Day 13......Just Ugh!

Saturday afternoon:

So it's Day 13 of Operation Pre-First-Baby-Weight and I've been sick with a cold for the past 4 days.  UGH.  So my main source of fuel has been Alka Seltzer, along with some food items to keep me going.  I've stepped on the scale a few times over the last few days, but it's been all over the road like a DUI.  It's like my scale doesn't know what to do with a sick person.

Luckily I haven't stuffed my face with primo bad choices, but I have partaken in some Thanksgiving food, since it's that time of year.  Lucas's office had its annual Thanksgiving lunch this past Thursday.  Though I completely avoided the rolls and dessert, I did eat some homemade chicken & dumplings and potato casserole along with my turkey, ham, green beans and deviled eggs.  And last night, our neighborhood had its annual holiday dinner.  I didn't avoid anything at this dinner.....I highly enjoyed my breaded and buttered chicken cordon bleu, my corn casserole (that was rumored to be loaded up with bacon, bacon fat, butter, etc) and my buttermilk pie.  YUM.

Monday morning:

I realized Saturday afternoon that I needed to start getting ready for work, so that's as far as I made it.

Which SUCKED, by the way.

Had I not been sick with a cold, that wedding reception would have been really fun.  The crowd was full of heavy drinkers and big tippers who knew how to have a party.  But since I was sick, I just wanted it to be OVER from the moment I walked in the door.  So it was a long night.

Sunday wasn't much better, except that I was home and not working.  All I wanted to do was sleep all day.  I didn't get to do that, but it's what I WANTED to do.  Oh and did I mention that both kids are snotty, too?  The only survivor so far is Lucas, and his chances are pretty slim in this household.

We did go to the grocery store early Sunday evening and then went to my parents' house for dinner.....I just made sure we were all loaded up on age-appropriate drugs and not drooling on anybody.  My mom cooked a big pot of potato soup with baked ham sandwiches, and I took along the liquor and mixers I bought to test out options for Brian and Shanleigh's signature wedding drink.

That's not it, but I thought it looked neat.

My fitness regime is suffering greatly due to this cold.  I haven't hit the treadmill at all because my throat and ears have been super sore, so breathing heavy and bouncing around hasn't exactly sounded appealing.  I thought I would try hitting the treadmill today during the kids' afternoon naps, but since my ears and throat are STILL sore, it's now a toss-up between attempting to work out and attempting to take a nap.

I guess I'll get back on track once this cold passes.  Which will likely be after Thanksgiving (convenient, right??).  We'll be spending Thanksgiving Day here in town, but will be heading to Nashville on Friday for the rest of the holiday weekend.  I'm hoping to feel like a million dollars by Saturday so that I can toss on my running shoes and hit the pavement towards Shelby Park in East Nashville.  Maybe make up for the miles lost this past week!

The last time I attempted to run from Lucas's parents' house to Shelby Park I didn't quite make it.  I was afraid I was going to have to call someone for a ride back!

Wednesday night:

I just spent several hours adding to this post, and it ERASED ALL OF IT for no apparent reason. 

So I just. can't. even. 

So here's the super summary:  I went to the doc yesterday.  I have a severe sinus infection.  I'm on 3 meds now and am fab.  Delano went to the ER today.  He's fine - was a nursemaid's elbow incident.  He was won over by the popsicle he was given after his elbow was popped back in.  I wasn't questioned for child abuse (which I was concerned about).  The kids are still snotty and Lucas is sick now, too, but not as bad as I've been.  Hopefully we'll all clear up over the 4-day weekend.

That's it.  I'm SO MAD that all my other paragraphs (which included witty memes and photos) erased, but it is what it is.......life happens.  Have a Happy Thanksgiving!!

April's Operation Get Skinny: Day 10

I decided to change the name of my mission to Operation Get Skinny since I'm obviously not really doing any sort of boot camp.  Boot camps are rigorous and intense.  And usually start at 5:00am.  This is definitely NOT that.

No, no I don't.  Though I'm sure it would be beneficial.

