:00.000-05:00

Happy Monday to you all! I hope you had a great weekend. Mine was nice, albeit wayyyyy too short! I'm ready for another one already!

As you may know, I'm going to Florida in July to meet John's sister and to go to Universal Studios, Disney World, and many other places. While I'm gone, I'll need some guest bloggers since I know that blogging won't be my top priority! You'd worry if it were, right? LOL

I'd love to get 7-8 volunteers! Please email me at Laurie9797(at)gmail.com if you're interested!

I'll send another blog through later, I just wanted to get this out there while I was thinking about it! :)

Thursday 13 - Guilty Pleasures: Movie Edition

2010-06-17T09:46:00.000-05:00

Happy Thursday to you all! Today is my friend's work baby shower, so I get to pick up a cute cake in a few hours that I will not partake in... I had so much fun buying her gifts yesterday too! I collected money for the group gifts, and I got to go spend over $400 of money that wasn't mine.. how fun is that?! LOL

Anyway - On to the Thursday 13... This week is a list of movies that I love... that aren't necessarily quality movies, but if they come on TV even though I own the DVD, I have to stop what I'm doing and watch! LOL

Never Been Kissed - This is such a cute movie to me - Drew Barrymore should only do romantic comedies because that's what she's best at IMHO.. Wait.. isn't that all she does anyway? HAHA!
He's Just Not That Into You - Wow, Drew is in this one too.. This has a great ensemble cast and I love all of the story lines.
Love, Actually - Ditto #2 - great cast, love all of the interweaving story lines. The little boy's love story is one of my favorites... sigh.. I need to watch this one again soon! :)
The Holiday - I'm not a huge fan of Jude Law, but I loved his role in this movie.
Coyote Ugly - Girl moves to big city.. girl meets boy.. typical cute little movie! :)
The Wedding Singer - OMG I love this movie... I'm an 80's girl all the way, and I love Adam Sandler movies as well.. and look again, Drew Barrymore! hahaha
The Breakfast Club/Sixteen Candles/MOST John Hughes films - I hesitated to place these in here because I don't think they're cheesy enough to be a "guilty pleasure" but they are all movies that I'll stop and watch at any point.. they're classics to me! I grew up with them and loved each movie. Pretty in Pink is not one that I cared for as much, but I still thoroughly enjoyed it!
27 Dresses - another great movie - and unfortunately I'm relating to being in everyone's wedding but not in my own! haha!!!
The Lost Boys - Not a great movie by ANY stretch of the imagination.. but I loved it! I was a die hard Corey Haim (RIP) fan... He was plastered all over my wall when I was a pre-teen! :)
The Princess Bride - this is another one that I hesitated to put in here b/c while it is cheesy, I think it's on a lot of people's top movies of all time... a great movie!!!
Rat Race - This movie is absolutely HILARIOUS to me.... My favorite duo was Seth Green and his brother - OMG..... hahaha I need to watch this again soon too!
Grease 2 - I'll admit... I think I prefer this to the original Grease..
Road House - Loved this movie! RIP Patrick Swayze

I obviously could only list 13... What are some of the ones that you feel I should have included? I'm famous for not having seen many movies, so hopefully you'll give me some ideas of movies that I need to watch! :)

Happy Thursday - we're one day closer to the lovely weekend.. WAHOO!!! :)

Join in the fun!
Thursday 13

Good Day!

2010-06-15T18:23:00.000-05:00

Well, today I had my gastro-doc appointment... All went well. Since I'm not experiencing any pain with my ulcer, he told me that there's no need for another camera test at this point... whew! I'm still paying off the last two! LOL All I need to do is monitor how I'm feeling, and if I start to experience pain, then I need to go in and he'll do another test on me.

Since I got out of work early for my appointment, I went to the gym on the way home. I did one hour on the elliptical machine and burned a total of 650 calories! WAHOO!!! I wanted to get off after 30 but I kept trekking along, and made it through the end... I felt great afterwards, and sat in the sauna for a few minutes and then left to take care of the pups! In my gym bag I forgot to pack a t-shirt, so I unfortunately had to wear the pink silky shirt that I wore to work today! Ha! I'm sure I got a few funny looks.. I guess it's better than forgetting your pants or shoes though, right? :) (I've done both of those before too, and just left the gym instead of completing a workout.. lol

Now I'm back to reading my book and just trying to relax for the rest of the evening.. I have a late night at work tomorrow to make up some of my hours for today, and to get my half day on Friday.

Have a great night everyone! :)

Exhausted!

2010-06-14T16:17:00.000-05:00

Well, it's Monday, but I am glad to be at work to recover from my weekend! LOL I love that new puppy of ours, but OMG he is such a handful. He will bite and chew on absolutely anything he can get his mouth around - and if he can't, he'll keep trying. Gotta give him props for trying to eat my elbow! LOL

Don't tell John I'm showing this to you guys! hahah!     Even John's toosh isn't off limits as far as this pup is concerned!!

Besides puppy exhaustion, my weekend was great..    Saturday morning, I met one of my girlfriends up at the gym and did my Muscle Blast class.. I'm still quite sore.. My rump and my hams hurt.. lol    They changed the format a bit since I last went, and we now use the Reebok balance board... holy crap, that is tough! I can barely stand on my own let alone lifting weights while balancing my core. The instructor said, "You may not feel it now, but you will!"... and damn, she was not lying!   Even my ankles are sore..   It's a good thing though.. I needed to get back into the groove!

Over the weekend I also finished up my Eclipse novella... it was a short little book, but I enjoyed it.. and now I'm reading another book..   Nothing to help enhance my self discovery.. just plain old entertainment.. which I need right now anyways since Glee is over for the season, as are any other shows that I'm watching. I'm trying to stay off the computer once I get home since I have a habit of parking my ass in front of it if I start... nope, don't need that!!

