Sugar Cookie Sleigh Ride

Last year, I discovered a new love; Sugar Cookie Sleigh Ride tea from Celestial Seasonings. A packet of splenda added, and it is comfort and happiness in a mug!!!

Today was a long day. Lots of errands after work; but now I'm home, and I stayed on plan!!

Breakfast: NS Maple oatmeal with 1/2 banana whipped in and a serving of Soy Nog
Lunch: NS Chocolate caramel bar, carrots, cucumber, and greek yogurt
snack: jalapeno string cheese and an apple
dinner: NS Meatloaf and mashed potatoes (this was actually an alright dish!) with a side salad and 2 small sauteed zucchini
dessert: NS Chocolate mint bar and a mug of tea

Time for my beauty sleep!!!

Ho Ho Ho!!!!

Yes, I understand it is only mid-November - but I simply could not help myself.

Gossip Girl, Christmas lights, a sugar cookie candle, chocolate cake, and blogging. This evening is simply divine!

Breakfast: a NS banana nut muffin, an apple, and chocolate mousse yogurt
Lunch: NS Creamy Broccoli Pasta with steamed broccoli, carrots, and cauliflower
Snack: jalapeno string cheese and an apple
Dinner: NS black bean soup with a dollop of greek yogurt mixed in, along with mixed veggies and a tossed salad topped with a drizzle of EVOO and a shake of salt and pepper
dessert: NS chocolate cake (mmmm!!!!)

I'm honestly loving this nutrisystem food so far. On it's own, some of it is pretty nasty. But doctored up, it's downright delicious, and is really teaching me portion control!

Weight: 196.5 lbs

Ham Loaf

Has anyone ever had ham loaf? It's salty... it's smushy.. it's simply wonderful. And I'm sure it's absolutely horrid diet-wise.

Yesterday I ventured out to my grandma's house to help her get her Christmas decorations up before leaves on a vacation until the end of the month. As payment, she made a wonderul, big, fattening family dinner.

And since I know my grandma, and her delicate feelings, I ate and enjoyed every morsel!!!

Here is what I ate yesterday. I know dinner was a bit of a fail, but it wasn't horrible and I'm fine with it.

Breakfast: NS pancakes (with a tiny bit of sugar free syrup), a fried egg, and an apple
lunch: NS cheesy mashed potatoes with a heaping side of steamed broccoli topped with melted laughing cow cheese
snack: string cheese and a handful of frozen grapes
dinner: ham loaf, baked potato, corn, brussels sprouts, a mini croissant
dessert: A pumpkin bar

I also put up my Christmas decorations at home with Husband last night. Don't hate. We are Christmas fanatics... we just can't stop ourselves!!!

Do you have a certain Christmas record/tape/CD that you consider THE Christmas CD? My husband was sad to say that because of my influence over the last 8 or so years, he now views "N'Sync Christmas" As his ultimate Christmas cheer music. Whoops.

Yet another fad?

I follow fad diets like a BELIEVER. I've tried paleo, Slimfast, Atkins, South Beach, the Cabbage Soup Diet...and I never stick with anything long enough to see real results.

Is this post about how I'm going to stop that and just follow the food pyramid, or eat whole foods, or something of that sort?

Nope... I've started Nutrisystem. I did it about 5 years ago and lost about 20 lbs, but it got old. The food was horrid.

I started three days ago at 201 lbs, and this morning I weighed in at 196! I'm not sure how much of it was water weight, but we shall see.

The diet is pricy. It was $233.00 for a months worth of food.. but you also add to that.

