Who Knew Shopping Could Be FUN?!

I think, for the first time ever, I had the MOST fun shopping for clothes today! I went dress shopping for a friend's wedding in a few weeks and had a blast! My boys were with me and they were even tolerable. Gave me their opinions and told me how good I looked....that helps :-) I don't think I have ever felt so pretty trying on clothes. I was proud to walk out of the fitting room to model for my guys. Even the fitting room attendant was complimenting me!

When we walked into the store I went straight to the misses dresses (no more women's section!) and started looking at 12's and 14's. I plucked out 3 dresses that I liked and tried them on. I absolutely LOVE the dress I picked out. It is colorful and a little sassy. No sleeves (which I never would have done before) and hits just below the knee. With a pair of heels and some fun jewelry, it will be perfect! I will post a photo after the wedding. I can't wait to get dressed up and pretty...it has been a while! I can totally get used to this :-D

8 Month Bandiversary

And I weighed in today at 205. That is 70 lbs gone in 8 months. Makes for a happy Michelle!! I am just a hop, skip and a jump away from onederland and I can't wait!! I need to keep focused on what I am doing and I will definitely be down 100 lbs by my 1 year. My goal weight is 105 down from where I started (170) so once I get below 199, I will see how achievable that is going to be.

I have been having some tummy issues and so my husband hasn't gotten much love from me the past few days. This morning I was getting ready for work and he came to hug me. He wrapped his arms all the way around me and had my sides in his hands (even after his arms were crisscrossed behind my back). I don't recall him ever being able to do that, so that was huge for me this morning....and it felt good to be held by him like that for so long :-)

I Exercised!!

I know I shouldn't be so excited to post something about that since it should be a daily occurrence, but it isn't. Honestly? I have not worked out regularly in over 3 months. I will walk on my mom's treadmill once or twice a week but that is about it....and after looking in the mirror this morning I see that the serious need for gym time is HERE!! I am hanging. Like, literally. My boobs hang, my tummy hangs and now my ass is even starting to hang. I'm not hangin' tough here. I feel frumpy and not so pretty naked.

So lay it on me....what are your favorite exercises and what helped you when you started to see that you were starting to swing low?? I need suggestions, stat!!! Need to create a workout regimen this weekend.

State of the Union

I had no intention on watching this tonight because of my personal opinions on the state of our country, however, when our friends Dan & Harmonie Meyer received a phone call from Shelley Berkley's office inviting him to be her guest at the SOTU, I said I will DEFINITELY be watching to see if I can catch a glimpse of him in the audience!! This is SUCH a big deal!!

I have blogged about Dan before. He is the author of DanielMeyerBlog.com and a dear friend of my husband and I. He is fighting the battle of his life now that he is out of the Air Force. Dan was medically discharged after only 6 years of service. He was exposed to the toxic burn pits overseas in Iraq & Afghanistan and is now wheelchair bound and on oxygen 24/7. He is creating a non-profit organization for disabled vets and wants to do as much good as he can. He and his wife are amazing and so very strong. I am so happy for them to have this opportunity to go to Washington D.C. and speak to our leaders about his cause. He is going to make some incredible connections and I know they will be able to move forward with their amazing cause!! Today he was featured in the Las Vegas Review Journal AND on the front page of his hometown paper the Toledo Blade.

Please take a few minutes to read Dan's blog and share him on yours as well. It would be greatly appreciated by all, and you never know the difference you could make for someone else.

I Love The Internets :-)

I am still not a Pintrest freak...simply because I have not yet spent much time on it. Why? Because I am scared to! Everyone I know is addicted to it! However, I spend HOURS every week on Chef Tess Bakeress's blog because she is a freaking genius!! Seriously, she has the best ideas for recipes, food storage, meal plans, you name it! Check her out. There are some recipes that aren't very band friendly, but you can tweak them like I do or just make them for others. I LOVE her 52 Method. Meals made ready for a year. What else could make life easier??