Sunday, Jil, John and I had an early breakfast at a crepe cafe... OMG that place is delish!   Then, John took off for work, and Jil and I hit the Farmer's Market and then split some fajitas for 1 at a Mexican restaurant that we had never gone to.   It was delish... we had lots of leftovers, so when we got home, John had lunch too! HA!

TOMORROW - I am going back to my gastroenterologist.....   The appointment that I've been putting off for a little over two months now.   I will end up scheduling my next camera test tomorrow to see if that pesky ulcer is still hanging out in my intestine. I haven't had any pain from it, but I wasn't last camera test either.   I have to take a day off of work, but it won't be enjoyable since I will be coming out of my anesthesia drunkenness..   blah!

Anyways... back to work for me... It's one of my half day weeks, and with a doctor's appointment, it's going to be a LONG 4 days! ick!

Happy Monday to all! :)

Losing It.. and other Stuff.. :)

2010-06-11T07:59:00.004-05:00

Happy Friday, guys and dolls!
Since we have the puppy at home, I've been spending a lot less time in front of the computer since he's a chewer.. and now I'm finally starting to catch up on some of my TV shows while playing Tug'o'War with the pooch!
Last night I watched Losing It from the first week.. I thought I had forgotten to tape it, but there it was.. It was about an overweight family with two of the family members having gastric bypass surgery (the same one I had). The father was unsuccessful and the daughter had lost all of her weight but she still hadn't worked on her head. I related to the daughter for a few reasons - she still has the "fat girl mentality" where she doesn't see herself as thin.. Sometimes I look in the mirror and see BS (before-surgery, and bull sh*t (HA)) Laurie looking back at me. It's sad, frustrating, and hard to shake! Also, I have a really hard time with accepting compliments. I just don't see or understand what other people see, b/c I see BS Laurie. I enjoyed this family because I related so well.. I watched part of the 2nd show but I didn't finish it. I realized that I still have a lot of work to do on myself. I knew this all along, but finally realized how important it is!

I must touch on Glee too... I freaking love this show! :) It's just plain fun.. I watch enough TV that is deep and thought provoking, so this is nice and refreshing for me! It started again from the beginning last night, so my mom and sister and a few friends are going to start watching it too! Wahoo! :)

I'm SOOOOOOOO glad that it's Friday. This weekend, I'm planning on further puppy proofing the house, getting a few things taken care of that I've been putting off, looking for some shorts for summer so I don't die in the heat, and just trying to get some relaxation time in! One of John's uncles is having a 50th birthday surprise party sometime on Saturday, so we'll be going to that as well.

I have a month until our vacation. I cannot wait! We're going to Orlando so I'll be meeting his sister and her family for the first time. We're also going to the new Harry Potter thingy at Universal, Disney World, and all that stuff. I sure hope I saved enough money... H&M also has a store in Orlando, so hopefully I can get a new wardrobe on the cheap while I'm there too!

I hope you all have a great weekend!!! xoxo

Thursday 13: Eye Candy

2010-06-10T08:22:00.021-05:00

Happy Thursday, everyone! :)
This Thursday 13 Edition is devoted to Eye Candy! We're all allowed to look at the menu, as long as we don't order off of it, right? HA!

1. My Boyfriend, John.. yeah, this is totally cheating, but I can't help it! I think he's a hottie! :) Yeah, he doesn't smile in pictures (even as a kid he didn't) but he smiles in the real world and has a great one!

2) Gerard Butler - He was great in 300, and I even loved him in that movie with Katherine Heigl even though I can't remember the name of it... good actor, and easy on the eyes!

3) Michael Symon - He's an Iron Chef and a hottie! What's not to like?

4) Hugh Jackman - Yeah, I seem to have a thing for action movie stars or bald guys.. what's up with that? LOL

5) Carter Oosterhouse - He was a carpenter on Trading Spaces and now I think he has his own show... A handy guy that's easy on the eyeballs!

6) Sam Worthington - I first saw him in the latest Terminator movie, then saw him in Avatar.. he's a good actor!

7) Channing Tatum - He's been in some good movies too!

8) Robert Pattinson - Yeah, I hesitated with this one, but I can't help it! I'm totally on Team Edward!! haha! I hope I don't lose any blog readers with this one.. :-)

9) Pierce Brosnan - I know he's a little out of my age range, but he has aged beautifully, and I think he's gorgeous! My favorite James Bond by far... granted, I hadn't seen many Sean Connery ones, but still!

10) Colin Firth - Ok, I guess Pierce got me thinking of Mamma Mia! So, I had to add Colin Firth.. he's adorably dorky.. I love it!

11) Justin Long - Another one that I think is adorable in a cute, dorky kinda way! :)

12) Bradley Cooper - He's almost too pretty for me, but I couldn't resist!

13) Saved the best for last (except the boyfriend, of course!) - John Krasinksi - I love his role on the Office, and I think he's absolutely adorable!

So, do I have strange taste? LOL! Anyone I miss that should be a must have on here? I'm sure I forgot quite a few, but I only have space for 13! :)
Happy Thursday to you all! :)

Thursday 13

Jealous?