Maybe I'll just keep changing the name of my "operation".....ya know.....to keep things fresh.

Anyway, the past two days have been right on track.  As of this morning I'm back down to the 4 lb weight loss mark from Friday.  No indulgent sugars or carbs (unless you count beer or wine, which I definitely don't - right, Stacie?), though I did eat two fat bowls of chili Monday night instead of just one.  Last night was also a chili night (I purposely made enough for three nights of dinner) but I stuck to one bowl.  And though I would love nothing more than to include a big pile of Fritos in my chili, I didn't buy any so I don't even have them around to tempt me.

Aside from my chili dinners, everything else I've consumed has been pretty standard:  oatmeal, yogurt, soup, salad, granola bars and trail mix.  For snacks I also have fruit cups and fresh fruit, hummus and Triscuits (which are whole grain with few ingredients), whole grain English muffins for making mini pizzas (a snack idea I saw on a website) and I bought some more popcorn kernels for popping fresh popcorn.  Dang - I just remembered I meant to buy some flavored popcorn salt for an added bonus.  Ah well.  Didn't need it anyway, right?

I did manage to squeeze in a 2-mile treadmill run yesterday afternoon, so that's a bonus!

This morning I also made myself a cup of Celestial Seasonings Cinnamon Apple Spice tea.

On the plus side, my house smells like I just took a freshly baked apple pie right out of the oven.  On the negative side, the tea is a little "much".  It was good for the first 2/3 of the cup......now I don't want the rest.  So next time I'll try it in a bigger mug to dilute it a bit and see if that helps.

So do I get bored with eating oatmeal, yogurt and soup every day?  No, I honestly don't.  Not yet anyway.  Having a specific, repetitive meal plan for every day seems to make it easier for me to stay on track.  I do eat out for lunch at least once or twice a week, and we go out to eat for dinner usually once a week, so having a set plan for when those times might get off-track is helpful.  And this Saturday I'll be bartending from 4:00 until probably midnight, so I'll be partaking in whatever catered food is available.  I'll pack snacks and will probably also make myself an English muffin sandwich, but it won't be enough for the entire night - it never is.

I think I hear the baby waking up, so I guess I'll go tend to her.  You know, punish her for interrupting my VERY IMPORTANT BLOG.

Just kidding.  :)

April's Body Boot Camp: Day 8

By Saturday morning (Day 6), I was down 4 lbs.  FOUR POUNDS!!  But then the weekend happened, as was expected.

It wasn't too bad, though.  I just ate some carbs over the weekend that I totally would have ignored during the week.  Saturday morning I had a bagel with cream cheese before my 5k race (my standard pre-race meal) and then I snacked on a bagel after the race.  The second bagel I could have done without.  But it was a Panera cinnamon crunch bagel........and if you've ever had a Panera cinnamon crunch bagel, then you know - YUM.

Saturday afternoon we hit up Portofino's in East Ridge for lunch, which is somewhere we eat pretty regularly.  I ate from the soup, salad and pizza bar, and I actually only allowed myself ONE slice of pizza, and I didn't even eat the edge crust.  But I still ate a slice of pizza. 

Saturday night we attended a wedding, which of course means catered food.  Again, I didn't do too bad.  I had a salad and some flank steak and some chicken and some hummus with pita bread and some bacon-wrapped shrimp and some cheese and some mashed potatoes with gravy.  So not the healthiest, but not the worst (not like my sloppy nachos last week).  But I definitely had a piece of wedding cake.  And some blueberry pie.

I totally stole this from Laura's Facebook page.  but I know she won't mind, because it's GORGEOUS!!

Sunday morning Lucas cooked a breakfast of eggs, bacon and biscuits.  I had eggs and bacon and half of a biscuit (with syrup drizzled on top.  OK FINE I SOAKED IT IN SYRUP).  For lunch I behaved - I had an Asian salad with tofu from F2O (though the spinach salad is still my fave).  For dinner we ate at my parents, which included cereal-crusted chicken, broccoli, baked potatoes and buttered french bread.  Then for dessert we had warm blueberry muffins with homemade honey butter spread. I also drank two delicious chocolate coffee stouts afterwards.

