Day 85-100

It's been a long time since I have blogged. Much has happened in the last few weeks. I am sad to report that on May 21st Grandpa passed away. It still seems very unreal to me. We were not here to see him go. We were at the beach in Pensacola, FL when Dad called to tell us the news. I think maybe that's the way Grandpa wanted it. He knew it would be too hard on Mom if she was there when he died. I am happy that his pain and discomfort are now over and that he is now with Grandma but he is dearly missed here. The house is not the same without him. It is very quiet. :( I am very grateful for the time we had with him and extra grateful for the time that he got to spend with Emelia. I know she brought him much joy. We promised him we would not let her forget him and I intend to make good on that promise. I know he is looking down on her from heaven. :)

Let's see, what else is there. With all the stress around here lately I haven't really gotten a lot of exercise in. We got a Wii and Just Dance 2 and I have been doing some dancing here and there. Last Thursday was the first day I had been on the treadmill in a long time. I jogged then and Friday as well. On Saturday I did my first 5K with my sister-in-law Kerry. I finished 3rd to last and she finished 2nd to last. :( Oh well, I can't beat myself up too bad. At least we started and finished the race. It took us 53 minutes to complete. We plan on doing another one in a few months and trying to beat our previous time. I need to start training harder and sooner. I know I can do better next time. I took Sunday and Monday off and I got back on the treadmill today. I walked for 65 minutes, went 4.6 miles and burned 730 calories. I also did Just Dance 2 tonight and earned over 3000 "Sweat Points". Today is the official kick-off to my next goal of losing 20 more pounds before Emelia's 2nd birthday. That's 11 weeks from now. I think I can do it, if not get pretty darned close.

I haven't been eating all that great the past few weeks either. :( I've been trying to eat lo-carb when I can but when we were on vacation pretty much all bets were off. I haven't lost any more weight but I have thankfully kept off the 20 pounds I have lost thus far. With this new kick-off I am going to get back to blogging every day and keeping track of what I have been eating. Here is what I ate today:

BREAKFAST:
-strawberries
-blueberries
-lo-carb vanilla yogurt
-homemade granola

LUNCH:
-s.f. pink lemonade
-lo-carb tortilla w/salami, Swiss, mayo & mustard
-2 Totino's pizza rolls

DINNER:
-1 pork chop
-baked sweet potato w/margarine & cinnamon Splenda
-corn

Day 83 & 84

I still don't really feel much like blogging. Grandpa is still with us, but just barely. We are praying that God will take him home soon. Hopefully it wont be much longer. :(

Still haven't been back on the treadmill yet. I went for a walk today with Emelia. We went our old route that is about 2 miles. At least it was something. We also bought a Wii yesterday and I got a Biggest Loser game and Just Dance 2. That will give me a couple more options for working out. I've been trying to eat as best as I can given the circumstances. In the past I probably would have just gone on an eating binge to make me feel better but I've tried to stick with my diet now. I've had maybe a few more carbs than I'd like but I just am not feeling it right now. Hopefully when everything is all said and done I can get back on track. I told Grandpa that I had lost 20 pounds and that I would keep going for him. I know he is proud of me. :)

Here's what I've been eating the past couple of days:

SATURDAY:

BREAKFAST:
-apple slices w/peanut butter

LUNCH:
-leftover spaghetti squash with meat sauce
-s.f. pink lemonade

DINNER:
-gyro meat
-Greek salad (lettuce, feta & dressing)
-hummus
-pita
-vanilla frozen yogurt w/strawberries, blueberries, blackberries & raspberries

SUNDAY:

BREAKFAST:
-strawberries w/Splenda
-lo-carb strawberry yogurt
-homemade granola (oatmeal, almonds, sunflower seeds, flax seeds, pepitas & s.f. maple syrup)

LUNCH:
-4 slices salami
-cheese stick
-tomato slices w/basil, olive oil & balsamic vinegar
-Coke Zero

DINNER:
-grilled chicken thigh w/BBQ sauce
-baked sweet potato w/margarine & cinnamon Splenda
-corn
-vanilla & blackberry frozen yogurt w/strawberries, blueberries, blackberries & raspberries