2010-06-09T13:55:00.002-05:00

Meet my trusty, go-to lunch... It's a gorgeous salad that my friend and I make and share.. We mix it in a huge bowl, and dish it up for a few days. I am addicted to it... YUM!
Ingredients:

Kale
Spinach
Romaine
Radishes
Jicama
Cucumber
Avocado
Grape Tomatoes
Hearts of Palm
Reduced Fat Feta Cheese
Salad dressing - usually reduced fat Kraft Parmesan Asiago or a homemade balsamic dressing with some olive oil

My last doctor's appointment I was very low in Vitamin K, which you get from leafy green veggies... I bet those numbers are great now! LOL

Ok, just had to brag...
xoxo

Puppy Love

2010-06-09T08:19:00.002-05:00

Wow, I forgot how tiring it is to have a puppy around.. especially a puppy who has endless energy!
Seth is such a good little boy... He has had NO accidents in his kennel during the day or night, and no accidents in the house either. Wahoo! But, WOW... the energy... I wish I could bottle it up and sell it. I'd be a bazzilionaire! I have a few bruises, scratches and banged up body parts and have fallen down one time so far. He likes to walk right in front of me and then stop, drop and roll to get a belly rub... yeah, cute... but OUCH!

Beyond puppy times, everything has been going alright... work is busy as always, and I'm VERY ready for my vacation next month! The weather here is crazy, and it's messing with my allergies/sinuses bad! I have NOT been good about going to the gym, and that has got to change.. I know it will help me get out all of my frustrations, and make me feel better about myself!

Hope you all are doing well... Back to work for me.. blah!

New Addition

2010-06-07T09:18:00.002-05:00

For those of you who haven't been reading my blog for long, here's a little update. In October, we decided to adopt a puppy from the SPCA.. He was a great little dog, but his time with us was cut very short because he had canine distemper.. we only had him for about 3 weeks.. It was heartbreaking! Fast forward a few months later, and we got another puppy.. similar story, but we don't know if the puppy had distemper, pneumonia, parvo-virus, or a combination... She was with us for about 2-3 weeks. Needless to say, we've had our hearts broken too many times, and have proceeded with caution on getting another puppy.
Yesterday, we went to a rescue place to look at the dogs. A lot of times these places get the animals who are about to be put down at the county shelters, or take in dogs that people have found. There was a litter of puppies found underneath a trailer, and they were brought in at about 6 weeks old. We got to meet the last one left yesterday at the rescue facility. His name was Cash... John wanted to change it to Lord Vader (AHHH!!!), but we decided Seth was better.. :) He's about 16 weeks old, has had ALL of his shots, and is in great health. When we first met him, all he wanted to do was plop down in the dirt with one of his paws in the water dish.. VERY VERY Mellow.. Well, when we got him home, that all changed.. He's a crazy little guy! well, more crazy, not so little! He's a lab mix, but all I really see in him is lab.. Roxcee doesn't know what to think about him yet.. She's an 8 lb chihuahua who thinks she's a St. Bernard, and has snapped at him a few times... She went after him yesterday and jumped over John and sprained her leg in the process, poor pooch! LOL
Anyway, I'm sure we're in for some interesting times in the next few weeks while the dogs and cats get acquainted... and while we get used to a hyper dog... NOTHING is out of his reach, so this shall be fun! HA! :)

Thursday 13 - Places I Love

2010-06-03T08:37:00.005-05:00

I'm back! I work in accounting, so at the beginning of every month, I have to get all of my stuff done within 2 days that we normally have all week for... And, with the holiday this week, we had even more of a crunch time! I have a HUGE amount of reading to do to catch up with everyone, so hopefully I can caught up with everyone's lives by Monday or so! Wahoo!!

This week's Thursday 13 is back to shopping... because I love it, and don't get to do it much, so I only dream of it! Here are 13 stores that I absolutely LOVE!

Target - What's not to like? They have a little bit of everything, I love their housewares and their clothing.. and they're not super expensive!
Amazon.com - yeah, it's a virtual store, but I'm in love with it.. you can find anything on there!
Best Buy - This store rocks! I actually worked there for several years starting when I was a senior in high school.. I would still work there if they could pay me more! HA!
TJ Maxx - Since I'm still in my transitional phase of weight loss and not knowing what my true weight will end up being, I HATE HATE HATE to pay full price for clothes that I may not be in very long. TJ Maxx helps me get some trendy clothes at reduced prices.. not to mention purses, sunglasses, belts, and housewares!
Ross - For the same reasons as TJ Maxx
HEB - This is my favorite grocery store in the world... I love it here.. I am not one who likes to grocery shop, but this makes it so much easier!
Phoenicia - Another grocery store, but this is a specialty store - Mediterranean style!
99 Ranch - yeah, another grocery store, this is an Asian specialty store! Lots of great deals!
Canino's Farmer's Market - For me to not like grocery shopping - I sure have a lot of food places on here! HAHA! This is the best farmers market I have been to - lots of great produce, with great prices... I can break my back carrying my goodies that I've picked up, and it doesn't break my wallet... Last time I went, I spent about $15 - 2 avocados, 2 lbs of Bing cherries, kale, onions, cucumber, radishes, and some jicama! Delish!
Costco - I absolutely love Costco.. where else can you get jeans, a hot tub, a turkey and a television in one spot? No, I haven't done that, but still! :)
Kohl's - I find some great discounts here, and they always have an awesome coupon.. usually 30% off! I've never gone there to buy something without it already on sale.. plus, there is not a giant list of items that you can't use the coupon on.. EVERYTHING is included! More places should be like that.. are you listening, Macy's? :)
H&M - A GREAT store that I absolutely love... but there are none around me. When John and I go to Florida this summer, I am going there to get some clothes.. They have very inexpensive prices, but very cute clothes.. and good quality!
eBay - yeah, yeah... who doesn't love eBay? It's harder to find great deals than it used to be, but I still get lucky every now and again!

There ya have it... the reasons why I stay home and do nothing.. because these places like to take all of my money! HA!