Breakfast:
-1 nutrisystem entree
-1 dairy or protein
-1 fruit

Lunch:
-1 nutrisystem entree
-1 dairy or protein
-2 vegetable servings

Snack:
-1 dairy or protein
-1 fruit

Dinner:
-1 nutrisystem entree
-1 fruit or vegetable
-2 vegetable servings (so a possibility of 3 altogether, if you wish)
-1 serving healthy fat

Dessert:
-1 nutrisystem dessert entree

So far I've been enjoying the food! Here a couple examples of the meals I've had:
Breakfast: nutrisystem granola, greek yogurt, and an apple. OR a chocolate muffin, a fried egg, and 1/2 a banana
snack: grapes and string cheese
lunch: nutrisystem tortilla soup with frozen veggies and 1/2 serving greek yogurt +half a serving of low fat cheese stirred in at the end
dinner: Nutrisystem mac & cheese (which I loved!) with a heaping side of sauteed bok choy and onions, and an apple
desserts: The BEST part. The mint cookie patty was amazing. The chocolate crunch bar was yummo.

I'm excited about this. I have a meal planner that has a check list - I just go down it for each meal to make sure I've fulfilled each requirement. No calorie counting, no counting points. They say to expect 1-2 lb loss a week. If that's right, then I should be 180 in time for my trip to Thailand. WHEEEEE!!!!

Worst Nightmare

This morning, I had the worst nightmare of my life. I dreamed that I showed up to my 6:00 am cardio kickboxing class, and the normal instructor was absent. In her place was a murderous woman who screamed and kicked and made me do lunges and squats until I died. And the worst part? I was the only one who showed up, and she still put on her headset and yelled into the mic at me for an hour straight.

Oh, wait. It wasn't a dream. That really happened this morning.

Argghhh I can't walk....

Getting Beach-ready!

I have been asked to be a bridemaid in a good friend's wedding in *gasp* Thailand!! I'm geeked beyond belief. The friends were our closest friends while in China, and are now traveling to the beach to get married in the sand and celebrate with BBQ and drinks with umbrellas in them. Heaven, no?
Besides the obvious upsides to this invitation (a trip to Koh Lanta and Ko Phi Phi, the beach where.. "The Beach" was filmed, and the fact that I am so honored and flattered to be asked) there is another perk. A goal!!
I have 3 months to get my body in beach-ready shape. This morning, I was 199. I hope to be 185 by the trip. Definitely doable!
This morning began with a trip to the gym at 6:00am for a 30 minute workout on the eliptical and then a 1/2 mile walk/run on the track (I'm going to try to work up to 2 miles). Now I'm off to the office for 9 hours, and then Zumba if I feel up to it.
I also have dishes to wash, pumpkins to carve, dinner to cook, and laundry to do. So we'll see what falls by the wayside. But you know what? I woke up and worked out, so it won't be exercise :)
Have a fantastic fall day, folks. The trees are turning and the wind smells like bonfires and wet leaves. Man, I love fall.

Shredder

That's what they call me. That's right; I bowled today. And I brought my A game. Score of 77, what what!!!
I suppose I just need more practice.
This week I've done zumba, spinning, and cardio kickboxing (and bowling, of course!). I feel... sore. But great.
When fall arrives in Michigan, people start to slow down. It starts to get dark sooner, so people don't go out as much. It gets cold, so people huddle inside. It's the season for crock pot meals, the beginnings of the carb-heavy eating that winter brings. Hubby and I retire to the couch and watch lots of Star Trek in the winter (his pick). We are also slowly working through Mad Men (love!).
I have two cats. Two wonderful, troublesome, lovely cats. Do you know what they do in the fall? They wake up. All summer long they lay around and nap. But when fall comes, they get downright spunky. They pounce on hangers. They nip at my toes in the morning to get me to feed them. They chase each other up and down the hallway for hours.
I've decided that this fall/winter, I'm gonna pretend to be a cat.

Cardio Kickboxing at 6:00 am? CHECK!

