Update 8/31/2016

  Good morning.
  Just a quick update here.  I got on the scale this morning.  I was 292.  One pound gone, which is actually more than I expected.
  I have been walking the dog at least four times a week.  We get in about 1.2 miles.  It was easier to get back to that level of walking than it was when I first started this a year and a half ago.  As far as getting it done, the secret is I have to have the dog with me when I take the kids to seminary in the morning.  If I go home instead, I'll get started on other things and walking the dog is less likely to happen.  I have to just do it.
  That's been the track that keeps playing over and over in my head lately.  I must confess, however, it isn't in regards to weight loss.  As you know, I've been writing a book.  When I've been tired from working a full day at my former job, I still found time to write.  Now that I'm home again, I'm still making time for that.
  Now the trick will be getting myself to make time for the weight loss.  Honestly, it's not where my brain is so I don't know how successful I'll be.
  I'll be back next week.  See you then.

Priorities

Hello, again.

It's been almost ten months to the date that I've posted.
Sorry I abandoned you.
About a month before I stopped writing, I started working again.  I answered phones in a call center for an insurance company as a temporary employee.  About a month ago, I got laid off.  Financially, it's probably not the best thing in the world.  Emotionally, the lay off was a good thing.  Answering constant phone calls is very stressful.  And while I kept it professional at work, at home I was tired, grumpy and Tyson told me I was becoming very negative.
My first week off, I turned into mental Jell-O.  The next week, I had missed a personal deadline for getting the book out to my betas so I busted through what I needed to so I could get back on track.  The third week, we prepared for the first week of school.  Last week, the kids started school and I settled back into being a mom and a wife.  I'm doing much better now, even I can feel it.
A few days after my last post was another NaNoWriMo.  That totally trashed any attempt at losing weight ever since.  That month, I wrote the third draft of the book I'm about to publish and the first draft of the second book.  When November was over, I had the writing bug bad and I've been working on rewrites in my free time ever since.
Now that I have MORE free time (because being a stay-at-home mom gives me all kinds of free time HA!), my priorities have changed again.  The book is still high priority and I'd consider myself a 3/4-time writer.  Still tweaking the schedule so I can get everything done, but it seems to be going well.  If there were just a couple more hours in the day so I could write, it would be wonderful.  ;)
Anyway, between the two above reasons, I have neglected my weight loss/healthy changes.  I plan to get back into it.
That said, I haven't weighed myself in months.  When I did the other day, I was 293.  I've gained back 8 to 10 pounds of what I lost.  Considering I wasn't watching what I was eating and I wasn't exercising, I don't think that's too bad.  In addition, it's not the 309 that started me on this whole journey.
I started walking the dog again last week.  I did 1.2 miles Wednesday and Thursday last week and again Tuesday and today.  I'm really sore but I'm managing to do it.

It's all about priorities, isn't it.  :)

Speaking of, keep an eye out for my new book.  If all things come out in the wash, it should be coming mid-September.  I'll keep you posted.
And my goal is to post for this blog once a week.  See you soon!

36 Week update (a little late)

I meant to post this on Saturday, but Saturday turned into a DMV nightmare.  Since then, I haven’t been able to get to it.

 

So, the DMV.  I FINALLY went to get my California driver’s license.  (I know, I know…procrastination…I really just wasn’t willing to admit I didn’t live in Wyoming anymore.)  I should’ve known something was up when it was going too well.  I got to the intake person quickly.  I only stood in line to get my picture taken for two or three minutes.  I passed my test and only missed two questions.  I got into the front of the line for the final lady right away. 

And then she asked me to verify the information.  (The following is an approximation)

Me:  “This has my maiden name on it.”

She pulls it back and then checks her computer screen.  “Yes, you brought in your birth certificate.”

“Yes, the website says to bring that or your passport.  I don’t have one of those so naturally…”

“Yes, we took your name from the birth certificate.”

“But that’s not my legal name.”

“Do you have your marriage certificate?”