Day 81 & 82

I don't really have too much to say. It's been a rough couple of days. Grandpa told me yesterday that he is ready to go. :( He has stopped eating and taking his medication. He's barely even drinking water anymore. We though we were going to lose him last night. He said he wanted to see the Chaplin at 1:30 am because he didn't think he'd make it until morning. God bless the Chaplin...he came out at 2:30 am. Grandpa looked more at peace once he left. Grandpa made it through the night. Unfortunately today he's having a lot of nausea and can barely keep even his Morphine down. I don't think it will be much longer now. I doubt he will last the weekend. :(

Not that it really matters right now, but I thought I'd mention that I have hit the 20 pound weight loss mark. Don't really feel like celebrating though. :(

Here's what I ate the last 2 days:

THURSDAY:

BREAKFAST:
-apple slices w/peanut butter

DINNER:
-spaghetti squash w/meat sauce
-s.f. pink lemonade

FRIDAY:

BREAKFAST:
-apple slices w/peanut butter
-Coke Zero

SNACK:
-tomato slices w/salt & pepper
-1 cheese stick

DINNER:
-s.f. pink lemonade
-ribs w/homemade BBQ sauce
-corn-on-the-cob

Day 80

Is it bad that I can't really remember what I did today? Hmm, I got dog food and had to pick up a prescription. I also got some groceries. That's about all I remember doing. Doesn't seem like much, so why am I so tired? I didn't even get to do my workout again today. Yikes! I gotta get back on it tomorrow. I think I'll wake up early and try to get it done before Emelia wakes up. Hopefully I can get my shower in before then too. Grandpa's nurse comes out tomorrow and so does Emelia's physical therapist. Then we have the kids for dinner. I think it will be another tiring day. Better be off to bed soon then!

Here's what I ate today:

BREAKFAST:
-strawberries w/Splenda
-lo-carb strawberry yogurt

LUNCH:
-s.f. raspberry lemonade
-lo-carb tortilla w/ham, Swiss, mayo & mustard
-jicama

DINNER:
-diet Sprite
-salad w/lettuce, cheese, grape tomatoes, croutons, crispy chicken & ranch dressing
-Chicago hot dog (hot dog, mustard, relish, onions, tomato, pickle & hot peppers), no bun (OK, I ate 1/4 of the bun)

Day 79

What's that expression, it never rains, it only pours? Well, it was one of those days. We finally met Grandpa's hospice nurse today. She had to come out and draw some more blood today to check his Coumadin levels. She got us the approval to increase his Morphine as well. It seems to have helped. He slept most of the day and didn't eat much besides some Ensure. That, in itself, is stressful, just worrying about him and his health. While I was making myself lunch, Emelia decided to make the day more stressful. She has just started climbing up on dining room chairs and today she managed to get up on one and proceeded to do a swan dive right of the edge and landed face first on the ceramic tile. There was very minimal bleeding but both Mom and I noticed right away that her upper lip looked like it was stuck between her front teeth. She also had a huge goose-egg forming on her forehead. I rushed her to the pediatric ER. Luckily they weren't busy and they saw her right away. The pediatrician didn't seem to think she bumped her head hard enough to cause any damage. As for her lip, he wasn't willing to take on her case and told us to take her to a pediatric dentist. So home I went to find a pediatric dentist in the phone book. I called as soon as I got home and they told me to come right in. So off we went again. The dentist didn't seem to think her lip was stuck between her teeth. He just thought her frenulum was swollen from the trauma of hitting the floor. They took an x-ray and her left front tooth does look crooked. He had no baseline to compare it to, but his best guess was that the tooth probably moved and the resulting position and the swelling made it look different from before. We're just supposed to keep and eye on it and give him a call in a couple of days. There wasn't really anything he could do at this point. I just hope it doesn't effect the growth of her permanent teeth later on down the road.

Needless to say, with all the hubbub of the day, I didn't get a chance to do my workout today. :/ I want to move the treadmill out of Grandpa's den because I don't want to bother him any more now that he's sleeping in his recliner almost all day long. I know he says it doesn't bother him but it kind of makes me feel a little uncomfortable. If he was doing better I might have gotten on the treadmill tonight. Oh well, I'll just have to shoot for tomorrow.