I have been gone so long that I'm afraid to slink back here... but I recieved an oh-so-sweet message asking me where I've gone, and it motivated me!!!
I'm here. I'm good. This morning? I'm GREAT! Life has been throwing a lot of curveballs at me, and I've been ducking and weaving a lot lately.
Scale this morning? 203. That SOUNDS amazing, like I've lost a little since my New Orleans trip... but really, a month ago, the scale said 196. And then I binged.
BUT, you have to suck it up when you fail and move on. And so I have. I'm watching what I eat; eating less meat, as I've figured out that it really irritates my IBS. I've been visiting the YMCA on a pretty regular basis. Zumba, kickboxing, spinning, what WHAT!
Also, I've switched jobs! I now work for a major hospital, doing ... ya know... office work. But it's an amazing place, I make more money, and I now work later; which means I can get my butt into the gym before work. This morning was the first time I did that, and I feel like superwoman.
Husband is in the planning stages of finishing his degree this year and then most likely enlisting in the army. Insane, huh? In a good way. And a scary way. It's been a long, involved process for us to decide that it's whats right for us right now, but we've decided to move forward. Now, he just has to secure an internship for school before he's willing to sign the military paperwork. *EEEKKK!!!!!*
I'll post more in the next few days, I just wanted to say that I'm alive and well!

Stay On Plan

I've been schooled.
For the past week, I've counted every "Point Plus" that I put in my mouth. I know... that's generally what you are SUPPOSED to do; but I hadn't been doing it until then. I haven't counted points in a couple months!!!

This week, I usually used up my daily points, and I also had some left from my flex points. I ate some serious crap. Coldstone ice cream, three pieces of pizza one night for dinner, McDonalds for dinner (TWICE)... along with other crap.

So what happened? I'm down another 1.2 lbs!!!!

It just goes to show me that Weight Watchers knows what it's talkin' about. I didn't even really exercise this week; but I think the thing that helped was that I had meals for breakfast and lunch all planned out and packed for work. Also... I had my oatmeal for LUNCH every day instead of breakfast. Perhaps this is a breakthough.

Every day, I ate fruit for breakfast. Nothin' else. That's a zero point meal!!! I got to the office and munched on at least two apples a day, along with oranges, strawberries, cherries, and grapes. Lunch every day was overnight oats.

I mixed 1 cup of plain yogurt with 1/2 cup of dried oatmeal, along with about half a cup of skim milk, a little vanilla, chopped up dried cherries, and walnuts. I let it soak overnight, then brought it to work; when lunch came along, I tossed in a packet of splenda for sweetness and ate it along with a generous portion of carrots and celery. This kept me FULL all afternoon at work; I usually get the munchies at about 2:00 pm, but it didn't happen!

Now I know that I need to buckle down. If I can lose over a pound eating the way I did, then I can lose MORE if I just cut it down to one or two "major indulgences" a week.

Also... I saw Studio 8 last night in the theater. It was GREAT!!! Kept me on the edge of my lil' seat.

Today, Husband is working at the zoo. This means that Amy gets to run errands, clean the apartment, and jam to some old school Bon Jovi all day. The fatter, more unhappy Amy would have seen this plan as a horrible thing. I'm actually looking forward to it. I can dance around and burn a little bit more off while I work!!!

Paleo = IBS Fail.

Nix the paleo diet off the list... it wreaked havoc on my system this past week. I think it's all of the meat that did it. And also, Amy Jo needs her oats. She dudn't feel whole without her oats. So, the plan is eat a produce heavy diet that fits within my Points Plus for Weight Watchers. I seem to do better when I'm eating less meat and more beans, lentils, yogurt, etc.

Today was 93 degrees. Michigan should not be 93 degrees in the beginning of June. I haven't any A/C.... so I spent my evening sitting in front of the fan, wondering if I should put a bowl of ice behind it to cool the air!

Eats for the day?

3 apples
an orange
a cucumber
2 carrots with hummus
oatmeal with dried cherries and walnuts
roasted broccoli
sauteed zucchini
a pork chop

Points-wise, I am low for the day; but I have really just been grazing all day and haven't felt hungry! I've decided that I'm not going to force myself to eat more if my points are low and I'm feeling satisfied. My body must be telling me something!

Weight Loss' Biggest Enemy? A CRUISE.

I won't go into detail here.

Okay, I will.