So today I'm back up 2 lbs from Friday.  Granted, that still puts me down 2 lbs in the first week, which is a healthy weight loss total for a single week.  It's still a bummer, though, to see that scale go back up!  But I have no one to blame but myself.  My self control is not the greatest, and I am fully aware of that!

So far today, I've had a bowl of oatmeal.  And I've got healthy snacks ready to go and healthy meals planned ahead!  So hopefully this week I'll toss those 2 lbs back into the universe.

Thanks for the advice, Cookie Monster......

Maybe this is how you all really feel about my weight loss blogs! HAHA

This one just made me laugh.

I do get that reading about what I ate the past few days might not be the most exciting thing in your day.  But writing about it keeps me accountable, which is what I'm going for.  It's like how the professionals tell you to keep a food journal if you're trying to watch what you eat......this is my food journal.  In a few weeks I'll get back to writing about some more interesting stuff!

As a teaser, I will tell you that I've missed a few calls over the past few weeks from a "restricted" number.  Any guesses as to who that might be??  ;)

April's Body Boot Camp: Day 4

Well, I'm down a pound and a half.  A pound and a half of water weight, but it's still a pound and a half from where I started on Monday.

At least until this afternoon.

The past several days, I've done REALLY well.

Tuesday I had oatmeal for breakfast, yogurt for a morning snack, two slices of pork tenderloin and a side salad for lunch, and then a Chef Salad from Blue Plate (DELISH) for dinner.  I DID have a handful of honey mustard & onion pretzels for a snack while bartending on the riverboat (I could have eaten the WHOLE BAG), but then I moved on to my designated trail mix.  Oh and I did also have about half a can of Gingerale as well, but then I switched to club soda so that I'd stop drinking Gingerale!

Wednesday I had oatmeal for breakfast, yogurt for a morning snack, tomato bisque soup and a grilled chicken salad for lunch (with too much sweet tea) and a can of Progresso soup for dinner.  And again, I ate trail mix during my bartending shift to tide me over until I was able to get home and eat my soup.  I also had a Clif bar and a single-serve can of mixed fruit in my bag at work, but I never ate them because I kept busy enough to not eat everything I brought.  Which is a good thing.

Then there was today.  I didn't eat breakfast, but I did eat a single-serve package of sliced apples with peanut butter on my way out the door.  The kids and I met my friend Vanessa and her son at the Aquarium, and then we went over to Taco Mamacita for lunch.  I should have ordered the chicken tortilla soup, or one of the salads.  That's what I SHOULD have done, and I knew it while I was sitting there staring at the menu.  But instead, I ordered one of my faves, the Sloppy Nachos.

NACHOOOOOOOOS (though these are the Memphis Nachos).

They were delicious, of course.  And I did manage to squeeze in a short, one-mile treadmill run afterwards.  But now I need to behave myself, at least for the next couple of days!  Tomorrow I have to be at work at noon to bartend a 2:00 riverboat cruise.  I'll have plenty of time to eat some lunch before hopping on the boat, but I don't really have anything at the house I can pack to be ready-to-eat, unless I make a sandwich, which would include the non-whole grain bread that I've been trying to avoid (STOP LOOKING AT THE NACHOS.  I KNOW, I KNOW.).  Or.....I could plan to eat lunch tomorrow at 11:00, like make myself a can of soup, and then take my snacks to eat between noon and 6ish.  That's probably the best plan.  In fact, that's now my plan.  High five to myself.

I'm also running the D9 Hot Cocoa 5k this Saturday in Collegedale with my friend Vanessa, so hopefully we'll burn some calories and warm ourselves up, because it's going to be COLD!!

Time to pack my snacks for tomorrow!  And the baby's waking up, so I guess I should go get her.  :)

April's Body Boot Camp: Day 1

Ok, ok.  So the phrase "boot camp" isn't really accurate at all.  But it sounds serious and like I mean it.

Jillian Michaels yelling in my ear is probably a pretty good idea, though.