Tonight's Dinner

I have a girlfriend who posted a recipe she was making last week and I HAD to try it out just based on the picture. Holy Moly. It was one of the most incredible chicken dishes I have ever had!! The recipe link is here and if you like bacon, chicken and bbq sauce, you must make it!! Super easy prep and cooking was in the crockpot. I didn't cook mine for 8 hrs like this said because I started it at 1:00. Put it on for 2 hours on high and then cooked it for 4 hrs on low. Served it with some fresh corn and it was such a wonderful meal! I think I am most excited that I have half still for lunch tomorrow. It was flavorful and super moist tonight, so lets hope it stays that way for tomorrow! I will be devastated if I can't finish eating it tomorrow.

Today's Theme? Food.

That seemed to be all I was thinking about this morning...actually this weekend. Hubby and I went grocery shopping this weekend and it was not a pretty site. We dropped $145 at Sam's Club yesterday and $115 at the store this morning. A lot of the things we bought are going to actually be for NASCAR. We do a Tailgating Extravaganza when we have NASCAR weekend here in Vegas. Since this will likely be our last race here, we are doing it good again. It actually works out with timing because Super Bowl food sales are perfect for what I stock up for in our group (soda, chips, brats, etc). Basically everything that I can't consume now. It will be interesting this year, that's for sure. I usually gain 5 lbs over NASCAR weekend so this year it will be nice not to. Food won't be the focus for me as it usually is. I can't wait to do my comparison photo for that weekend. I looked back at our photos from last year and, of course, was slightly disgusted. Here is one of the pictures from last year.
I'm smiling, as usual. Was I happy? Of course I was! But to look back I just cringe that I did that to myself.

Anyway, I am excited to prep for this year. We always have a blast over this weekend!! I am usually ready for our tailgating weekend a month in advance. I'm not a planner or anything.

This morning we were at the store and I wanted to eat everything in sight...not that I can, but I wanted to. Something crazy came over me when we were going through the frozen food aisle. When we passed the pies I grabbed a coconut cream pie and a cheesecake. Then when we came to the ice cream, I saw the Girl Scout cookie flavors and grabbed a Samoa flavored 1/2 gallon, a Touchdown Sundae 1/2 gallon (vanilla ice cream with fudge swirls and caramel filled footballs), and then the hubby grabbed triple chocolate peanut butter something or other. My comment to him was that I must be PMSing because I wanted all of these sweets! Came home and low and behold, my monthly visitor made its arrival. Now I have all of these crazy, amazing desserts in my house and I am scared to go in the kitchen. Dummy.

Health Insurance Nightmare

I have been spoiled for the past 4 1/2 yrs with having my health care paid for 100%. My husband has been spoiled for 16 yrs (the amount of time he was in the Air Force). Now reality sets in with him becoming a civilian. Our TriCare coverage runs out in March so we will have to pay for health insurance again. I NEVER abused our coverage as some people do...only went to the doctor if we were very ill or if our son decided to break something. I did have my surgery covered because of the medical issues that went along with my obesity. I didn't go every time we had the sniffles. I think that is because before I met my husband I had to pay for health coverage and all the joys that go along with it (deductibles, co-pays, etc) so I never abused it. So to those military friends that we have, better be grateful for what you are given!! We are going to be paying over $500/month for family health insurance when our TriCare coverage ends. Holy shit. Top that off with a $3000 deductible and all of the other co-pays and crap. I want to vomit.

With me being the only one working in my house, I better get selling more lotions, potions and toys to cover that! Who wants to have a party? ;-)

Damn Greek Food

I love it so. I mean, I could probably live on the stuff. So the fact that there is an amazing Greek food place across the street from my office doesn't help matters. I did okay with my eating over the weekend, but yesterday was kind of a junk food fest meshed with chili for dinner and then cherry cobbler for dessert. What a good bandster I am. :-/

Today I was craving hummus. My PIC and I walked across the street and to the Greek food place. I should have only brought enough money for the hummus, but I didn't, so I proceeded to order half of the menu. Okay, not quite, but I got a gyro as well. It was so good that I ate half of it. OVER half!! Ugh. I was so full but kept stuffing my freaking face because it tasted so good. Then I ate 2 pieces (well, 1 whole piece) of pita with hummus and it happened. STUCK!! Painfully stuck at that. My PIC is used to seeing my "stuck face" but others haven't really had the pleasure. It is funny to see them react to my face and now 2 others know "the look."