Tacos. Fried chicken. Midnight chocolate buffets. Pina coladas at 9:00 in the morning. Fish n' Chips. Beignets in New Orleans. Authentic Honduran beer. A 24 hour buffet with anything your heart could ever desire.

Did I eat a single salad on that cruise? No. Did I hit the world class gym even once? Nope.

So what DID I do?

I swam. I zip lined through the rainforest in Belize. I tubed through a cave system with one of those helmets with lights on them. I held onto the fins of a dolphin and rode it across a pool. I hiked up and down hills to get to the Mayan Chacchoben ruins. I did a little snuba (scuba/snorkeling). I walked through open air markets. I laughed my arse off every night at shows like the Newlyweds, or hilariously inappropriate stand up comedians. I got my long hair braided from root to tip. In New Orleans, I drank a Hurricane with 190 proof liquor in it... then proceeded to enter a strip club for the first time. Yes, those are definitely linked. Needless to say, Husband likes it when Amy drinks hurricanes. I happened across the coolest bar in the world; an open air bar with a band playing covers of U2, Journey, and Bon Jovi. I was tipsy enough that I was singing and dancing without a care in the world; but not too tipsy to forget a single moment of it. I met the most interesting people on our ship. I came clean with my husband about my love affair with Paul Bettany (okay... mayhaps it is one sided). I met a dirty man named Dan on Bourbon Street who proceeded to show us around and introduce us to the ghost that resides in Muriel's restaurant.

I gained 7 lbs. But you know what? The cruise director SAID people gain an average of a pound a day on a cruise. So I'm just average.... ;)

What's done is done. I honestly wouldn't change it for the world. I had a BLAST. I felt strong, and healthy, and pretty darn confident in my lil' cotton dresses. It helped that we were traveling around central America... my husband was quick to point out that hispanics like to admire my generous backside. Does feeling good about that make me a bad person? Because I'm sorry, but I haven't had men besides my husband admire me for my BODY in a very, very, very long time.

I have IBS. Crap. Thanks, doc. He put me on a new prescription that's been helping a lot. I'm also, however, fooling around with my diet to see what eating plan helps my IBS symptoms the most. Right now I'm playing around with a paleo diet. Here is what I bought at the store this week for my new eating plan:

chicken breast, bacon, pork cutlets, round steak, tilapia, eggs, asparagus, zucchini, cucumbers, carrots, broccoli, celery, artichokes, red peppers, cherries, strawberries, apples, oranges, yellow rasberries, watermelon, almonds, walnuts, olive oil, ghee.

My doctor said that he's seen people do well with opposite ends of the spectrum; some IBS sufferers find that vegan diets suit them best. Some find that low carb, high fat diets help. We'll see!!!

Aside from having to return to reality, life is good. SCHOOL IS OUT!!! That means that I am managing to work 40 hours a week, AND keep up with my housework! Amy is a happy girl when she wakes up in the morning to a clean apartment.

I think I'll post some pictures of our lil' vacay for you all to drool over. Yes, the Caribbean is glorious.

Goal Achieved.

I am typing in between laundry, packing, shopping, and cleaning. Why? Because tomorrow at 4:00 am we are going to the airport. That's right; our cruise is finally here! The semester is over. I don't have to return to the office until May 17.

And I weigh 204 lbs.

That is what I weighed when I traveled to Malaysia in 2009, during a break from teaching in China. I felt confident on that beach. I laid out in the sunshine. I snorkeled. I felt good. It's what I weighed when I returned from China in 2010. And although I originally set a goal of 180 lbs by tomorrow, I feel good about reaching 204 lbs. It's been an incredibly hard year. Between working 40-50 hours a week, taking four college courses, and trying to keep a marriage healthy, a household moving, and staying healthy, I've struggled. I've made do with an average of 4-5 hours of sleep a night. Over the last month, I've only lost a few pounds; but this Christmas, I was back up to 229 lbs. Today, I am 25 lbs lighter.