I am more accurately cutting out (or at least cutting way back on) unrefined carbs and sugars and increasing my running frequency and mileage.  So kind of a diet, but nothing super strict, as I am TERRIBLE at sticking to anything super strict, whether it's a diet or a workout routine or even a cleaning schedule.

YEP.

So today was Day 1 of this so-called boot camp of mine.  I had apple-cranberry oatmeal for breakfast, some blueberry-acai Greek yogurt as a mid-morning snack, a can of Progresso soup for lunch, and an apple along with three whole-grain Jason's Deli flatbread crackers with red pepper hummus as an afternoon snack.  And I ran 1.5 miles on the treadmill during an episode of "Say Yes to the Dress". 

Tonight the dinner plan is tacos, so I'll have a few of the crunchy corn shells and not eat any of the white flour soft shells.  Sure, I could take it a step further and not eat any shells at all.....or I could just crunch up one or two into a taco salad instead.  But I'm already at a "win" because a bag of Frito's isn't involved, so we're just going to roll with that positive outcome.  ;)

I LOVE FRITO PIE.  AND NOW I WANT FRITO PIE.

So overall, I've been effing hungry all day long.  I'm really hungry right now and could eat ALL THE FOOD.  It's been about two and a half hours since that apple and hummus, so I am DUE for some food before dinner happens in another hour and a half or so.  And of course I want what I *can't* have.  There's apple pie in the fridge.  Can't have it.  There's a bag of Stacy's Pita Chips on top of the cabinet.  Can't have those, either.

But what I DID just notice on top of the cabinet while staring at the pita chips (and box of Ritz crackers) was my popcorn popper.  A popcorn popper for which I have popcorn!

A few minutes later:

SUCCESS!  I am now stuffing my face with freshly air-popped popcorn.  I spritzed it with a little olive oil from my Pampered Chef spritzer and then dusted it with salt.  It's nowhere comparable to the heart attack not-even-actual-butter goodness of movie theater popcorn, but it's doing it's job, which is feeding me.

Caramel popcorn ice cream.  Not something I'd normally choose for myself.  But right now, I'd eat it.

Tomorrow I have to be at the aquarium at 2:00 to get ready to bartend an event on the riverboat at 4:00.  So I'll definitely eat lunch beforehand and then plan to pack a few snacks for on-the-road.  I already know I'll be hungry by the time I get to the aquarium, so I'll need at least two or three snacks to get me by!

There are loads of healthy snack ideas under Google Images.  I should save them for future reference!

So here's to Day 1.  Less than 5 weeks until the wedding!

Yep, I'm Talking About Getting Back Into Shape......AGAIN.

Saturday night/Sunday morning:

It's 1:35am.  What better time to start a blog post?

Actually, it's a terrible time to start a blog post.  I worked a 9-hour shift at the Hunter tonight (though it was way more easy-breezy than anticipated) and when I got home couldn't go straight to bed (totally wired), so decided to wind down with a little Chardonnay and some Million Dollar Listing: Los Angeles.  That was an hour ago.  So I should have started this then.  Which is why I probably won't finish it until tomorrow.  Or next Thursday.  Or next month.

But I've been busy the past hour....ya know....watching TV, drinking my wine, trolling Facebook, catching up on Twitter, balancing my checkbook, ordering things off Amazon (WHAT??!!.....just kidding.....maybe).

P.S. I got a magazine called "Bits and Pieces" in the mail the other day.  If you were ever one to receive a gift from me, then your gift is totally coming from this magazine this year.  Birthday, Christmas, Hanukkah.....it's on.

P.P.S. If you ARE actually expecting a gift from me, DON'T GOOGLE THIS MAGAZINE.  You'll ruin the fun times for the both of us.

Not so much.  But we can pretend.

I do really want to talk about the Ragnar Relay, but since that will take more time than I want to be up this evening, that will just have to wait for "Part 2".  So instead, let's all listen to me bitch and moan about about my fitness failures.  SUPER FUN.

