Remember when I lost 50 pounds?

I have been eating so badly this week that I am fully expecting to gain back the .2 (and then some) that is keeping me above my 50 pound loss! Save me!!!!

I lost 50 pounds with Weight Watchers!

Reaching a 50 pound loss on Wednesday night was very anti-climactic! My regular leader wasn't there, my friends weren't there, and only a few of the "regulars" were in attendance. So, it was a very blah celebration. I left the meeting skipping, very excited, but without my regular celebratory group. It has taken a few days to sink in. But now I am starting to think, "HOLY SHIT I LOST 50 POUNDS ON WEIGHT WATCHERS."

So, what made this work for me?

1. Over the past few months, a definite mindset change occured. I know the plan works. I have to trust it and follow it. If I don't follow the plan, I only have myself to blame. It takes a lot to stop making other excuses and realize the real problem is ME and the choices I make.

2. There will always be bad days, weeks, months, hours. One of the biggest problems with people on diets is the thought that "oh, I had a bad morning, so screw the rest of the day" or "I know i won't lose weight this week, so I'll just forget the diet for now." There is always going to be a party, or a barbecue, or a 12-pack of light beer in the fridge, or a chocolate cake, or a pack of oreos from a neighbor.....and we are most of the time going to screw up now and then. But that's OK. It's taken a while for me to accept this. You make a mistake? IT'S OK. We are human. Start over right now!

3. Friends and family. A good support system is necessary. Avoid the negative people. Avoid the people who badmouth Weight Watchers! Share your successes and your challenges with them. Help them help you!

What now?
I am still 16 pounds from goal weight. I wanted to make it by my birthday....which is 2 months away. I know this is DO-able...but not probable. If I look at my weight loss lately, we are looking at a pound or less each week. To lose 16 pounds in 8 weeks I need to lose 2 pounds a week...and this is with a beach trip and a TRIP TO HAWAII all before my birthday. Hm. I am going to try - no giving up! - but I am going to be realistic.

The Half Marathon I signed up for in November. I have an internal panic attack almost daily about this.

Another before and after. The first picture is the day we brought Char home from the hospital. OK, I know, I had just a baby, but good lord. The second picture is from just now. :)

Weigh-in Wednesday

Loss: -0.8
Total loss: -50.2
Feeling: Awesome!!!!!

I finally hit the 50 pound mark! I missed the entire meeting, but got there just in time to weigh in, turn around and share my celebration, get my little keyring for my keychain, and boogie out the door. Yippee!!!

Wednesday Weigh-In

Loss: -0.8
Total loss: -49.4
Feeling: Nervous!

Tonight's meeting was about how to choose wisely at summer barbecues and what the challenges are. My biggest BBQ challenge is baked beans. Damn, they are good! A half a cup is 5 points, and I can't eat just a half a cup. On Sunday we had a delicious barbecue with shrimp and chicken kabobs, zucchini, fresh fruit, roasted potato salad and corn on the cob. Would have been very weight watchers friendly if it weren't for the beer!

My Charberry

Oh, my sweet Charbaby!!! I uploaded a bunch of phone pics today and thought I'd share a bunch of cute Charlotte pics. :) First up, her crazy-long hair! Look at this!!!! This is right after I brushed it, and I was amazed at how long it is!!!

Then here she is on the deck, cheesin':

Here is one of Charlotte eating ice cream at the local spray-ground. She won't let me pull up her bathing suit half the time because the boys don't wear shirts. 

"Where Charwotte go?"

Eating celery at BW3:

 Another shirtless fountain day:
















Me and Char, being goofy:

Charlotte, earning her nickname "Grandma Estelle" because she is last at the table every meal. :)

Me in high school

A friend just posted this picture on facebook of me in a HS drama production.
A la Jack Sh*t Gettin' Fit, my version of "The Way We Were" (youtube link here to Babs)

Memories, light the corners of my thighs.
Misty watercolor memories of the weight we were.
Scattered pictures of the pounds on our behinds
pounds we gained with one another!
Look at the weight we were.

Can it be that it was all so simple then or has the USDA rewritten every line?
If we had the chance to eat it all again tell me would we? Could we?

Memories, may be super skinny and yet...what's too healthy to remember...we simply choose to forget

So it's the weight we will remember...whenever we remember...the weight we were.

MPM 7

Monday - hot dogs, chips, fruit, pasta salad (we never had this last week....)

Tuesday - Big salads with chicken

Wednesday - FFYS

Thursday - taco salad

Friday - taco salad pasta

Saturday - pizza

Sunday - steak on the grill, quinoa, a fresh veggie of some kind, fruit salad.