Do you hate the beach because you can't find a suit that makes you feel good about yourself? Check out Cyberswim.com. I spend a buttload of money on a Miracle Suit; and I feel like a frikkin' pin-up girl.

Here is the Rialto suit, in Eggplant.

http://www.cyberswim.com/productDetail.jsp?prdId=68460_2011&catId=catMissesSwimwear&removeAllFacet=true&addFacet=1004:catMissesSwimwear

It's stunning. And I'm stunning. And I am SOO excited to wear it!!

Things are good on the home front. I have no classes this summer; and I plan on getting in lots of exercise, lots of fresh produce, and lots of cooking. Hubby and I are doing great; so I plan on getting in lots of romance. I plan on sitting at the park across from our apartment and reading in the sunshine.

Well, I'm off; gotta get my eyebrows waxed and my split ends snipped!!

The Cats Are Playing Tricks!

My cats are scheming, I think.

Last night, I took a good, long, hot shower. Hubby was gone. I was singing away, eyes clothes, lathering the shampoo into my hair, and suddenly something LUNGED INTO ME. I screamed. I slipped. I did an awkward slow-motion slide/fall into the wall. Soap was in the eyes. Claws were in my flesh. My cat was frantically flying around the tub trying to find a way out around the shower curtain.

Never again will I forget to latch that bathroom door securely.

THEN, last night, I woke up and felt a lifeless body next to me. My two kitties ALWAYS sleep at my feet. And also, to set up the background story, my friend had just told me a story today about a friend of hers who lost her precious baby to SIDS. Now, I am not a mother, and to lose a child to SIDS has to be one of the most tragic things in the world; I mean no disrespect to those who have gone through that horrible situation. I am, however, just making it clear that that was already weighing heavily on my mind all day. I felt in the dark and my hands felt a lifeless little furry body, laying on it's back with it's legs limp and splayed. I rubbed her belly. I flapped her back legs around. I shook her and started squealing and yelling at her. Nothing. I was sure my lil' wildcat was gone. I flew over to the light switch, turned it on, and looked at the bed. She lazily lifted her head, looked at me, and then ran out the door. Cruel.

Anyway, my weekly update! I was wholeheartedly expecting a gain this week. I had ice cream. Yesterday, I had a huge apple dumpling. I ate fried potatoes.

The verdict? A 2.4 lb loss!! That puts me at 208.5. 4.5 more lbs, and I'll be back at my "returned from China" weight!

I should give myself credit, though. I ate Fiber One cereal everyday with fruit and almond milk. Lunches were salads or vegan brown rice/bean/cheese burritos and raw veggies. Dinners were mostly spaghetti squash, omelettes, baked chicken, lentil soup.... good stuff. I just snacked poorly.

Anywho, I have been running myself ragged all week. Finals in a couple weeks; I have tons of projects and papers to write. I'm going to NOT DO MORE TONIGHT. I'm ready to settle into a bubble bath with my laptop playing an episode of Army Wives.

One more month!

If I can just survive for one more month, the craziness of this schedule will be over; and I'll be on my way to the Caribbean!

One thing that I'd like to do once classes end is blog more. I don't have time to read all of the blogs I follow, and I have even less time to comment. It's no wonder I talk to my lonesome here all the time; I don't do my part! All relationships, including bloggie ones, go two ways. I'm excited to put some more time into things here, make new friends, learn from others, and find another source of strength.

I've changed my WW meetings to fridays during my lunch at work. Two other women in my office go, so I wanted to find some people to go through the journey with. I never updated on friday, but I'm another 2 lbs down! That's 12 lbs since I started. It's not what I'd originally hoped, but I've realized how happy I am moving at the pace I'm going. It isn't even that difficult. I weighed in at 210.8 this week. Hopefully, we'll get down another 2 lbs this week!

Food had been good. This week I switched up my breakfasts. Instead of oatmeal every day, I had Fiber One with blueberries and almond milk. It is seriously like dessert to me; I am realizing that breakfast just might be my favorite meal of the day!