No bitching and moaning about having to listen to me bitch and moan. ;)

So.....as my regular readers know.....after I had Baby #2, lost the baby weight (NOT the full "baby weight", just the actual baby plus excess womanly yada-yada), I settled into a solid 140-142 lbs.  This after going into my first pregnancy at 123 lbs (fit and trim) and going into my second pregnancy right around 133 lbs (quite a bit less fit and trim).  Now, as I've ALSO said before (and always feel like I have to clarify when I talk the weight talk), I have loads of friends whose weights far surpass 140 lbs, so I'm not comparing myself to them NOR am I attempting to make them feel like they need to lose weight.  I LOVE ALL OF YOU JUST THE WAY YOU ARE RIGHT THIS VERY SECOND.  I don't care if you feel like you need to lose weight or are completely content with your weight......I wouldn't change a darn thing about you unless your health was an issue - then we're having a chat, because I don't want to lose you.  So there.  140 lbs or 340 lbs, I love ya, baby!!!

But for me personally, I'm not happy with my weight.  And it's not that I need to be thin and skinny.  It's the feeling of being "fit and trim" that I miss.  I just want to feel good.  And right now, I don't feel good.

I got my weight down to about 132 lbs a while back, with a goal of 129 (followed by a second goal of 125).  Right around that time (September-ish), I got handed a huge load of both bartending shifts and environmental projects.  For my wallet, this is awesome news.  For my body.....not so much.  As a bartender, I am usually dependent on either catered food or fast food (late after an event) as my dinner.  As a contractor traveling for work, this means quick food on the road.  Neither of which is weight-loss friendly.  Sure, I've tried packing my own snacks and/or lunch/dinner.  I've even tried eating big before going to work.  But the hunger overrules EVERY time, at least for this food pushover!!  My granola bars or pre-made meals never last long enough to fill me up.  I end up working it off.  And then when it's an "eat this or it's going in the trash" ordeal, I end up eating more than I should because I feel horrible for whatever cow/pig/chicken gave its life just to end up being tossed into the trash.

I really should go back vegetarian.

But that's a whole other conversation.

I also haven't had any extra time to run and/or work out, because all of my "free" time (when the kiddos are asleep) has been dedicated to environmental reports.  And I've just been flat out lazy about breaking out the doubler jogger when they're awake.  That sucker is tough.

So anyways......over the past two crazy-busy work months I've gained almost ALL of that weight back!  It's damn ridiculous.  My scale screamed 139 lbs at me the other day.  I should be nowhere near that mark.  I'm supposed to be near the 125 mark at this point.  So this jump back up to 139 super sucks.  And it's ALL in my gut.  The muffin top that overfloweth my jeans.  And in five weeks from now, my brother is marrying his fiance, and I'm a bridesmaid.  The dress is beautiful and flattering to any body shape/weight, but I was really hoping to feel "fit and trim" again by December.  Lucy will be a year old in December.  It's time.

So over the next five weeks, I'm on the Tic-Tac diet.  Or maybe the grapefruit diet.  Or maybe the acai berry diet.  Or maybe the hot dog diet (gross).  I've had success in the past with cutting out refined carbs, so I should probably go that route.  And it would also probably help if I cut out the wine (Stacie, do you hear this nonsense???).  And I need to start race training again to burn some major calories.  I'm signed up for the Scenic City Half Marathon, which is happening in Chattanooga in February.  I would much prefer not to suck during that race. 

So starting tomorrow, my accountability is ON.  Why tomorrow and not today?  Because Lucas and I and the kids have a lunch date with friends at City Cafe, and then tonight we're celebrating Lucas's birthday and my brother's birthday at my parents' house.  So I don't feel like being good today.  ;)

Today is definitely still a fat day.

Holy Crap - It's November!

It's been over a month since I've written anything.  A whole month!!  Craziness.  Needless to say, I've been busy.  I thought September was a busy month.  And it was.  But October was just as busy, if not busier.

The Aquarium keeps me busy for sure.  They book a LOT more events than I ever imagined they did, so I pretty much work there at LEAST once a week, often two days and even sometimes three days a week.  The Hunter has been MUCH slower (two shifts a month kind of slow) but the Hunter also has a lot more bartenders they divvy up the shifts between. 