Top Ten Reasons I am not a Stay-at-Home-Mom

10. I need at least 30 minutes of "planning" time every morning at my desk/kitchen table uninterupted to check facebook, my google reader, my email, and drink coffee. 2 weeks into summer and I have to get up at least 22 times each morning to get stuff - like juice, waffles, empty cups, banana peels, and other extremely inconvienient items that these kids keep asking for. (Whose kids are these people anyway!?) This morning they even asked me for BREAKFAST! The NERVE!!!!

9. I don't have enough money to stay at home AND send them to daycare.

8. I can't manage my time well. For example, each day at 4:45 I madly run around the house picking up breakfast plates, markers, paper, crafts, diapers, pajamas, 1/4 full cups of water, bathing suits, towels, toys, books, and bowls of cheeze-its. This is because Todd will be home soon and I don't want him to know what a slob I am. No, wait, he already knows. Well, I try to make the problem seem not quite so bad before he gets home. A good stay-at-home-mom would use her time more wisely and clean up as the day goes on. When Todd is home with the kids he cleans up as he goes, does 5 loads of laundry, picks up the dog shit, and plays with the kids!!

7. I don't really want to play with the kids all the time. I'd rather meet up with a friend and let them play/fight/yell/laugh while we drink beer and eat animal crackers.

6. I sometimes say "no" when they ask me to read them a story.

5. I let them watch "Despicable Me" and "Shrek Forever After" instead of taking an actual nap (although, I dare any of you to come over here and get twin 4 year old boys to nap in their beds. You might have success 1/5 days. Big deal.)

4. It's only been 2 weeks of summer and I am actually looking forward to going back to work.

3. The 4:00-6:00 hour is pure torture. No naps and high heat and general pissyness causes Todd to walk into an explosive situation every day. I feel badly that I am always about to lose my shit when he gets home, but god dammit, kids, can you just TAKE. A. NAP!? Or go play downstairs? Do you really need to be all up in my shit all day long and then get all screamy and mad at me when I tell you that we can't go to the pool in the middle of the thunderstorm or go play tennis in the 105 degree heat? Also? Can we avoid the temper tantrum at 5:00 every day when you are asked to leave someone's house/share a toy/get off your brother/clean up your mess/put back the oatmeal? Because these tantrums and the things you say are making me CRAZY! Today, Henry told me that he didn't want a mommy anymore and yesterday he told me he was "done with me." Owen repeatedly tells me I am going to jail and that I am a "meaniac." Don't get me wrong - the other 22 hours of the day are awesome. But the 2 hours in the late afternoon when they are exhausted, hungry, hot, and generally pissed off should actually count as the 120 reasons I am not a stay-at-home-mom - 1 for every minute of this time period each day. Phew.

2. I like Starbucks and wouldn't be able to get a nonfat vanilla latte if I didn't receive Starbucks gift cards from my students/coworkers.

1. And finally... it's too hard!!! I know, there is an endless debate about whose life is harder - the working mom or the stay-at-home mom?? I'll tell you what. The working mom of children between the ages of 2 and 5 has it easy. After that and before that - it's a toss up. Staying home with the boys when they were 1 was awesome and easy and fun. But now? Hard. Summer with kids older than 5? Going to be awesome. I think this summer is just a weird paradox of a 2 year old mommy-obsessed girl combined with twin 4 year olds that "don't need a nap" anymore and a mom that enjoys napping and drinking coffee. Yes, that's what I'm going with as my excuse for when they cart me away to my own special room with soft walls and people wearing white.....

(I just hope they leave me alone for my 30 minutes of planning time in the morning.)

Wednesday Weigh-In

And the result......
Loss: Bupkis!
Total loss: -48.6
Feeling: Phew!
I gave up alcohol this week (cheated once) and replaced it with ice cream sandwiches. I didn't gain, so that's good. I'm drinking a light beer now. Ahhhhhh...

Kickin' it

Creating a "bucket list." Lame? Not lame? Jinx-worthy? (Like, if I create a bucket list for myself is that just asking a bus to run my ass over?) I have some good ideas for my own list and I've been reading a lot of other people's lists, too. If I were going to not jinx myself and create a list of things I'd like to do here are some of my ideas:

1. Finish the damn t-shirt quilt that I started when I was pregnant with the boys.
2. Learn how to use grandma's sewing machine and sew some stuff!
3. Spend an entire summer on a beach somewhere.
4. Go to Africa.
5. Finish my bucket list.

MPM 6

Last night we made a yummy meal of grilled shrimp marinated with garlic powder and lime juice along with some quinoa with jalapeno cheese and black beans (it was ok) and fruit. I had planned on eating the leftovers tonight over salad, but the power went out and it was hot as butt in our house. So....

