All Your Fault

As I stepped on the scale for my morning weigh in, I found myself perturbed at the results. My immediate response was "stupid scale!" rather than the more appropriate "stupid bad choice".

I thought about it for a time and realized my mistake &willingness to blame something other than myself. Isn't that just like a human? We don't want it to be our own fault. Even when it clearly is our own.

My sweet first born son is having his First Reconciliation this morning, so I find my blame of the scale extremely ironic. As my son takes his first steps into adulthood, I hope to teach him that self acceptance of fault, rather than the blame game.

As to weight loss, it is going... ok. I am fighting two stubborn pounds. Lose, regain, lose, regain. It's a vicious cycle.

I'm limiting my calorie intake to only 1500 calories a day and end almost every day under the limit. Why only 1500? That's the lowest amount a nursing mom should intake in order to continue to make quality milk for her nursling. And BabyJoy, at 12 months, is still nursing, although not exclusively. But it just struck me that the nursing may be the reason behind the stubborn pounds.

I am glad to report that I'm down almost 20 pounds now! I just need to keep grinding away at it. I'm eating high protein and low carbohydrate. Hunger is satisfied by apples or cheese between meals.

I'm hanging in there. Hope you are, too.

Looking for Skinny Me

Here we are, just 7 days into the new year, and I'm 5 days into my new lifestyle diet.  I'm doing the hCG diet again, with which I had great success last time.  The reason I stopped before my goal last time?  Easy.  Chicky Punk was on her way.

I'm using the Dr Simeon's protocol again, but being only 5 days into it, I'm still working on the right dose to keep me from being hungry.  It's a very low calorie diet but it works wonders.  I've lost between 1 and almost 3 pounds a days since I started.  I am finding myself craving things I cannot have and I just keep telling myself I can have them in moderation after this first phase is done, next month.

I'm kind of following along with Tania from Larger Family Life and her Free Skinny Me.

So, it's a whiney post for me today.  Let's end with a great quote:

Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.

— Jim Ryun: Former track athlete and politician

I'm posting my progress on top of my blog.  See that My Fitness Pal banner?  Yup.

Free Skinny Me & MPM

One of my favorite bloggers is just three weeks out from having twins and already on the lose weight bandwagon!  My baby is 10 months old and I'm *finally* deciding to work seriously on weight loss.

Anyway.  Tania of Larger Family Life is starting on freeing her "skinny me" and I'm all in!  Here's my comment to her:

I am in! I need to lose some weight from my most recent baby (she's 10 months) and of course, all the stuff from the kids before that, back to when I had my first, just 14 years ago...

Honestly, I'm embarrassed by my stats, so I'll keep them to myself. Just say that I'm 5'4" and far too big for comfort.  My mini goal is just 40 lbs down.  My ultimate goal is much larger.

I am still breastfeeding, but baby doesn't get all her nutrition from me.  I am setting myself down to go to Curves three times a week as part of my fitness goal and trying to eating better.

Here is my menu plan for this week, not yet adjusted for my new fitness and nutrition goals:

• BBQ Pulled Pork
• Homemade Runza (this is not the recipe I use, but it's close.  I just haven't added mine to my recipe blog yet.)
• Enchiladas
• Mac and Cheese (kids make dinner night) I will probably make them add baked chicken breasts to this for protein.
• French Toast
• Leftovers

Laura at Organizing Junkie hosts Menu Plan Monday every week!  I have "fallen off the wagon" for a while, but a blog friend has prompted me to post my own, along with the buddy challenge from Tania.

A Tale of (Weight) Loss

So.  Once upon a time there was a loverly princess who...  No, wait.  Wrong audience.  Here is how it really goes.

I have never been a thin person.  My family told me that food = love after my parents divorced but they just didn't know any different, I think.  Fall down and hurt?  Have a cookie.  Cry over lost relationship?  Oh, have some cake.  Mom taking you tell you that she is divorcing dad?  Here, let's hit McDonald's. 

I've worked fairly hard to not teach that to my children.  After several long talks with my two oldest girls and some serious "mom's past" issues, I have found that they think food = love is stupid.  Thank you, Father in heaven.

So.  I got married.  Had a baby within 9 months and told myself that whole pregnancy that after the baby came I would lose weight and be healthier.  We were unable to have another baby when we wanted and started on Clomid.  Baby girl #2 was born and I still promised myself to be healthier.  I look at pictures of myself at this time and just cringe.