Here's what I had to eat today:

BREAKFAST:
-strawberries
-lo-carb strawberry yogurt

LUNCH/SNACK:
-2 1/2 cheese sticks
-2 flatbread crackers

DINNER:
-harvest chicken salad (lettuce, cheese, chicken salad, dried cranberries & ranch)
-cup of chili
-s.f. lemonade

Day 78

What a hectic day! I am so tired right now. Dealing with the hospice nurse visiting, oxygen delivery, giving Grandpa his medication, taking care of Emelia, welcoming Uncle Jeff from out of town, watering plants, making dinner, working out, blah blah blah. I guess it doesn't really seem like I did all that much today but it just seemed hectic to me. Worrying about Grandpa is probably just wearing me out a little. Not saying I don't want to help take care of him though. I'm happy to help him any way I can. We booked a long weekend in Pensacola, Florida when my Mom is here and let me tell you, I am looking so forward to that! It will be nice to get away and relax for a couple of days. I think it will do Mom a lot of god too. Just hope Grandpa does well while we are gone.

I got back on the treadmill today. I changed it up a little. I started at a 5% incline and every 10 minutes I went up another level. I managed to burn about 750 calories but I can't remember how many carbs. I went just over 4 miles. Not too bad. I'll try to push harder tomorrow though.

Here's what I ate today:

BREAKFAST:
-apple slices w/peanut butter

LUNCH:
-Oops, I was so busy I forgot to eat!

DINNER:
-2 turkey mushroom burgers w/horseradish cheddar, mayo, Dijon, tomatoes, pickles & red onion
-jicama sticks
-s.f. lemonade

Day 77: Happy Mother's Day!

I had a lovely Mother's Day today. :) I went out for brunch with my mother-in-law and sister-in-law. When we got to the brunch place they said it would be 1 hour and 45 minutes to 2 hours wait! Normally that would just send me right back out the door but we made it work. We bellied up to the bar and Mom and Kerry ordered mimosas and I had a diet Coke and then we went outside and sat in the van with the A/C on until our beeper buzzed. It was good because we got to spend some girly time together just chatting about things. Something we almost never get the time to do. Our "brunch" turned out to be more like a late lunch by the time it was all said and done but that was alright because it ended up being pretty tasty. Afterwards we took Mom shopping for some new clothes and we were her fashion consultants. She got a few nice new pieces that are very versatile. I think it did her good to get out of the house. Grandpa's declining health is weighing very heavy on her. We decided that we need to have a "girls day" at least every 2 months. I think it will do us all good. :)

We finally got home a little before 5 pm. I spent some time with Corey and Emelia. That was probably my favorite thing I did all day. Just lounging on the bed cuddling with my Peanut and getting sweet little toddler kisses. Nothing gets better than that. :) After all, she's the reason that I am a Mommy today.

Corey took me out to dinner tonight for Greek food. It was very tasty. We had a good "grown-up" conversation too that I think we needed. We also went to Walmart and I got some pumpkin seeds. I'm excited to grow my own jack-o-lantern for Halloween! We ended the day with some ice cream from Sonic. All together it was a really good day and I am very thankful that I get to be a Mommy to such an incredible little girl. Thank you God for my sweet baby girl, Emelia Grace. I love her!



No workout today (Cheat Day). Here's what I ate:

BRUNCH:
-part of a strawberry, yogurt and granola parfait
-crab cake eggs Benedict (2 poached eggs over crab cakes w/hollandaise)
-hash browns
-diet Coke

DINNER:
-Greek salad w/gyro meat (lettuce, tomato, feta & dressing)
-3/4 of a pita
-regular size Oreo Sonic Blast

(Dammit, I know it was "Cheat Day" but why are those carbs I ate making me feel so guilty?)

P.S. I'VE MADE IT 11 WEEKS NOW!!! :)

Day 76

Have I mentioned how much fun I am having with gardening lately? I think I may have but I felt it was worth mentioning again. It's mostly vegetables that I am growing right now because it seems more rewarding to have an end product that you can do something with after all your hard work. I cannot wait until I get to taste my first tomato! I've got 1 Roma tomato already starting to turn red. I'm not really sure how long they take to ripen. I need to find a good book about growing your own vegetables. More specifically I want one especially for my Zone, which is 8. I found out today that it's not too late to plant pumpkin seeds. I'm excited to try my hand at that. How fun would it be to say that I grew the pumpkin that I carved at Halloween! Or maybe I'll grow some smaller ones and make pumpkin pie with them for Thanksgiving! I can't describe how rewarding this is to me! I only wish I had more space to grow more things. Well, I should say, I wish I had my own home to grow my own things. One day, one day....