Monday - Applebee's
Tuesday - shrimp leftovers over salad greens
Wednesday - FFYS
Thursday - Pasta night (make a double batch for pasta salad the next day)
Friday - Hot dogs, pasta salad, fruit, and chips
Saturday - Leftovers
Sunday  - Chicken and polenta on the grill, corn on the cob

Best Gift Ever

A few months ago, I came to school (work) to find a plastic grocery bag shoved into my mailbox. It had a single address label stuck to the outside with the name of parent of a student at school. "What is this?" I asked the office ladies. One of them responded with "I don't know, she just left it here for you." "Okay...." I reponded, grabbed the bag, and went to my room. I got distracted with a few things but finally remembered the bag. What this simple, plain grocery bag contained ended up being 1. the highlight of my year, 2. the best gift I have ever received from a family and 3. the most wondrous conversation-starter of all time.

I have received used lotion bottles before, or obvious re-gifts from students. I have gotten half-eaten snacks, homemade cupcakes with finger marks in them, and half empty bottles of perfume. This gift leaves these delights in its dust. This is the piece de resistance of awesome teacher gifts.

Upon opening the grocery bag, I found this lovely handbag with matching shoulder strap stuffed to the brim with delights:

The first item I pulled out was a handmade sewing design that I can only assume was a 3rd or 4th grade project. Getting this framed crossed my mind for a second, but then I realized I wouldn't be able to feel its lovely texture if it were permanently behind glass.

The next item was a child-sized winter hat. Charlotte is actually wearing it right now as I type.

After that, some useful blank note cards with envelopes and a stylish silver necklace (still in its box!)

And, really, what purse would be complete without some fishing twine, gauze tied with a hair elastic, and butterscotch candy? ("You eat it!" "No, you eat it!" and "How much would it take for you to eat that?" were frequently uttered in the teacher's lounge whenever we brought out the purse.)

Some of my favorite items have been lost since I received the purse (or used, thank you!) including: a half burned candle, half used matches (we used these for the fireworks!), CIA visitor badges, a photo wallet, empty badge holders, a mint, and a jean belt.

I will leave you with this. A jar of vaseline? Lip gloss? Body butter? There is no label, so your guess is as good as mine:

A monumental moment

I went to the CDC website and calculated my BMI. Check out my results. This is the first time I've been in the "normal" range in at least 4 years. At least.

Results
Height: 5 feet, 9 inches
Weight: 168.6 pounds
Your BMI is 24.9, indicating your weight is in the Normal category for adults of your height.
For your height, a normal weight range would be from 125 to 169 pounds.
Maintaining a healthy weight may reduce the risk of chronic diseases associated with overweight and obesity.

BMI Weight Status
Below 18.5 Underweight
18.5—24.9 Normal
25.0—29.9 Overweight
30.0 and Above Obese

Wednesday Weigh-In

Loss: -0.8

Total loss: -48.6

Feeling: Anxious! I am 1.4 away from 50! (Did I add that right? Really?! AHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!)

MPM 5 and a recipe

Monday - 4th of July BBQ at friends - YUM.
Tuesday - shrimp, rice and edamame
Wednesday - FFYS
Thursday - Pasta
Friday - Chicken salad sandwiches, fruit, and chips
Saturday - Outback takeout (gift card we didn't use last week!)
Sunday - Quinoa with black beans and jalapeno cheese, fruit, and shrimp on the grill.

Last night I made a fruit dip to go with the mega-bowl of fruit I brought to the BBQ. It was yummy and only ONE WW Point for a serving, which I consider about a tablespoon to go with a big spoonful of fruit (0 points)

Ingredients:
1/2 block of fat free cream cheese
1 cup of marshmallow creme (I didn't measure, just took a big spoonful)
2 cups of Cool Whip Free (again, just 2 big spoonfuls)

Directions:
Let the stuff sit out on the counter for a bit so it gets soft. Mine sat out for about 45 minutes. Throw it in a bowl and mix it all up, smushing up the lumps. Put back in fridge until time to eat, give it another good stir before serving.

We ate it with all kinds of fruit - watermelon, cantelope, bananas, strawberries, grapes, blueberries, and apples. I'm sure it would taste good with every kind of fruit. :)

Happy 4th!

Here we are, participating in our neighborhood parade. Lots of fun, decorations, flags, and heat! :)

Nail polish isn't just for girls

Here are some shots of Owen painting his nails. :) The minute he was done, he said "OK wash it off," but he had a good time while it lasted. :) And here is a fun group shot of me and the kids lounging on the couch:

Also check out a pic I added to the weight loss pics today.