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Three Day Weekends

2010-05-28T08:46:00.005-05:00

Wahoo! I am so excited to have a three day weekend.. It's been a rough week, and from my earlier blog posts, an exhausting week. Thanks for everyone's input on their guesses on what could be the cause. I'm sure I don't have sleep apnea. I used to have it, but that has not been an issue. Iron deficiency and/or chronic fatigue is my guess for the culprit(s). I'm taking an iron supplement, and as far as the chronic fatigue syndrome goes, it's BS b/c you can't do anything about it. It pisses me off!

On another front, I have a confession to make. I have a stubborn intestinal ulcer that doesn't want to go away (since February), and I've had 2 gastroscopes to check it out. I was supposed to have an appointment two weeks ago which I rescheduled to today, which I again rescheduled to mid June. This appointment will schedule my next gastroscope. I want to wait a little longer for several reasons: 1) Money - it will cost me another $300+ for each scope that I have.. If I can delay this one a bit, maybe it will be the last one I need. 2) Fear Factor - If the pesky ulcer is still there, my doctor is going to speak to a surgeon to possibly have that part of my intestine removed. If that happens, I'd have to go on a liquid diet for 6-8 weeks while my intestine heals, and I will probably lose a grotesque amount of weight. That scares the crap out of me. Yeah, who would have thought that a once 315 pound girl would be scared to lose weight.. hell yeah, losing another 10 pounds would rock.. but more than that, and I may look freakish! I've already been told on a few occasions that I shouldn't try to lose anymore weight.. and that's not really my goal anymore. My goal is to become FIT and have stamina, and hopefully in turn I'll have some freakin energy!!! Anyway - that's my confession for the day.

As far as the weekend goes, Michelle is having a mini birthday party at a pub tonight, which will be tons of fun! Then Saturday, I am getting my hair cut and highlighted... and then John and I have a birthday party for his niece. His mom's birthday is next week too, so we'll probably celebrate that this weekend as well!

Also, my poor mom has computer issues right now, so hopefully John (who is in IT) can fix that this weekend before she goes crazy. She's a Facebook game freak, and is missing her games.. lol

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Thursday 13 - My Bucket List

2010-05-27T07:46:00.002-05:00

Although I am quite confident that this list is much, much longer than only 13 items, this will be a good start. I've never really thought too much about the things I want to do or accomplish before I kick the bucket.. I've never seen the movie, although I want to!
Anyway - here we go!

Get married and have a family... The getting married part goes without saying, but I really want to experience motherhood, and all that comes with it!
Go ziplining - This looks like soooo much fun! It's exhilarating, yet I'd be connected to something.. I'm too much of a chickenshit to go skydiving! LOL
Go to Europe - I've ALWAYS wanted to go, but funds and time have always limited me.. I'd love to spend a good 6-8 weeks exploring each country!
Compete in a triathlon.
See the Northern Lights.
Go to Disney World (this will be achieved in July! WAHOO!)
Ride a Harley on a road trip (I don't care if I'm the passenger or the driver.. I just want to do it!)
Explore the Hawaiian Islands... I want to see molten lava, the beautiful ocean, and absorb the culture.
Learn how to dance... I have 2 left feet, and two extremely non-coordinated left feet at that!
Get my bachelor's degree - first I need to decide what I want to do when I "grow up."
Scuba Dive... I'm currently terrified of this, but I would definitely give it a shot!
Visit the Grand Canyon - I want to camp, ride the donkey down now that I won't break it, and enjoy the awe-inspiring scenery.
See the pyramids in Egypt.

Wow, this one was WAYYY too easy as well... I think I may have to turn this into a little project and add more to it! I can't wait to check some of this stuff off! :)

Any ideas for me for future Thursday 13's?

Join in the game yourself!
Thursday 13

Happy Thursday to you all! :)

Highly Irked!

2010-05-25T08:07:00.003-05:00

I'm frustrated... I have had zero energy for the past few weeks. Just getting up and going to work and coming home takes it all out of me, and I'm at my wit's end! I have been told by my doctor that I have chronic fatigue syndrome.. I used to think that it was a fake syndrome for people who wanted to be lazy... Since I've lost my weight, I've become a believer. Before, I would just blame my obesity for my sloth-like tendencies... But now, with no changes in my food, no changes in my daily routine, I go through phases where I can sleep 6-8 hours and feel like I only got a wink of sleep. I am forcing myself through it, doing my day to day activities, but DAMN! I want to have energy and plow my way through being as fit as I can possibly be.

I just had to vent today..... Hopefully I can come back later and be a little more upbeat! :)

xoxo to you all!!!

100!

2010-05-24T14:08:00.004-05:00

Wow, I have 100 followers! That's incredibly amazing to me that there are 100 people out there interested in what I have to say. :)

I hope you all had a great weekend!

Saturday night, we made some pho and it was delicious. We cheated a little, and used a broth mix from the Asian Market... otherwise, making the stock would have taken about 4 hours, and I was a hungry girl! Jil taught me how to make eggrolls, and they're incredibly easy!

For the Pho - The Cheater Way
Get some pho broth, pho ban noodles, mung bean sprouts, fresh cilantro, mushrooms, and superfine sliced beef... You will want some sri racha sauce for certain!!! Mmmm!
Boil the broth, cook the noodles per directions, and make a pretty little spread on the table...
The raw meat goes into the broth and cooks right before your eyes... DELISH!

The eggrolls were baked in the oven, and although Jil thinks they should be fried to taste better, I liked them baked and crispy! :) That was a package of cole slaw mix (sans dressing) and some chopped up chicken with a little bit of soy... wrap those babies up and cook!

Super easy, but pretty meal! And, quite healthy while you're at it!

The spring rolls above were made the cheater way too... purchased at the store! HA! They didn't have the wrappers, so we just got em pre-made. They were quite yummy!