Whew.  No more babies for a while, honey.  Surprise!  Here comes baby girl #3  just 26 months after #2, which was 26 months after #1.  Plus, I was working a temporary job at a fast food place when I discovered I was expecting #3 (while I hated their food and still do, something caused me to WANT to eat there) and that didn't help the food issues. 

After #3 was born I had serious post partum depression and that REALLY skinny-ed me down.  I was THIN!  But unhealthy, not eating, not doing anything but needing to sleep, to be in bed, to be in the blackness alone.  I missed those first three months of baby 3's life.  My mother in law, God bless her, rescued me.  After I began to heal, I worked harder on exercise.


I tried the Atkins diet of low carb high protein and it worked fairly well for me.  I just didn't have the willpower I needed to stick to it so strictly.  Hubbers is an in-line skating fanatic and doesn't have weight issues for himself or in his family, so I was kind of alone.

Then comes baby #4, a beautiful boy, three years later.  After he is born and I am nursing, I didn't do squat because he was born via emergency C-Section.  Heavier than ever now.  I did, however, find a friend.  Missy, I will forever be grateful for when you took me to Curves for the first time.  She was my exercise buddy!!  I stuck to the Curves routine for three years!  I built a lot of muscle and really enjoyed myself.  Missy didn't go as often as I did and I made new friends at the club, so it was all good. 

When I found myself pregnant with baby #5, four years after #4 was born, I exercised through the entire pregnancy.  That labor and delivery was so easy!  Baby 5 was born and though I was nursing, I still tried to make it to Curves.  When 5 was about a year old, we moved 20+ miles away from my favorite exercise outlet.  I couldn't justify the cost of the club that I was no longer attending when I had three acres to run and play on, garden and landscape upon.  I dropped my Curves membership.

I started on that hCG diet and it worked wonders!  I lost 40+ pounds and it was great!  My chest was bigger than my waist!  My wardrobe needed replacing with SMALLER items.  And then... Hello baby #6. 

BabyJoy arrived this January and I haven't lost any weight from her pregnancy, even though it's been three months.  So when I got a call from Jeannie at Curves telling me it was the annual food drive and if I brought in a bag of food then I would pay no $199 service fee, a spark was lit. 

I signed up again on Wednesday.  I go back for my second workout today at 3pm.  The machines, the stretches, it was like I never left.  My body remembered what I was meant to do.  I feel some strain in the sore parts of my body - my hip where I fell down the stairs a month ago is sore - but I feel GOOD! 

The only bad thing is the 30 minute drive to the facility and the 3 month old baby that must have a watcher while I go in.  Thankfully I have a 14 year old and 12 year old that are my great helpers.

My initial goal is small.  But I will get there and my body will be healthier and thank me for it.  The Curves food drive lasts until the end of the month of April.  Check it out!

Weekly Report, Now GLUTEN FREE!

So. Life on the psuedo-farm is good.  I really really need to till my garden and put in the spinach, onions and lettuce that thrive in this cooler weather, but can't do that without the help of Hubbers and he's busy lately.

The baby chickens, all 14 of them, are getting feathers!  And big - we are supposed to be working on building a coop today but Hubbers is sleeping in.  I'm menu planning in the meantime.

Which brings me to the gist of this post!  Hubbers is doing the Eat Right for Your Type diet and has become essentially grain free.  So the cooking that I really like to do - the bad stuff like lasagna, spaghetti, pizza, bread-y things - is now verboten.  I made a gluten free pizza crust a few weeks ago from a Bob's Red Mill mix that everyone liked, but Bob's is a bit on the pricey side at times. 

To solve this problem I headed to the internets to find a homemade solution.  Here's what I came up with and am looking forward to trying!  Gluten-Free Pizza Crust on Recipe Zaar.  I have already invested in the more expensive brown rice flour, tapioca starch, xantham gum and so on, so most of what this recipe calls for is on hand. I'll post my results after dinner tonight...

Has eating gluten free and "right for my type" helped me lose weight?  Probably not, but eating more healthy is good for all of us in the long run.

Why Salads Cost More than Big Macs

Doesn't this make you just the eensiest bit angry? Make the fat people fatter mentality is NEVER the answer. I, as one of the fat people, have a say in what I eat. I am making the clear choice to up my healthy intake! (And no jokes about up yours, either...)