I've also realized the amazingness of Costco. I loaded up this week on convenience foods to get me through the next month; laughing cow wedges, arnold's thins, organic frozen burritos (with brown rice!), hummus, lots of veggies, cereal, almond butter, yogurt.... it was amazing.

This week I ate a lot of produce. I nursed a huge pot of veggie soup all week, along with raw carrots, celery, broccoli, and green beans, baked chicken breast, burritos, cereal, pink lady apples, greek yogurt, spaghetti squash, lentils... deliciousness.

Anyway, I've gotta come up with a constitutional amendment and write 10 pages supporting it. Geesh.

It's Okay.

The verdict? Gained .2 lbs this week.

It's okay, though. I know what happened; some of which was beyond my control, some of which wasn't. For the most part, I ate very well. I ate a salad every day for either lunch or dinner.... I ate a good breakfast. Snacks were fruit or veggies. Dinners were well-rounded. BUT... I did cheat a few times, and with good reason.

Friday night, Husband and I went to Marie Catrib's, which is a vegan-friendly restaurant in Grand Rapids. We don't have many of those! I fell in love. I got a quinoa-sweet potato burger and Marie's special fried potatoes. Yes, they were as greasy and delicious as they sound. I also may not have come home with a $7 bag of homemade granola from the delicatessen.

Saturday was the annual in-law's St. Patricks Day dinner. Corned beef, cabbage, shepherds pie, irish soda bread, Guiness. I ate until I was satisfied, and I didn't overeat. But I didn't rabbit-eat, either.

Sunday was my mom's 50th. We went to dinner, where I ordered a 6 oz sizzler steak, sweet potato fries, and a salad. And a buttered roll. Then, we returned to my mom's where we had cake, ice cream, and drinks. I also did not eat a ton, but I did indulge. And that, my pretties, was one contributing factor. My weekend habits.

The other? I started my you-know-what time the day before I weighed in. I feel like I'm holding my weight in water around my middle. I may have even managed to lose this week, if not for that.

Anyhow, the week was good. I'm alright. Another week down; 5 more to go until school is OVER and the cruise is ON!!!

Spring is Coming

I can feel it! I smell it in the air. I've gone on a couple long walks this week and they were amazing.

True, this is Michigan. The "spring weather" I say I'm feeling means that it's mid 40's. But still; the snow is melting, and I can see the grass! I'm loving it.

You know what else I'm loving? This week's 4.8 lb weight loss!!! I am on cloud nine right now. I had such an easy week. I didn't feel deprived. I ate amazing food; but I made so many little tweaks that I'm not sure which ones made the difference! Here were some things I did different;

• I ate anything that wasn't finger food with chopsticks (who says you can't eat salad with 'em?). This seriously slowed my eating down. I even DIDN'T FINISH MEALS AT TIMES. That's huge for me. I always clean my plate, no matter how big it is or how full I am. This way, I realized sooner how full I was.
• I flip flopped meals several times. I had a wrap and raw veggies for breakfast, oatmeal and fruit for lunch. Sue me.
• I ate a salad almost every day.
• I ate greek yogurt as an afternoon snack every day, after never really eating yogurt daily before.
• I stopped eating after 6:30 pm, aside from my 1/2 square of chocolate I eat before bed (if I've been good!)

I could get used to this! 9.6 lbs gone since starting weight watchers... and several weeks I just didn't try at all. I think if I can keep with this, I can really get to a good place. I feel good. I have energy, my bodily functions are getting regular (I know... TMI... but it's true!), and I love the choices I'm making. I still have 6 lbs to go until I hit the weight I was at when I got home from China, and 18 lbs until I hit the low I was at IN China. It doesn't seem so impossible!!

A month and a half left of classes. I think I can; I think I can! Between working 45 hours a week, taking 4 classes, dieting, trying to fit in more exercise, and being a loving and attentive wife, I seem to be getting about 4 hours of sleep a night. I'm a drone. Here's an example of a typical week...