Tomorrow I have an appt at my surgeon's office and am really mad that I ate the way I did because I wanted a spectacular number on the scale. Now I will have to settle for mediocre. Dummy.

Note to Self, Knives Are Sharp

I fileted my thumb last night when making dinner. I was cutting lettuce for our Navajo tacos and sliced the crap out of my thumb in the process! I need lessons from my chef friends. Hubby and I spent a few hours in the ER but fortunately I didn't need stitches because of how I cut it...it went more sideways than down. They fixed me up with some DermaBond and gave me a tetanus shot. Strange thing is that I don't have a sore arm this morning. The nurse told me that they are different now and that most people say they don't have the soreness. Works for me!!

The morning after:

SO Excited

I posted before about my love of the Isopure Smoothie I was introduced to at my surgeon's office. Well, downstairs from my office is a nutrition/health supplement store. I saw the Isopure name on some powder and went in. Sure as shit they sell my smoothies...and for less than I get them at my surgeon's office! I ordered a case of them to be all stocked up and am super excited to get them. Now all I have to do is walk downstairs to get my fix :-)

Happy Freaky Friday the 13th!!

In honor of Friday the 13th, I walked under a mirror, let a ladder cross my path and broke a black cat.

It was a beautiful morning on the scale!!! 208.5!!!! Holy crap! That is 4 lbs in a week....and 11 lbs since the beginning of the year. I am only 38 lbs from my 1st goal weight!!! I am so close to being under 200 I can literally taste it, and it is so so sweet. Working the band baby.

I tossed another pair of my size 18's into the "too big" pile last night. It is funny that some are enormous while others still kind of fit. I am pretty much wearing my 16's full time now and that is an ego booster for me. I know I need to get some good use out of them since I bought so many, but I can't help but wish I was closer to getting into some 14's. I won't even torture myself with trying on any 14's until after I get below 200, but I remember that was the size I wore back when my husband and I met.

With cleaning out my closet once a month, I am thinking of putting some clothing options on here for people who may be looking for in-between sizes but can't afford to go shopping. If you would be interested in something like that, please let me know. I will keep you posted.

I have a friend who is getting married next month so I decided to go ahead and splurge on getting a new dress for that event. Good thing Ross is less than a mile from my house and they have great deals on dresses :-)

Hope you have a fantastic Friday!

Oh Happy Day

I can't wait to do my official WI tomorrow. Why? Because I have been a crazy scale stalker for the past week and know what I weighed this morning. I wanted to jump for joy but I may have broken the scale. I did actual exercise on Tuesday. While indulging in the horrible Teen Mom 2, I walked on my mom's treadmill and also did a good ab workout on her Ab Circle contraption. I felt pretty good that a workout on her treadmill, which used to leave me wanting to quit halfway through because of the changes in incline and speed, was somewhat easy for me and I was strong the entire time! Yay for getting into better shape!!

Looking Back

I have a long distance friend who is getting Lap Band today so I wanted to give a big shout out to her!! Good luck!! You're going to rock it!