“No, I’ve already proven my married name in Wyoming, which is why that license says “Miller”.”

“I’m sorry, ma’am.  We don’t know the standards of other states.  We have our own standards so you will have to show your marriage license.”

“And how much does that cost to change my name?”

“Twenty-seven dollars.”

“So, I have to come back in, miss work because this is the last Saturday you’re open, and pay you another twenty-seven dollars just because you cannot accept the name on a driver’s license from another state.  I’ve proven it to them.”

“I’m sorry, ma’am.  I have to follow our standards.”

“What if I show you my Social Security card?”
        “No, ma’am.  I can only use your marriage license.”

“I’ve haven’t used that name for twenty-four years.”

“Let me do this for you, I’ll put it in pending and if you can get back before the end of the day with your marriage license, we’ll get it in there with the right name.”

So I run home and Tyson and I search the house for over four hours looking for our marriage license.  No luck.  We found our marriage certificate, but no license.  We did eliminate about 25 boxes that hadn’t been unpacked yet and threw some stuff away, so that was a plus.  I went back to the DMV at about 3 and got my driver’s license in my maiden name.  I left the DMV sobbing.  I haven’t been that girl in forever.  It’s not who I am.  I felt robbed for some reason.

Tyson did order a new marriage license for us but even if I get that in the mail this week, I still need to wait for my hard copy of my DL before I can change the name.  In the meantime, I’m rolling around town with an ID that has my maiden name on it even though EVERYTHING else is in my married name.  Tyson told me he’d marry me again…. J

 

So, because of the fiasco there, I wasn’t able to get to Curves to work out that Saturday.  I did manage to make it four times for the week, though.  This week, if I make it on Saturday, I can get in five workouts. 

I’ve been frustrated because I haven’t been losing weight.  I’ve been working out for almost three weeks.  However, I have noticed that my fluctuations are smaller.  In the past, I’ve fluctuated five to seven pounds over the course of a couple weeks.  Recently, that’s gone down to three or four.  I guess that progress.

Of course, I was curious if I was retaining water like crazy or if my body was just really freaking out because I’ve been sedentary for a couple decades or if I’m just weird.  I found this website that helped considerably.    I also found a second website which verified the other one.  I probably am retaining water and it could last anywhere from two to five weeks.  I’m going to add a 10% buffer in that and try not to freak out until it’s been more than five and half weeks.  And I realized that I’m just weird.

I will be doing another weigh-in/measure appointment with Curves a week from Saturday.  They like to do those once a month.  We’ll see what that says.  Here’s the numbers from the first appointment: 

    Arms 13.5"

    Bust 47.5"

    Waist 46"

    Abdomen 55"

    Hips 58"

    Thighs 30.5"

    Weight 297.5#  (Fully clothed, with shoes, at end of day)

    Height 5'10.5"

    BMI 47.1%

    Short term goal: loose 27.5# in three months (1/8/16)

    Long term goal:  175#  - I had to come up with something.  I suppose this would be most ideal but truly, I'd be happy with 225 and really happy with 200.

34 Week Update October 17, 2015

Alrighty then!!  I am actually on time this month.  HIGH FIVE!!

This month has seen some changes.  The kids going back to school in August allowed the family to get back onto a schedule.  I was in a position where I needed to get a menu planned and a schedule for grocery shopping re-established.  It was good stuff. 

In there, somewhere, I got back into the habit of walking in the dog...almost daily.  I think I wound up walking her an average of four times a week.  Back in the middle of July, I had made it up up 1.5 miles a day with her.  But, since it had been more than a month since we had been regular about walking, I started again with .5 miles.  By the beginning of October, we were up to .75 and now we're averaging about a mile.

However, I started working a full time job at the beginning of October as well.  That threw a HUGH wrench into everything and I'm still trying to get everything figured out.  I remember now why I hate doing my grocery shopping on Saturdays.  My schedule is now crazy, but I'll talk more about that in a minute.