Anyways, I wanted to let you all know that I appreciate you all taking moments out of your day to read my little old blog.. I really enjoy reading everyone's and it's great to feel so connected to so many people out there that I haven't even met!

xoxoxo

Friday, I'm In Love!

2010-05-21T10:27:00.004-05:00

Oh, how I love Fridays.. It's the start of a brand new weekend, the start of a life outside of work!
Especially Fridays like these.... HALF DAY FRIDAY! I officially start my weekend in a wee 45 minutes...

What to do?!

Well, I'm going to start it off by a trip to the gym.. The gym and I have missed each other lately. Then, I'll head home to shower... or, be a good girlfriend and mow the yard, then shower! I need to update my iPod playlist b/c I"m getting really really sick of my Workout-a-go-go list! Any suggestions?

I have no clue what John and I are doing this weekend, and I'm looking forward to that! Is that sad?

What are your weekend plans? Part of me wants to be a tourist and just explore the city... I haven't done that in awhile... but, I'm trying to save money, and I have a knack for finding cute little boutiques and blowing my wad! LOL

Xoxoxo to you all... enjoy the lovely weekend!

Thursday 13 - Itching to Go Shopping!

2010-05-20T09:16:00.005-05:00

I've had the shopping bug for awhile.. but, I've been behaving myself for the most part. I splurged on my cute skirt last week, but besides that I've been very, very boringly(is that a word?!) tame!

If I could go on a spree now, here's what tops my list (this is not one of those, "if I had a million dollars" things.. It's stuff I truly want to purchase soon, and am/will be saving for it.

1) New D-SLR Camera - I haven't decided on Nikon or Canon yet, but leaning towards Canon. It's a good $600-1200 depending on lenses, etc... So, obviously it will take me awhile!
Canon Digital Rebel XSi 12.2 MP Digital SLR Camera with EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens (Black)
2) A New Car Stereo - I commute roughly 2 hours a day, and I'd LOVE to be able to hook up my iPod to my stereo. I bought one of those FM transmitter things, and it was crap. Probably b/c I live in such a large city so there are tons of radio stations.
I like this one!
3) A Le Creuset French Oven - It's beautiful, lasts forever, and is very useful. I'm becoming a cooking queen, and would love to have some of the best tools of the trade!
Le Creuset Enameled Cast Iron 5 Quart Oval French Ovens
4) A Street Strider - Have you seen this awesome thing... I about died when I saw how much it was, but it is AWESOME.
5) A good set of knives... My santoku didn't even want to cut a tomato last night... I was sad!
Zwilling JA Henckels Four Star 9-Piece Knife Set with Block
6) A good pair of shoes for working out... I want one nice pair that I can use in classes and on machines, and maybe even venturing into that C25K stuff... Is there such a thing?
7) Dang.. we're getting a little too kitcheny here! Another thing I want is a salad shooter... I had one long ago, but I didn't get it when I was going through my divorce. I WANT IT BACK! I know that bastard never uses it. Anyway..... I would really like one again! LOL
Presto 02970 Professional SaladShooter Electric Slicer/Shredder, White
8) Some new clothes - nothing to link here.. but I'd like to get some more jeans, some cute tops, maybe some shorts if I can get over my "I HATE MY UGLY LEGS!" syndrome.. Yeah, I doubt I'll get over that.
9) A hammock - We have an awesome backyard... I'd love a hammock to lay out and read some books, cuddle with my guy, cuddle with my puppy, etc... It seems dreamy!
10) A new OVEN - We have a craptastic oven that nothing fits in, and it is off temperature, and basically a grown up EZ Bake Oven... blah! I would have slid this up the list, but I just thought about it... ha!
11) A hot tub... Like #9, I love our backyard.. it'd be nice to have a hot tub in the back yard... Very relaxing!!!
12) A Personal Trainer - Yeah, Jillian Michaels would be ideal, but I'm realistic here.. I would love to have 5-10 sessions with a personal trainer and see how I'm doing form-wise, and what I need to be doing that I'm not.
13) A Massage/Facial Membership - I used to have a monthly massage membership, but I gave it up for the greater good of getting out of debt. I had a massage last Friday and realized how much I freakin miss it! I'm starting to wonder if this is one of those things that I should hang on to just to feel human. Hmm...

Wow, this one was way too easy, and that's kind of pathetic! LOL I usually have to think a lot more when I do a Thursday 13!
If you'd like to join in the fun, here's the site! Thursday 13

Happy Thursday to you all! Maybe I should get a 2nd, 3rd and 4th job! HA!

Happy Hump Day

2010-05-19T08:15:00.002-05:00

Yeah, so this post has nothing to do with Yoda or Mr. T, but isn't it so freakin cute? In a weird, weird sort of way? Yeah! I thought so too! :-)

Well, I had my healthy baking class last night. It was strange. The chef wasn't the normal one who teaches the classes, her business partner does... so, right there I knew I wouldn't learn a whole lot.
Here's what we made, and my review:

The best healthy ooey-gooey chocolate cake ever - It had potential, but was overcooked by the chef. So instead of being ooey-gooey, it was dry and dense.... But it looked pretty! I may try this again with some changes and see if it turns out better.
•Easy and delicious carrot cake with cream cheese frosting - This was absolutely delicious and didn't taste healthy. It had Greek yogurt and pineapple in it.. and of course carrots. The frosting could have been better, but I'm not a big frosting person to begin with.. I could see making this as a muffin for breakfast sans frosting.
•Miniature cherry covered cheesecakes - Again, not a fan. It was alright... but not something I will try to make again.
•Scrumptious Peach shortcake - This was alright... Basically a biscuit with peaches and whipped cream, so we learned how to make biscuits.. LOL She used bottled whipped cream, which I thought was odd for a baking class.