With her getting surgery today, and she and I emailing each other last night, I was reflecting on how I felt the night before LB Day (Lap Band Day) and decided to look back at what I looked like the night before my surgery. I posted the pictures my mom took of me on the side of my blog. Holy shit. I need those to be there as a constant reminder of where I was and where I now am. Now, I will sit and bash my body day after day, but I have lost 65 lbs. I was heavier than I have EVER been when I finally made the decision to have surgery. 275 lbs is no laughing matter. Was I happy? Yes, but I was killing myself with food. I looked at the pictures and compared them to Saturday's pictures. I told my husband that I know he really does love me. When he asked where that came from, I responded that I can't believe he loved me when I was so heavy and obviously didn't love myself. I weigh less now than I did when we got married, but am 20 lbs away from what I weighed when we first met. How did I gain 85 lbs in 5 years? I can't even blame it on baby weight! I can make excuse after excuse, but no more. I am done with the excuses. Focus on the future baby.

Holy Hummus

I love hummus. One of my co-workers brought me and my PIC some hummus back from a Greek restaurant and it was To. Die. For. Holy monkey. I had to share a photo of its amazingness. This was today's lunch:


But the real reason I posted was to talk about portions. No, I did not eat all of this. I had 2 pita slices with about 3 tsp of the hummus and I was full. I mean FULL. This is a strange occurrence for me. I am filling up with practically nothing now. It is AMAZING!!! Yesterday at breakfast (at 8:30) I had 1 slice of bacon, 1/4 of a biscuit with gravy and 1/2 of the egg from my eggs benedict. Full. I couldn't eat again until 3:00. I don't know if this is because of being sick or if I am finally listening to my body and not pushing it, but I am loving every minute of it. However, yesterday at breakfast I wanted so badly to be able to finish eating everything because it was so good. I was sad/upset because I was full. My head wanted more but my body said "I don't think so." Me thinks I have some work to do on my "dependence" of food. Time to start looking at it as fuel as opposed to how good something is. Only question is, how long will that take?

Happy Monday!!

I am feeling today a little more confident about possibly meeting my 199 goal by the end of the month. Last Monday I weighed in after the holidays and saw 219, which was met with a string of expletives. I was excited by my weight of 212 on Saturday, but was elated today when I stepped on the scale and saw 211. That is even with 2 days of eating real food. WOW! Can I lose 12 lbs in 22 days? If I get off my ass, stay focused and do what I am supposed to, I think I will come really close. Yay for motivation!!

32 Weeks Post-Op (With Pictures)

My 32 week bandiversary was actually yesterday, but since I have been sick I didn't do the pictures until this morning. I got on the scale and was very excited to see 212.6! I was 219 on Monday when we got home from our trip to AZ so I am glad that I got rid of the excess water weight that always happens when we travel. I decided to switch my monthly photo clothes to skin tight for the next 5 months to help inspire me to zero in on my goal weight by May. See, that's me, putting it all out there for you!! This month's photo is on the top, last month is below.

Sick + Not Eating = Weight Loss

I got on the scale this morning and the 4 lbs I gained over the holidays are gone. Typical water retention for me. I am feeling slightly human again. Slept all day yesterday and a good part of today (after I attempted to work this morning). I have had NO appetite the past 2 days which is very rare for me. I drink my water and take my liquid cold meds. That's it. But I have been drinking well over 100 oz of water all week, so that is good. I did make myself eat a tiny bowl of chili last night just to have some sort of nutrition on board. Today, same thing. No appetite. I ordered pizza for the boys at 7:30 tonight and attempted to eat. I got 2 boneless wings in and then I was done. No complaints however. I don't mind feeling the no hunger aspect, but the no breathing part of being sick is irritating the crap out of me. Literally. One piece of advice for you when you have basically been consuming nothing but water for the past 36 hrs....never trust a fart. And I will leave tonight's blog entry at that. Goodnight!!

Frick...I'm Sick

I hate being sick...HATE IT!!! I haven't been sick in over a year. I woke up feeling fine and by this afternoon I knew I was in trouble. I can't breathe through my nose, my head is pounding, the sinus pain is killer, I can't hear squat and I have turned into a mouth breather. It's a good thing my husband and son have pretty much recovered from their illness since it was passed onto me. Sharing is nice, but not when it is germs. Now I get to stress out about possibly missing work and feeling like shit. Ugh!! Pardon me while I am a b*tch for the next few days. Bring on the Vicks, Nyquil liquid and soft tissues for my now raw nose. Whaaaaa. Goodnight and see you on the healthy side.