The other biggest change is that last week, October 10, I joined Curves.  I LOVE IT.  I don't like the working out, per se, but it love it there.  The women are so encouraging.  If I happen to miss two days in a row, they call me to find out what's up.  There's this awesome jungle-gym type thing you use to stretch after you work out and I look forward to just doing that.  And, even though I hate to admit it, I can see a change.

The biggest change seems to be my energy level.  I'm awake, most of the day.  I do still grab some caffeine halfway through the day, but I think that's more because I'm bored at my job more than anything  (I sit at a desk all day and answer phones...ALL DAY.....  It's a job, right?).    On Thursday, I woke up and I just couldn't do it.  I had gone every morning this week.  But Thursday, it wasn't happening.  So, I slept in.  Yeah, buddy.  I was tired all day.  You would think working out in the morning would make you tired and sore all day, but it hasn't.

So this is my day:
     4:45 - wake up, pray and get dressed
     5:00 - walk the dog
     5:30 - grab something to eat (usually some grapes, cheese and some breakfast meat - about 200 calories) and throw the kids' lunches together that had been made the night before
     5:35 - with Steph in tow, head down the hill to pick up a couple kids and take them to early morning seminary
     5:55 - drop those kids off
     6:00 - at Curves, working out
     6:40 - get home and make sure the boys are up, take a shower
     7:00 - read scriptures with the boys
     7:20 - send the boys out the door and get my own lunch ready, have something else to eat (one piece of toast and a banana 220 calories)
     7:30 - finish getting ready for work
     8:20 - out the door for work
     9:00 - start work
    11:00 - first break have a snack, this last week was carrots and celery 24 calories
      1:00 - lunch - last week was homemade chipotle three days (450 calories), homemade chef's salad (350 calories) and Friday I had sushi (Which I didn't think I would like but I do.....have no idea how many calories that was). [Okay, I just looked it up.  I had New York Crunch, which is the only one I've dared to try.  There was a serving and a half in the container, 600 calories.  Not too bad, I don't think.]
     3:30 - last break, more grapes and cheese - 155 calories
     5:30 - out the door!  Have an apple on the way home - 120 calories
     6:10 - get home...need to make supper....I won't go into that.
     7:30 - I'm dead by now but there's still things to do....cleaning up, getting kids into showers, making sure homework and chores are done, getting lunches fixed for the next day, making sure each kid has gotten their laundry done for the assigned days, making sure my husband is still alive.....
    8:15 - family prayer
    8:30 - praying with husband, reading scriptures with him
    9:00 - Tyson's snoring and I'm surfing the internet
   10:30 - usually out by now, but if not, I'm forcing myself off the net and closing my eyes.


At Curves last week, they measured me, weighed me and figured my body mass ratios.
I just got up and looked for it and it's not readily available.  Seeing as how the hour is getting late and everybody else is asleep, I'm going to risk putting it in later.

9/19/2015

10/17/2015

I don't see much difference between this month and last.  I could this morning, but not now.  You can see that I finally put up my curtains in the background.  :)

30 Week Update September 19, 2015

And yet again, it's not September.  And like I mentioned in the August post, I owe you some updates.  Once again, I'll try to remember what I can.

August was really busy.  At the beginning of the month, Greg, Becca, Bryan, and Ryleigh all came down for a visit.  We had a lot of fun at the beach, in the pool and hanging out.  All the older kids managed to get really good sunburns.  It was so good to see all of them.
I choose not to follow my calorie-watching while they were here and then pretty much followed suit the remainder of the time.  Yeah.  Not such a good plan.
HOWEVER, I am excited to report I managed to break that elusive 295 barrier I had bumped up against all summer.  On September 19, when the pictures below were taken, I weighed 290!  My fluctuations stayed between 295 and 290.  The kids being back in school forced me to get back onto a schedule.  This has helped me walk the dog on most days, usually around 8 a.m. after the kids have all gone to school.
I am finally into the Laramie weight.  I weighed 295 when I left.  I'll be in this weight range until about 275.  I am happy, though, that the Bakersfield weight is gone.  :D
The pictures don't seem too different to me from August, however.  I'm thinking I need to start doing sit ups or yoga or something to start tightening things up.