Ok, back to reality. I did my workout today and pushed a little harder to try and make up for yesterday. I only burned an extra 22 calories for my effort though. :/ I went just over 4 miles, burned 822 calories and 101 grams of carbs. I had dinner at my brother-in-law & sister-in-law's house tonight and we were going to do Just Dance 2 after dinner but it never happened. Oh well, I worked out hard enough for one day! I think in observance of Mother's Day tomorrow I am going to take the day off. I'm going to brunch with my mother-in-law and sister-in-law and I think I just might have to cheat a little bit. The place we're going to has lots of different eggs Benedict on their menu and after all, what's a Benedict without an English muffin? Can't wait...should be tasty!

Here's what I had today:

BREAKFAST:
-apple slices w/peanut butter

LUNCH:
-s.f. lemonade
-lo-carb wrap w/ham, Swiss cheese, mayo & Dijon mustard

DINNER:
-smoked pork
-carrots w/mandarin oranges
-tomato stuffed w/spinach
-grilled onion
-small amount of mushroom rice
-1/2 cheesy biscuit
-1/4 slice pound cake w/small scoop vanilla ice cream & strawberries

Day 75: Are you ready for it?

As the title reads, are you ready for it??? And by "it" I mean the results of today's weigh-in. I lost another 2 pounds!!! That brings me up to a grand total of 18pounds! YAY!!! I am so excited. :) I definitely think I will be able to lose 2 more pounds before my Mom gets here on the 19th so that we can go for spa pedis together! :) I can't wait for a pedicure...my toes are looking so dull in my new flip-flops without any nail polish. Speaking of new flip-flops, I MUST mention how much I LOVE my new Crocs flips. They made a flip-flop just as comfy as their regular shoes, only not so umm, fugly. I knew when I finally got my first pair of Crocs in December that I should have jumped on that bandwagon a long time ago. My feet have missed out on so much comfort. It took me that long to give in and to admit that their comfort far outweighed their less than stylish look. But I am pleased to announce that the flip-flops are cute AND comfortable. Oh ya, and my foot that's been hurting...it doesn't hurt in my new flip-flops! Who knew? I wonder how much longer I could keep going on about these shoes....???

On another note, I did my workout today but I had to cut it a little short. I have been trying to Skype with my Mom the last 3 days and have had to cancel 2 times. By the time I got around to my workout today it was cutting it real close to our agreed-upon meeting time. I only managed to get in about 35 minutes today but I pushed it and walked at a 10% incline almost the entire time. I only burned 507 calories and only went about 2.3 miles but it's better than I used to do. And at least I did something today, right? I don't know why I'm so hard on myself sometimes. It's like I'm beating myself up for not completing a whole hour. I have to keep reminding myself how far I've come in just 11 weeks and that 35 minutes at a 10% incline is WAY better than sitting on the couch or napping like I used to do. I guess my Mom is right; when I've committed myself to something I want to achieve, there is nothing that will stop me until I get what I want. I guess I've always seen things like that (such as not completing a full workout) as set backs that just put me a step behind getting to my goal. Somethings never change. The only thing that has changed is my motivation to get thin. :)

Here's what I ate today:

BREAKFAST:
-apple slices w/peanut butter

LUNCH:
-leftover basa w/refried beans, cabbage, pico de gallo, cilantro-lime mayo & salsa verde

DINNER:
-chef's salad w/iceberg, tomatoes, cucumber, ham, turkey, Swiss cheese, olives, chickpeas, a few croutons & ranch dressing
-4 deviled eggs

Day 74

Grandpa was evaluated for hospice care today. I was really worried about what they were going to say. Mainly about how much longer they thought he had. I am feeling a lot more positive about the whole thing now. They aren't just here to administer medication and bathe him etc when needed. It sounds like they are really going to do whatever it takes and whatever he wants to make him more comfortable so that he can spend his time, however long that is, doing whatever he wants to do. I'm really happy about that. I want him to be able to enjoy himself and not be in pain. I think they will be able to help him manage his pain and hopefully it will improve his outlook as well. The nurse said that he is still in good enough health and that however long he has left on this Earth is going to be up to God and him from here on out. I am happy that he has been given this gift and hope that he can make the most of it.