I learned a few things, but I think I would learn better from a book.. My issues with baking are measuring properly (when to pack the ingredients, when not to, etc.) and our items were pre-measured for us... and then judging when something is done, and the chef put our items in and removed our items from the convection oven.. Plus, I don't have a convection oven... the recipes were for a conventional oven thankfully... If I got another Groupon, I would probably try another class, but cooking, not baking. I wouldn't pay full price though.

I'll probably post that to Yelp too! HA!

Today we have a work lunch at Grand Lux Cafe... I am thinking that I'll get one of the lunch specials with salmon.. I love salmon, but hate making it at home because of the stench..

I only have to work until 4PM today, so I'm going to hit the gym on the way home... I am not sure if I'm going to do a group class, or visit the elliptical machine for some alone time.. I'm ready to sweat though.

Anyone know any plastic surgeons that want to donate their expertise to a girl who wants to get rid of her bat wings? Just thought I'd check! LOL

Have a lovely day... The week is halfway over... Wahoooooooooooooooooooooo!

xoxoxo

New Pics.. and more!

2010-05-18T07:24:00.007-05:00

Good morning to all!
I thought I'd post some pictures from our little get together the other night. Also, if you're on any social networking sites, please add me! Facebook - search for my email: Laurie9797@yahoo.com Twitter - Laurie9797 I have a myspace, but I can't say that I check it more than once or twice a year! LOL

I look a little tipsy here... but I promise you I didn't have a sip! I can't say the same for John! Ha!

Me with some of the girls - L to R - Kristie, Jil, Me, Amber - Jil's lap is nice and comfy if you were wondering! :)
Me with Michelle.. Not sure who is giving me rabbit ears, but I'm sure they got an elbow! :-)

Me with Jil - Don't let her fool you, she's wearing 4 inch espadrilles! LOL

We all had a great time... I love spending time with my friends! There are a lot more pictures, but I'm kinda lazy! Chris - I'll get a picture of me in my adorable skirt soon! It's drying now, so I plan to wear it again soon! :) I was actually wearing it in all of these pictures, but it didn't make it in!

Tonight is my cooking class... wahooo!!!!!!!
I'll be learning how to make:

The best healthy ooey-gooey chocolate cake ever
•Easy and delicious carrot cake with cream cheese frosting
•Miniature cherry covered cheesecakes
•Scrumptious Peach shortcake

Love and hugs to you all... Happy Tuesday! :)

Happy Monday!

2010-05-17T09:24:00.002-05:00

Hello to all of you out there in Blog Land!
I hope everyone had a great weekend! Mine was excellent.. busy, but excellent!
I had a half day at work on Friday, so I only had to work until 10:45.. I picked my mom up and we went to the Farmer's Market and Costco.. I got lots of yummy fruits and veggies, and spent very little money.. Love when that happens! Afterwards, I met my friend Laurie at a place called Massage Heights. My friend and I got Laurie a gift card there for her birthday, so I met her there and got a massage too.. what a big sacrifice for me! HA! It was great.. I hadn't had a massage in about 6 months, and it was lovely! We went to Macy's afterwards and I saw the cutest skirt ever... but it was not on sale! I haven't spent more than $25 on an article of clothing for myself since surgery, but I kept thinking about this skirt!! I put it on hold, so i could go home and look for it on eBay and other sites like that to see if I could find it for less than $59.. Nope.. no luck! So, I went back on Saturday to buy it with a 20% off coupon that Jil gave me.. Thanks Jil! I LOVE LOVE LOVE my new skirt! :)
On to Saturday - we had a cookout at our house on Saturday.. it was tons of fun, and I enjoyed myself thoroughly. I just wish I would have been able to spend more time with everyone! I made a pasta salad and Jil made a macaroni and cheese.. then John grilled burgers and hotdogs and bratwurst.. It was nice! :)
Sunday, Jil and I met up with my friend Cindy at Genghis Grill, then we went to Costco again (3 times in a weekend for me!), then off to another Asian Market and the Mediterranean Market in town. I'm going to make a pho soup this week.. it's a delicious Vietnamese soup if you haven't heard of it... I can't wait! :) Later that evening, it was off to the movies to go see Iron Man 2. I really enjoyed it. Robert Downey, Jr. is a good actor, and I'm glad he got his life put back together (or at least the appearance of it!). Glad to see he's working again, and had some great blockbusters!
Wow, I'm a rambler! :)
Well, today it's back to work, and I have another half day this Friday! Tomorrow I am going to my 2nd cooking class ever, and it's a Healthy Baking class... I'll be sure to give an update on that! :)
xoxo to you all!
Laurie

Thursday 13 - Old Me

2010-05-13T08:19:00.004-05:00

Dang! I missed last week because work was soo freakin busy!
Since I've been struggling with my focus lately, this week will be 13 things that the 312 pound me wants the 160 pound me to always remember... Then, when times are tough, I can always refer back to this blog and hopefully regain some focus and stay on track!

At 312 pounds, I had zero self esteem. I didn't think I was worthy of love, friendship or companionship.
At 312 pounds, I was dangerously close to having to special order clothes since I was in the largest size at the Avenue/Lane Bryant/etc.
At 312 pounds, I couldn't sit in a chair with my back on the back rest, as my butt was too large.. it looked like I was laying back if I tried to!
At 312 pounds, I spent my evenings and weekends playing games on the computer and had no activity outside of the house. I was a sloth.
At 312 pounds, I had so much anxiety about social situations because of my size. I would try to think of ways to get out of doing anything where people would stare at me.
At 312 pounds, I was dangerously close to having Type 2 Diabetes. I had sleep apnea, dangerously high blood pressure, eczema, bad skin, achy joints, and the list goes on.
At 312 pounds, I would be out of breath from bringing groceries in from the car, from going up one flight of stairs, or from walking from my car to the building.
At 312 pounds, I was too "proud" to ask for a seat belt extension on an airplane, and opted to have the seat belt dig into me and give me bruises afterwards.
At 312 pounds, I couldn't sit down at a concert, because I spilled into my neighbors seats as well.
At 312 pounds, I wanted to be invisible.
At 312 pounds, I made terrible decisions that affected my life for many, many years.
At 312 pounds, I would order enough food to feed a family - just for myself.
At 312 pounds, I had no hope for the future.