Check out this website for more info. And enjoy the picture, too.

Health vs. Pork: Congress Debates the Farm Bill

Results # 1

I've been working on losing weight since Jan 1, 2010 and haven't posted any updates here. I'm down about 20 lbs and sustaining. Holding firm. Not gaining, not losing, not unhappy. I will go back on my diet in about a week.

For now, check out this before and after picture. There will be more to come, I promise!!

Before

After

I can see the change in my face, in the chin. My belt really needs to be smaller, too, but no photos of that! I'm closer to my goal than I was before, nearly half way to the goal I set when I started this diet saga.

A MERMAID OR A WHALE

Recently, in a large French city, a poster featuring a young, thin and tan woman appeared in the window of a gym. It said: THIS SUMMER DO YOU WANT TO BE A MERMAID OR A WHALE??

A middle aged woman, whose physical characteristics did not match those of the woman on the poster, responded publicly to the question posed by the gym.

To Whom It May Concern:
Whales are always surrounded by friends (dolphins, sea lions, or curious humans). They have an active sex life, they get pregnant and have adorable baby whales.

They have a wonderful time with dolphins, and stuff themselves with shrimp. They play and swim in the seas, seeing wonderful places like Patagonia, the Barents Sea and the coral reefs of Polynesia.

Whales are wonderful singers and have even recorded CDs. They are incredible creatures and virtually have no predators other than humans. They are loved, protected and admired by almost everyone in the world.

Mermaids, however, don't exist. If they did exist, they would be lining up outside the offices of Argentinean psychoanalysts due to identity crisis. Fish or human? They don't have a sex life because they kill men who get close to them, not to mention how could they have sex? Just look at them..... where is IT? Therefore, they don't have kids either. Besides, who wants to get close to a girl who smells like a fish store?

The choice is perfectly clear to me. I want to be a whale.

P. S. We are in an age when media puts into our heads the idea that only skinny people are beautiful, but I prefer to enjoy an ice cream with my kids, a good dinner with a man who makes me shiver and a piece of chocolate with my friends.

With time we gain weight because we accumulate so much information and wisdom in our heads that when there is no more room, it distributes out to the rest of our bodies. So, we aren't heavy, we are enormously cultured, educated and happy.

Beginning today, when I look at my butt in the mirror I will think,
"Good grief, look how smart I am!"

Losing Weight, Finding Confidence

I've been asked to post a small motivational blurb about myself at my local Curves! What do you think about this?

My name is Sara and I've been a member of Curves since March 2005. I have always been overweight and unhappy about it. I'm a stay at home mom of 4 kids and wanted to be active with them and my husband. I never knew what to do about the weight other than complain in private, stay away from the picture takers at family events, and try to be invisible in public.

Since joining Curves, I'm thinner, having lost 26 inches and 22 pounds of body fat (that's like a whole three year old!) with an overall weight loss of almost 40 pounds. I have way more energy and am in the best shape of my life! I am more confident about myself than ever before and though I don't like exercise, my body sure does.

My ten year old daughter can't wait to turn 12 and come to Curves with mom – how's that for an encouraging statement! The kids all know not to mess with mom's Curves time. I even use the travel pass and go to Curves when we're out of town (my favorite feature). My husband has been inspired by my changing shape and good mood and has resumed his own fitness regimen.

I will never not belong to Curves, which provided the means and encouragement for my healthier lifestyle. You can do it, too!

What is Curves?

Curves provides a safe, efficient and effective workout for women of all ages and fitness levels in an environment that’s comfortable and welcoming. The Curves workout takes just 30 minutes, three times a week.

How does it work?

The Curves program is based on a circuit using hydraulic resistance machines, and incorporates aerobic exercise, strength training and stretching for a complete workout.The Curves program is based on a circuit using hydraulic resistance machines, and incorporates aerobic exercise, strength training and stretching for a complete workout.

There are Curves locations all around the world! Visit Curves International to find out where your local club is and join me in the fun.




sources: Curves Healthcare - Science Behind Curves

Take Me Away... Weight Watchers!

I've never been to Weight Watchers. But Aimee has a VERY good post about her loving relationship with that fine facility. And it was over at her place that I found a like to some very vintage WW recipe cards.

The things they did to jello and fish... (shudder)

Visit and gawk at the circa 1974 Weight Watchers Recipe Cards. Then come on back here and get in touch with reality again.