Monday:
5:00 am: wake up and do 30 Day Shred
5:30-6:25: shower and get ready, pack breakfast and lunch for the day, leave for work
7:00-4:00: work
4:30-7:00: weekly laundry, house cleaning, preparing meals for the week (cooking quinoa, roasting veggies, cutting raw veggies, baking chicken, etc)
7:00-9:00: online forum for class
9:00-12:00: homework

Tuesday: same up until after work....
4:45-9:50: class
10:15pm - 12:00am: arrive home, straighten up the place, do homework

Wednesday: same up until work... again...
4:30-5:10: Hubby and I are actually home at the same time. We chit chat for about half an hour
5:30-6:10: Weight Watchers meeting
6:30-8:30: online class
8:30-12:00: homework and housework

Thursday: Same as Tuesday, except class goes until 10:15 pm.

Friday: same morning and work schedule
4:30 pm - 5:30 pm: grocery shopping
6:00 -8:00pm: dinner in or out with hubby, maybe even a movie... if it fits!
8:00 - 12:00pm: homework, studying

Weekends are sporatic. I have a 5 hour class on saturday mornings... then there is meal prep, homework, homework, homework, housework, church, and perhaps even saying hello to long lost friends and family.

On top of it all, I only have 5 hours carved out of sleep at night... and hubby comes home from work at 3:00 am, so it gets cut in half. I'm a light sleeper and as soon as I hear him come in the apartment, I'm laying there until he's eaten, showered, and come to bed. Are any of you like that? Since I know that I'm going to be woken up again soon (when he climbs in bed) my mind won't let me fall asleep in the mean time.

I know what you are thinking... I need to find a way for more sleep. But there isn't any. I am not an overachiever this semester, either. The homework time I've allotted allows me just enough time to do all of my required reading and finish assignments. I don't have time for making flash cards, in depth studying, tutor labs, etc. I have a really hard course load. Cutting homework time would mean taking zeros on assignments. I COULD skip working out, but it's only an extra half an hour... and usually I need it to give me the energy to stay awake through the day. Housework time is actually "me" time, a little. I can quiet my brain and keep my hands busy. Hubby helps, but I'm anal and he can't clean to the caliber I can. It will stress me out and keep me awake at night if I know there are dirty dishes in the sink or an unswept floor. So... I just have to tough it out. Forgive me for the fact that blogging is not fit into my schedule!!!

I know my weight loss would be better if I had adequate sleep. I know I could focus more on tests if I was rested. I know that *in theory* it's okay for the house to slip a bit for a month and a half. But believe me, they just can't happen. I'm happy, I'm healthy... and I'm just plain EXHAUSTED!!!!

Slow and Steady?

Apparently, my body thinks that "slow and steady wins the race". 1.2 lbs lost this week. And I did awesome, so I'm proud of that number. I ate breakfast every single day. Oatmeal, of course; all sorts of different mixes! One day it was oats, a mashed bananer, new Silk Unsweetened Almond Milk (deeelish), and walnuts. Another day it was overnight oats; plain yogurt, oats, mashed bananer, and baking cocoa. Today it was oats, the ever-present bananer, almond butter, and blueberries. I LOOVE breakfast.

Lunches have also been spot on!! A few days this week I had wraps; hummus, bean sprouts, spinach, laughing cow cheese wedges, and julienned carrots with an apple and raw veggies on the side. A couple days were lean cuisines. Today was a spinach salad with bean sprouts, carrots, a leftover turkey burger from last night (crumbled over top) and a wee bit of pepperjack cheese.

Dinners? PHENOMENAL. Because this week is spring break. I have time to think. I have time to eat.

I have time to cooooook. Glorious.

One day it was turkey burgers and kale chips. Another, it was turkey curry with brown rice. Yet another? A stir-fry with bok choy and canadian bacon, with rice. Today was daring and delicious; spaghetti squash. I also browned some ground turkey, sauteed some onions, and added them to a jar of my newest Costco obsession; butternut squash pasta sauce. OMW (that's Word, not God. Yep, I roll like that). Fabulous. The squash was so filling that I packed up half of my bowl for lunch tomorrow.