PS Now that I've really looked at the August pictures, I can see a difference and I think it's because I really wasn't walking for a month and I gained a 'bloat' again.  (And I don't understand why I can get one group of pics together in a row but not the other set.  Sorry.)

2/14/2015

9/19/2015

8/04/2015

9/19/2015

2/14/2015

8/04/2015

24 Week update, August 1, 2015

Okay, so it's not Aug. 1st.  But, I owe you updates, at least.  I prepared everything so I could do one, I just never did.  Let me remember what I can.

So, on August 1st, I weighed 295, down 1/2 pound.  I fluctuated between 295 and 300 the whole month.  I also struggled with drinking soda (pop, for you Wyomingites).  In addition, I had trouble staying on my plan to walk the dog.  Many factors played into that:
    1.  I like to stay up late at night, especially when the kids have gone to bed.  It's quiet. 
         That makes it difficult to get up in the morning.
    2.  It's....uh....really, really hot in Bakersfield.  And it doesn't cool off at night.  Even
         when I don't sleep in, it's still 85 at 7 a.m.  On days when I don't get up early, then
         it was much too hot to walk.
    3.  We had visitors and we went on a mini-vacay to Sea World.  I shot my
         calorie-watching in the foot and didn't pick it back up again.  That also allowed
         me an excuse not to walk.

By the time July was over, I was fed up with myself but willing to cut myself a break and lump the month up to experience.  I decided I would do better in August.

The pictures I did manage to take were done on August 4th.  The green pants died and received an emotionally stirring funeral in my trash can.  My misery didn't last too long, however, and I have moved on to the black ones.  :)

2/14/2015

8/4/2015

2/14/2015

8/4/2015

20 Week Update - July 4, 2015

Happy Independence Day!

I can't believe it's already been five(ish) months since I started this.  I have learned a lot about myself and how my body reacts to different things I intake and do to it.

This week, I've been struggling with my depression.  I talked about that a few days ago in this post.   I've slowly been feeling better.  The only other thought I have about it concerns expectations.  Perhaps feeling happy all the time or the majority of the time is not realistic; not true life experience.

It's been over 100 degrees F (37.8 degrees C) for more than ten days in a row now.  By 8:00 a.m., it's typically already over 80 degrees F (27 degrees C).  Consequently, I have been having mental difficulties with getting out to walk.  I only walked four days this week.  On Monday, I went 1.6 miles, Tuesday 1.0 miles, Friday 1.8 miles and today....4.2 miles.  As far as the 100 miles in 100 days, I'm at 39.4 miles total since Memorial Day.  I should be at 41.  Pretty good, if I do say so myself.  Good thing I got a big day in today.

Anyway, I have been weighing myself everyday.  I know some people have advised to not do this, however I find it keeps me centered on what is going on.  It is interesting to see what happens when exercise doesn't happen or I eat too much the day before.  Here is my chart for this last four weeks.  The blue line is June, orange July.  The purple dots mean I'm above 300 pounds that day, the red mean I'm between 290 and 300.  I weighed in today at 295.5 pounds.  (Please ignore the June dates at the bottom.  I haven't been able to figure out a way to change it to just numbers yet, without making a new chart.)

It was cooler this morning when we went out.  I wanted to get a good walk in.  The family and I also played in the pool this afternoon for about 90 minutes.  It was a nice temperature, about 83 F (28 C), and felt really good.  Tonight, we sat at on the edge of the bluffs in the hot wind, watching the fireworks in the distance.  I think we had a good day today.

I managed to talk my husband into taking pictures for me again this morning.  Here's the comparison with Valentine's Day and July:


(I'm fighting with formatting today.  And I'm giving up.  I'm sorry these aren't side by side.  I'll try again later....)

That's all I have to update for the four weeks.  Have a happy Fourth of July.