There we have it. The purpose of this post is not to depress anyone, or make you feel sorry for me. I am no longer that 312 pound person. But, I never, EVER want to forget her. When you forget, it's easier to slide back into the bad habits that got me there in the first place.

RIP, 312 pound girl.

WTF?!

2010-05-11T08:22:00.003-05:00

Why is it that when I don't really care about what I eat, my weight stays stable. But, when I focus on trying to eat better, my weight climbs up a bit?! I don't get it. Is it that I'm a tad obsessive, and worry too much, and freak out? Or is it just my body playing jokes on me?
Last week was TOM, and I was up 3 pounds.. I'm done with that, and add one more pound to that.

Some possibilities for the gain:

Water retention
Fudge from Buc-ee's (WEAKNESS!)
Sour Patch Kids from Buc-ee's (Double weakness!)
My stressful week and 52 hours at work last week still hasn't fallen off

Strategy for getting those 4 pounds (plus a few more) off of me:

Drink lots of water
TRY TRY TRY to stop obsessing. I will track still track my food, but I'm not going to obsess as much as I have been. All it does is makes my ulcer stick around.
Keep at it with the workouts/gym/videos. Last week sucked because of work, but this week will be more active, and I'll get lots of movement in.

If you're puzzled about me saying I'm eating better and in my possibilities for my gain included fudge and Sour Patch Kids, YES, I'm still eating better. I didn't overindulge in either, but I did eat some. And many days, I typically have something like that. I know it's not good, or good for me, but I'm owning up to it, and I AM eating better. I have had more salad in the past few weeks that I have had in the past few years. I've been getting a lot more nutrients in, not just through my vitamins, but through my food. So, I am eating better. :) Just wanted to make that clear! :-)

Sorry for the rant.. I'm just frustrated.. Hopefully I will be able to send the scale in the other direction this week!!

xoxo

Sigh of Relief...

2010-05-10T09:13:00.002-05:00

Last week just plain sucked. I work in accounting, and the first week of every month consists of closing the books, getting all of our customers billed, etc. By Tuesday of last week, I already had 27 hours. Thank heaven for overtime!! That extra money will definitely help me add some money to my savings account for Orlando in July!
I hope everyone had a great weekend, and that all of the mommies out there were treated extra special! :) We went to dinner with my mom on Saturday as a giant family, and then on Sunday, my mom and I went to lunch at BJ's Brewhouse... It was delicious. Poor John had to go to work, so he got to eat my leftovers. ha!
John and I went to Frisco (near Dallas) to pick up my mom over the weekend, and we got to spend some time with my sister and her family. We had a good time. I never sleep very well when I'm at someone else's house though, and I was just exhausted by the time we got home yesterday. This morning I hit snooze about 4 times more than normal.. UGH!
Anyway - This week is all about getting back on track. I had 11.5 hours of overtime last week, so as you can imagine, I didn't get very many workouts in. Zero, actually! This week, I am back to my 3X a week workouts. I have ChaLean Extreme now for workout videos at home, and I still have my Brazil Butt Lift. I also have the Firm workout, that I have had for 3 years and it is still in the plastic.. NO MORE!!! I'm going to do 2 gym workouts a week, and 1-2 home workouts. I also hope to get out on my bike this weekend. I'd like to do that before the weather gets too hot!
How was everyone's weekend? Any exciting goals for the week?
xoxo
Laurie

Shoe Help!

2010-04-30T09:15:00.002-05:00

Happy Friday, one and all!
This weekend I think I am going to start trying on new shoes for exercise. I don't know what I need though. I don't have the money to buy running shoes, cross trainers, walking shoes, etc. I would like a versatile shoe that isn't too heavy.. that I can use for the elliptical, for venturing into the C25K program, etc.
Does anyone have any recommendations for me? I know everybody's feet are different, but it'd be nice to have a place to start. It's a little overwhelming for me!!
Thanks in advance for your help!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The weekend is here! My plans so far:
Friday Night - I'm going to the gym. I'll most likely just do the elliptical tonight.
Saturday Morning - Muscle Blast class, then 45-60 minutes on the elliptical afterwards.
After that - I'm going to hit the showers, and then go to the Farmer's Market again, and maybe the Middle Eastern Market that is in town. I love Mediterranean pickles and hummus and all of that fun stuff.. It'd be interesting to see what they have there! I also LOVE cous cous as an alternative to other starchy items.
Sunday I haven't planned out yet, but I have lots of projects in the works. Wahoo!!!

Hope you all have a great weekend!!
xoxo

Thursday 13 - Without the Extra Weight

2010-04-29T09:37:00.004-05:00

Hello again... I forgot that it was Thursday 13 today as well, so lucky you! Two posts from me today! HA!!!

This week, I'm going to post 13 things that I can do easier now without an extra 160 pounds on my body. As you know, this list is truly MUCH, MUCH longer, but we're sticking to 13 for the purpose of this post.