But even if I hadn't had a single bartending shift all month last month, my environmental job would have made up for all of it.  I ended up with FOUR work projects last month, and they even attempted to recruit me for SIX (I had no choice but to turn down two of them on account of being just too darn busy).  Since I work on the majority of my environmental reports after everybody goes to bed, I was up until 2:00 or so in the morning for far more nights than I wanted to be last month.  The positive side?  MOOLAH.  These projects pay so well that it's just hard to justify turning them down.  I was bummed about the two I had to turn down, but there was just no way.  I stared at my calendar for a good hour after I got the email offer and simply could not make extra time appear

This past weekend Lucas, the kids and I joined up with our friends Amanda and Josh (and their daughter Lily) and spent Saturday through Monday at a cabin up in Fall Creek Falls.  Lucas's birthday is today (HAPPY BIRTHDAY LUCAS) and he wanted to go fishing for his birthday.  So while Amanda and I lounged around the cabin with the kiddos, the boys went fishing.  Or at least they claimed they did......they didn't return with any fish!

This week is kind of like a mini-vacation.  I don't have a single work project on the roster (and am completely content if I don't receive any offer emails this week) and I don't have any bartending shifts until Saturday.  I've got other things to do.....the kiddos have a doctor's appointment for their flu shots tomorrow, I need to go to the grocery store, my book club meets Thursday night, the house needs to be cleaned, I need to take my bridesmaid dress to be altered, etc......but working for a paycheck is not one of them.  Saturday's bartending shift will be a long and busy one (it's the Hunter's annual fundraiser - their art auction known as Spectrum) but it's all I've got and it's still four days away.  Next week I've got three Aquarium shifts - two of which are on the river cruise boat - but I'll be done early on Friday and then I'm off ALL weekend.

Amanda tells me I work too much.  My mom tells me I work too much.  Both of them asked me the exact same question last week: "Aren't you supposed to be a stay-at-home mom?".  And they both told me I'm doing a pretty crappy job of staying at home.  :)  So why do I work so much when I'm "supposed" to be a SAHM?  Well, the main answer to that question is because of my school loan.  My school loan has always gotten put on the backburner because of the low interest rate.  But putting it on the backburner has done nothing to pay it off.  So I'm working to finally pay it off and not have to deal with it anymore.  I also have other expenses that I simply like/need to have my own money for.  And since before Lucas and I got married and had kids we knew that I was going to continue to bartend special events and take on environmental projects (all my choice), my school loan and frivolous spending stayed my responsibility.  I have a feeling that once my school loan is paid off (sometime next year), I'll probably be completely burnt out on bartending events and will cut back to just doing environmental projects when they come my way.  We'll just have to see. 

I need to win the lottery.  That will solve everything.  ;)

Lucy is 10 months old, and is merely days away from walking.  She's taken a few steps on her own here and there, but hasn't flat out walked just yet.  But she's close.  She's also now pointing to everything (which means she's also starting to use some sign language) and tries to imitate what you say in her own little baby grunts and squeaks.  Delano is a typical toddler, goes from zero to 60 on a constant loop ALL. DAY. LONG.  Behaves and acts like a sweet little gentleman one second, throws and stomping hissy fit and acts like a total asshole the next second.  It's enough to make one's head explode.  EXPLODE, I tell ya.  I feel like I need wine just thinking about it.  And right now he's even totally quiet, eating lunch while watching "Blaze".  But it's like watching a ticking time bomb......

His cuteness is your weakness.

She's too little to be the toddler time bomb that I know she will one day become.

I totally forgot to talk about the Ragnar Relay!!  That happened a little over a week ago, and it was a pretty big deal.  It was SUPER FUN.  But I'm running out of time (Lucy should be waking up from her nap any moment now) so I'll have to talk about that another day.  Same with my current fitness happenings (aka SLACKINGS) and my brother's upcoming wedding.  I'll have to talk about those later!