Snacks? Carrots. Tangelos. At least two apples a day. Every afternoon at work, when I get my sweets cravings, I chop one up, toss it with cinnamon and splenda, and nuke it for a minute and a half. Heaven, I tell ya.

Yes, I'm hyped. The scale didn't reflect how hard I worked, but that's okay; because it's moving down. And I'm proud of myself. And more than that, I LOVED my eating this week. I enjoyed every morsel. I did NOT feel deprived.

As a side note, it appears that my kitty is on a new diet as well. I have two cats; a long haired angel, and a short haired demon. I was brushing Vila, the angel. I had a neat little pile of fur next to her. Mei Mei (aka Demon Kitty) ran up and swallowed the whole pile in one gulp and then walked away. We'll see how that turns out for her.

I'm still alive and kickin'!!

I'm around. I'm lurking when I have a spare moment. But mostly, I'm not around. I've been completely inundated with schoolwork. Would someone please remind me why I'm working 45 hours a week and taking 14 college credits?

Oh, yeah. it's because after 6 years of taking 1 class at a time, I'm just killing myself for a year.... and getting my associates degree in APRIL!!! Kinda sad that it's taken me 6 years to get a two year degree, but hey. It is what it is.

Anyway, I'm crazy busy. After work, class, homework, and housework, I average 4-5 hours of sleep a night. Yeah, get mad at me. But nothing is gonna change until the end of April. I'm reminded of a Bon Jovi song, "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead".... but, of course, that song is about having fun instead of sleeping. Accounting is not fun.

Amidst all of this, I'm feebly trying to lose. I've lost 2.8 lbs since my last post. So I'm moving... very slowly. It is what it is.

I took a 3 week break from Jillian. And the scale stopped movin' down. Last week, I hopped back on the bandwagon, and I started losing again. I'm eating right. Yesterday?

breakfast: overnight oats (oatmeal, plain yogurt, milk, a smooshed banana, and blueberries)
lunch: wrap (tomato flatout w/red pepper hummus, laughing cow cheese, spinach, and shredded carrots), a Dannon honey greek yogurt, and baby carrots
dinner: subway!
snacks: an apple, 2 clementines, and 1/2 square of chocolate with my sleepytime tea before sleepytime.

Alright... it's 6 in the morning, and I've just finished my workout and I need to get showered and to work in half an hour. Bye, mi chicas.

Splooosh!!!

Hard day today.

A wonderful, sweet older woman that I work with was let go. She was like a grandmother. I shared an office with her, and she encouraged me every day. She kept me on track with my diet. She counseled me in love and marriage. She shared her faith and her love with me; and she was cheated. I don't want to go into details... but needless to say, I had a hard day. After they pulled her out for a meeting, and then returned with a box and boxed up her things for her, I wept a little but mostly held myself together. I soon got up and went to the bathroom to dab my eyes and put my head in my hands for a couple minutes. Once my eyes had dried and my breathing had calmed down, I stood up to exit the stall and heard a splash. My ID badge and security card had fallen in the toilet.

I instantly let out a sob and the river flowed.

Talk about bottling things up....

Well, Darn It.

Weigh in this week? Gained .4 lbs.

How'd that happen? Long story. I ate well. REALLY well... with the exception of last saturday, when I ate my weight in hummus on my anniversary. But I also haven't done my 30 Day Shred, because we have contractors building a new bathroom in our apartment and they've taken over every room in the stinking place with their tools, tiles, bags, etc. No place to move :(

So I was dissapointed. But again, I'm movin' forward! Hubby said that he thinks I'm putting on mad muscle or something, because I'm looking visibly leaner in the tummy area. Booh yah!

Anywho... I have to get to the office. This week has been exhausting. 14 credits of classes, and I'm on 6 hours of overtime at work. Cheers to this workweek being OVER!!!