I can ride in an airplane without an extender or without "spilling" over into my neighbors seat.
I can sit in any furniture I like without fear of breaking it, getting stuck, or again, "spilling" over... Or, God Forbid, standing up and having the chair still with me.. Yes, that's happened before!! :(
I can find clothes without having to go to a specialty store. It's a nice freedom to have, but at the same time, can be overwhelming with all of the choices.
I can exercise for more than 5 minutes without being out of breath, or feeling like my heart is about to beat out of my chest. I can easily exercise for much longer now, and actually enjoy it!
I can go to amusement parks and enjoy the rides instead of fearing that I won't fit.
I can cross my legs.
I can easily tie my own shoes.
I can go to the pool or the beach without feeling like EVERYONE is staring at me.
I can be IN the picture now, versus being the one always holding the camera so I don't have to be in a picture.
I can ride a bike without fear of making the tires go flat because of my weight.
I can take a bath in a normal size tub and fit comfortably!
I can drive my car without feeling the steering wheel up against my gut.
I can climb stairs with ease, and still maintain my breath!

What are some of your accomplishments?

Want to participate as well?
Head to: http://thursday-13.com

I'll Start on Monday...

2010-04-29T07:43:00.004-05:00

How many times have you heard that before?

Yesterday was a BAD day for me food wise. I made one bad decision after another, and today I'm paying for it by feeling sluggish (more than usual!) and I just feel like my skin is disgusting.. I don't know whether that's mental or actually physical, but I hate this feeling!

In the past, if I f'd up, I'd start back up on Monday. Monday is the start of a new week, so I see the "logic". No more though.. If you allow yourself to make a mistake, don't wait to remedy the situation. We've spent our whole life starting back up on Monday, and if you want new results this time, you can't keep doing the same thing. In the past I would also let myself feel overly guilty for going off of my plan. I'd wallow in guilt, which would make me continue to be terrible in my decisions. Who does that help? NO ONE! I think it's important to remember that the only person you are hurting is yourself. No one else will feel the effects of the donut you just ate, or the the hamburger you just consumed.

So yes, I had a bad day yesterday. Today, however, will be a great day. I will say NO! to the crippling 312 pound devil that's on my shoulders all of the time.

Addiction

2010-04-27T08:00:00.002-05:00

I am an addict. I've always had an addictive personality. I rely on something stronger than me to make it through the day. Yes, I used to be addicted to food. No - I am still addicted to food, but I usually have that very controlled. My addiction that I seem to have no control over is coffee. I don't feel alive if I don't have some coffee in my bloodstream. I did so well for quite some time after my surgery by consuming NO caffeine. That's certainly not the case anymore! I love it.. I need it! I've tried transferring my addiction to working out and other positive actions, but I still can't kick it. UGH!!!

Anyway.. that's my continuous confession. I'm out of control!

Beyond that - I'm still sore from my Muscle Blast workout. I am starting to see a little definition in my arms though, and that's amazing! I only wish my wings would magically fly off on their own. As much as I want to have surgery to get rid of my extra skin, I can honestly say that it's not in the top 50 things I would do if I had that much money. So instead, I will wallow in self pity for all of you to read! :) Dontcha just love the idea of that!? HA!!

Today I have a dentist appointment. I have a dermatologist appointment in June (yes, they're booked that far ahead!) to see if I can get my rosacea under control a little better. I also have a follow up with my gastroenterologist (say that 3 times fast!) in two weeks for a follow up appointment on my last gastroscope. Everytime that I have a scope, a biopsy is done on the ulcer to make sure that it's not cancerous, and so far, so good. I will also schedule my 3rd gastroscope for the year, hopefully with better results (no ulcer!).

At work, I have a new boss starting today. My previous one resigned to start flipping houses (I'm JEALOUS!!), so wish me luck on liking her! :)

Hope you all are having a lovely day!!

Monday..

2010-04-26T09:07:00.003-05:00

Happy Monday to you all! I hope it was a lovely weekend for you. Mine was nice.
On Friday night, John and I went to dinner with some friends. It was delicious, yet sinful!
Saturday morning, I met one of my friends at 24 Hour Fitness and we did the Muscle Blast class together. OMG... It was a tough workout!! After the Muscle Blast, I hopped on the elliptical for 30 minutes so I'd get my cardio in as well. So, all in all, a 90 minute workout.. yay for me!! After that, two of my friends met me at my house and we went to the Farmer's Market and an Asian Market. I bought a ton of fresh produce for very little money, along with 2 lbs of fresh shrimp, a bunch of different mushrooms and some rice noodles at the Asian Market. I'm going to make a hot and sour soup recipe that I found that looks delicious! I'll let you know how it turns out, and will post the recipe if it's yummy!
Sunday, I was supposed to go to the beach with my friend, but I canceled on her. I looked in the laundry room, and it was piled high. All my gym clothes and a lot of my work clothes (and John's) were needing to be washed, and I didn't want to be up all night doing laundry. Thankfully she understood, and we can go down another weekend! :) It was a beautiful day though, and it would have been great beach weather! The only time I left the house was to go get John a cherry limeade since he was working in the yard.
My DVR is getting jammed up with shows, so I've been trying to catch up. Last week I started Vampire Diaries (until last week, I had only seen the pilot)... and now I'm only 2 episodes behind. I really like the show, and am glad that I kept taping it even though I got so far behind. I love teenage shows and movies.. I'm a sucker for them. I loved Dawson's Creek and The O.C... and this is kind of a vampire spin.. haha! Plus, I love the Twilight series... Yeah, I'm one of those! heheh
Anyway, here we are, back to Monday. I forgot my clean gym clothes at home, so if I have time to make it home and back up to the gym to meet my friend, I have a class to go to tonight, and then my elliptical afterwards.
I've noticed that I've been RAVENOUS lately... I'm sure it's all the muscles wanting fuel, but damn it, I want to not be hungry! LOL

Hope you all have a great Monday... just 4 more days till the weekend! :)