Melon Mousse, anyone?

Well Rounded Woman

Yes, I'm a well rounded woman in many senses of the phrase. I'm educated, can do many different and interesting things, and my body is the shape of a mothers - rounded for their comfort.

Well, a little LESS rounded now. I recently dropped a 50 lb chunk off the scale (YIPPEE!!), you know what I mean? Moved that nasty weight block back one 50 pound notch? Yeah.

Today (7-10) I found that I've dropped ANOTHER 10 lb chunk! WHOO HOO!! Since I weigh and measure only once a month (a habit I'm into from attending Curves), I can follow my progress. I'm also going to Curves while out of town - thank you, Travel Pass!!

I can see prominent CHEEKBONES, people. It's a good thing.

I figured I ought to share this triumph and every little bit makes me feel like my feet aren't so small.

Menu Plan Monday - Beginning of Summer Vacation

Menu Plan Monday is hosted by Organizing Junkie. Visit over to Laura's for more great menus! I regularly troll the previous weeks postings for my upcoming menus and post the linkys here.

I've noticed that some of you list the recipes for breakfast and lunch, and with the kids starting their summer break this week (nearly 4 whole months due to the building of a new facility for their school which is yeah but the break is nay) I should be planning lunches, too. Mostly I just let them choose what kind of sandwich they'd like and add some chips and fruit.

We didn't get to some of the recipes for last week, so we're re-running them. Also, that Cube Steak with Bleu Cheese recipe was a HIT and we're way having that again this week!!

1. Baked Lemon Pepper Tilapia, brown rice, green beans, applesauce

2. Baked Chicken Parmesan, salad, potato,

3. Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore, salad, garlic bread - I may also add more veggies to the mix.
Diary of a SAHM

4. Pineapple Ham Casserole, peas/carrots
Mom-Musings

5. Low Carb Skillet Beef Stroganoff over wilted spinach, faux-tatoes
Saving Dinner pg 212

6. Cube Steaks with Bleu Cheese, salad, veggie
Saving Dinner pg 138

7. Leftover Banquet

Saving Dinner the Low Carb Way by Leanne Ely is my cookbook this week. You can see more of her wonderful recipes at savingdinner.com

My Clone

Yes, yes, it's totally true. I was surfing around to some of my favorite bloggity homes and on the Here in Idaho blog I found my clone.

No, I'm not joking!

Okay, maybe not clone. That could be too harsh a word. More like, uuuuuhhhh... carving. Likeness. Statue.

Whatever. It's so totally me and it WAY goes with my post about the Weight Loss Breakthrough. Check it out:






Stop laughing.

I've had four babies, you know. Yeah, that's what it was - all the fault of the shorties around here...

New Weight Loss BREAKTHROUGH!!!

My own self, I'd rather weigh like this.

Here's my lament, shamelessly copied from the weight loss blog where I also post.

A Bad Week... I Mean Month

It's been not the best week and therefore month. Here it is, mid-Feb and I have only been to Curves 3 or 4 times the WHOLE MONTH rather than per week.

Valentines day came and with it, chocolate, and while I've been being careful, who can resist a good chocolate carmel?

Plus my kids have all been sick and that makes me tired - L has insomnia, K has strep, A has her 1st ear infection and F is 2.

Hubbers does his best, but I don't get to see him from 5am to 7pm and when he gets home it's my exercise time and I hate leaving home and not spending time with my best friend!

At least we're still rollerblading each weekend for several hours.

So, I'm redoubling my efforts for the next week. I'm getting rid of the candy that appeals to me and reminding myself that chocolate promotes migraines for me. I'm stepping back on the scale, no matter how much it protests, and I'm GOING TO FEEL BETTER when I get back into my exercise routine.

Prop me up now, girls.

Time to Blog... I mean JOG!

I joined a weight loss blog and today is the first posting day. I thought I'd like both posts I'm doing so you will know where to find me "hanging out". And who knows? Maybe you also have 6.3 pounds to lose and would like to join our blogging party?

So, here's the link for more knowledge about the challenge: One Woman's World.

And here's the blog itself: Therefore, What?

So join me over there where I log in with the name BIFF1_1 and claim I only have 6.3 pounds to lose! (Aww man, I so funny!) Guess I better put away the old Christmas cookies...