What Was I Thinking?

I drink an average of 100 oz of water a day or I blow up like a balloon. Well, yesterday at work I only drank 33 oz so I brought two of my big bottles home. Suffice it to say that drinking 66 oz of water in 3 hrs RIGHT BEFORE going to bed was stupid. I was up peeing every 2 hrs! My gosh, I might as well have been pregnant. So today I am getting an early start on my water so I don't make the same mistake tonight.

Tonight is a night I stay at my mom's and I brought my exercise clothes. She doesn't have a Wii and I still haven't broken out my Zumba at home yet (husband has taken to the couch for his sick bed and heaven forbid a sick man do anything but lay on the couch) so I will be walking on the treadmill and will be working on her Ab Glider. That thing ROCKS! I really need to be doing abs because I am getting some hanging happening there. Not pretty...and I can't wear jeans without the muffin top happening, so I need to get that area tightened up. It's not terribly bad but bad enough that I am uncomfortable with it showing through my cute new clothes. Example, my outfit that I wore yesterday. I felt really cute and took a photo but then I started critiquing it and finding fault everywhere. I thought my belly bulged and felt a little like a lard. However, I was excited to be wearing a white sweater which is something I would NEVER have considered doing a year ago. A white sweater on a 275 lb body where most of the weight was carried in my upper body. Umm no. I would have looked and felt 3 times bigger than I was. I was the girl who always wore black or dark tops to camouflage my excess weight. But, here is my cute outfit from yesterday...can't wait for the sweater to hang on me! (I don't usually do the self photo in the bathroom mirror, but no one was around to take my picture) :-)

2012, A Year of Firsts

Today I took the first steps to trying new things in the new year. These are things I have never done before and will be good for my health and my family. Ready to see my exciting purchases??

ZUMBA BABY!!!

I am really looking forward to starting this fun activity. The guy at the store asked me today if I wanted Zumba 1 or Zumba 2 and my response was, I want the one that is on sale. Hopefully I didn't need to know 1 before jumping into 2. Guess I will find out! I figure that I can get started on doing Zumba without having to worry about overcrowded classes at the gym and learn some of the steps so I don't look like a complete boob when I do attend my first class. I hope it is as much fun as everyone says it is! I will just have to kick the husband and son out of the family room while I do it, at least until I look cute doing it. I told my hubby that he should do it with me and that suggestion was met with the "are you effing kidding me?" look.

Pressure Canner & Cooker!!

Most of those who know me know that I am very much into food storage. It's not just for Mormons ;-) We started doing food storage about 2 1/2 yrs ago when I was doing my business solely and we had to watch our spending while I did my parties and played domestic goddess. Now that I have gotten the band, I want to be more proactive in what we have to eat when times get tough. A lot of food storage consists of potatoes, pasta, rice and beans (which is very difficult if not impossible for me to eat) so I need to ensure that I can actually consume what we have without getting stuck every 20 seconds. I cannot WAIT to try canning for the first time. Oh the possibilities. My MIL usually has to do our canning for us but now I will be able to do it myself. We can meats (lots of chicken and now fish) and I am really excited to be able to can fresh veggies. I am signing up for Bountiful.Baskets Co-op for produce, veggies and other goodies that they offer each week. Not only will we be helping out local farmers, but I will be able to have healthy options available for us that I can eat. There are so many things to learn to make now....salsa & jam are going to be fun! While I used to make fun of those who had food storage in their homes, I am very grateful that we had ours when my husband was discharged from the AF back in Sept. He didn't receive his final paycheck for 5 weeks so we relied upon that when there wasn't extra money to be spent on food. I'm not one to lecture, but it is something to consider doing for yourself, just in case! With him still being out of work, we still use it every now and then. We have gotten creative with meal planning, that's for sure!

If you are familiar with canning, please share your favorite recipes and websites that you use for your own items! I can use all the help I can get. Before I know it I will be Zumbaing in my kitchen while canning. Ha! That will be a sight to see!

Weigh In #1 for 2012

All I can say about that is ewwww. I haven't weighed myself all of December because I didn't want to face reality. I knew I was making poor choices and even though it isn't as bad as what it has been in years past, it is still a gain. I weighed myself this morning and am up to 219...that is 4 lbs in a month. I am sure a lot of it is water retention because I didn't drink as much as I should have over the weekend when in AZ, but still. Damnit! Today starts with refocusing. If I want to be under 200 by the end of this month I have a LOT of work to do. 20 lbs in a month is double what I had been doing, so maybe we will say 199 by Valentine's Day. I did meet my goal of fitting into size 16 jeans by Christmas, but I am disappointed that my poor eating led to a significant gain when I am supposed to be losing at thie crucial part of my journey. So this morning I have my protein shake and will have a few more through the day. Here is my breakfast.

I got these from my surgeon's office and am completely obsessed with them. There are 3 flavors that I have tried and the Orange Peach is my favorite, but Berry Pomegranate and Orange Berry are good too. So yummy and no nasty aftertaste, so if you can find them, I would highly recommend them.

I put a pork loin in the crock pot for pulled pork sandwiches for dinner (although mine will be simply the pulled pork) and I am thinking I might brave taking the lunatic puppy out for a walk. My husband and son are both sick so I am trying to stay away from them as much as possible to avoid getting it myself. I know, Wife and Mom of the Year. But hey, what good am I to them if I get sick?!

I did our menu for the week and we will be sticking to it. We fell back into eating out more even though money is tight...that doesn't help the weight loss process. I am also going to be freezing meals again that are pre-weighed so I don't have my portion issues that I have been having. 4 oz, no more!! Eating more than that has gotten me into this predicament and it needs to stop. I am full, but the food tastes so good that I don't want to stop eating it. Sound familiar? Story of a LOT of our lives. No more...2012 is the year for me to hit my goal weight and if I plan for that to happen by my 1 year bandiversary, I have to keep myself in check.

Happy New Year!!! Welcome 2012!!

I pray you all had a fun and safe time ringing in the new year. I did so in bed :-) We were visiting family in AZ and were so pooped by 10:00 p.m. that I headed to bed. My husband came right along with me because unfortunately he got sick during the visit. I snored my way into 2012. Woot!

2011 was a great year but man did it go fast!! I don't know if it is because I was so busy, or because so many things happened, but it seems like it was only 6 months long. I am not one for making resolutions because, to be completely honest, I wouldn't keep them! However, I did a LOT of reflecting on the past year and I see why it went by so fast. I was very busy with work and my business, we were waiting for 9 months for the inevitable to happen with regards to my husband being discharged from the Air Force, we had many people we love who lost loved ones and lost 2 grandparents ourselves, I had my surgery, my son started high school, and probably the biggest thing was our decision to leave Las Vegas and move to the mountains of Arizona and all of the planning that goes along with that.

I am looking very much for what 2012 brings us. A new career for my husband, a new home for our family, a new community to move to, a new school for our son, a new group a friends to be made, a new opportunity to expand my business in a new area and new adventures for all of us!!
I will say that I am making a concerted effort with my husband to get to the gym at least 3 times a week. I also want to try something new at least once a month (like Zumba, Body Pump, swimming classes, etc) because I get bored with workouts. That may be challenging with, #1 staying at my mom's house 2 nights a week, #2 the fact that we like to go to the gym super early, and #3 the gym will be PACKED with all those folks who have losing weight on their resolution list, so it will suck getting there in the evenings when classes take place for at least 2 months. I am considering buying a Zumba DVD that I can just do at home, so if you have one that you recommend, please let me know!

I will also try to post on a more regular basis on my blog. It was terribly difficult with the holidays and everything that you have to do during that time. But now we are done with all of that and we can focus on the future!