I got my workout in today as usual. I needed to get it done a little quicker today so I kicked up the incline to 10% for part of the time. I was able to complete my workout in about 56 minutes, burning 800 calories and 100 grams of carbs. I didn't go quite as far but at least I made the goals that really count. Tomorrow is weigh day and I can't wait to see how much I've lost since I've started stepping it up more. Wish me luck! :)

Here's what I ate today:

BREAKFAST:
-apple slices w/peanut butter

LUNCH:
-s.f. lemonade
-leftover pulled pork
-pickle slices

DINNER:
-s.f. lemonade
-2 fish tacos (lo-carb tortillas, basa, cilantro-lime mayo, pico de gallo, salsa verde & shredded cabbage)
-refried beans w/shredded cheese & salsa verde

Day 73

Not a lot to report again today. The day didn't start for me until about noon. Emelia wasn't feeling well last night (she had a fever) and didn't get to sleep until after 11 pm. Consequently she slept in until almost noon. After I gave her breakfast, ate my own, putzed on the computer, washed dishes, watered the garden, etc, it was almost 3 pm. I still needed to go out and get my Mom a Mother's Day card and go to the post office to mail it. By the time we got back it was after 4 pm. I put Emelia down for her nap and finally got on the treadmill at about 4:30 pm. I did my normal workout. As usual I burned 800 calories and 100 grams of carbs. My foot hurts so much now. :( I wish I knew what was wrong with it. I had the same pain in my other foot and had an x-ray done last year. There wasn't anything that they could find on the x-ray and my doctor said I could go to a podiatrist if I wanted to. The pain finally went away on that foot but now it's back in the other foot. Maybe I should go to a podiatrist. I hate having to go to new doctors all the time. It makes me feel like there's something wrong with me. :( We'll see...I'll have to think about it.

Anywhoo, here's what I ate today:

BREAKFAST:
-apple slices w/peanut butter
-s.f. lemonade

DINNER:
-pulled pork w/BBQ sauce
-coleslaw
-pickles

Day 72

Not a good day today. Grandpa is not doing very well. He needed a lot more pain medication than normal, he has lost his voice and now he's really not eating well. It hurts me so much to see him in pain. Mom is going to call for hospice care tomorrow. I hope they can help relieve some of his pain. I'm not sure how much longer he will have now. I hope he goes peacefully and doesn't suffer. That is all anyone can hope for at this point I think. :(

I woke up and did my workout early this morning. I really wanted to go back to bed but I'm proud of myself for getting up and going. :) I went 4.2 miles, burned 802 calories and 100 grams of carbs. I can't wait until Friday to see my progress now that I've been doing these killer workouts.

My diet is still doing well. Here is what I had today:

BREAKFAST:
-apple slices w/peanut butter

BREAKFAST:
-lo-carb tortilla w/turkey, horseradish cheddar, tomato & mayo

DINNER:
-3 fried eggs w/ketchup
-bacon
-tomato slices

Day 71

Another boring day here. I can't even think of anything of any interest that I did today. Yawn! I did my workout as usual. I went 4.2 miles in about 62 minutes. I burned 800 calories and 100 grams of carbs. That's about it. The highlight of my day. I think this will be the shortest post I have ever done because I really have nothing more to say other than that.

Oh ya, and here's what I ate:

BREAKFAST:
-apple slices w/peanut butter

LUNCH:
-s.f. lemonade
-lo-carb wrap w/salami, cheddar cheese & mustard

DINNER:
-3 hot dogs topped w/slaw (cabbage, red onions, ketchup, mustard, relish, oil & vinegar)
-pickled beets

Day 70: 10 weeks!

Woohoo! I've made it a whole 10 weeks now. Hard to believe, it has gone by so quickly. Another 10 weeks will go by just as quickly I'm sure and hopefully I will have lost over 30 pounds by then. I should be able to fit into some of my cute short sleeved shirts sometime this summer. :) I am so proud of myself to have made it this far. I don't think I have ever stuck to a diet this long. I don't think I will have any problem reaching my goal of losing 50 pounds. All it takes is patience, perseverance, and a little perspiration. The 3 P's of success! :)

I did my usual workout today. Went 4.2 miles, burned 800 calories & 100 grams of carbs. It's so rewarding knowing that I can do a workout like that and burn off so much and it really doesn't take an incredible amount of effort. Just one hour set aside each day and a little bit of a push and I've done it. One step closer on this journey to a new me. :)

Here's what I ate today:

BREAKFAST:
-apple slices w/peanut butter

SNACK:
-Coke Zero
-baked brie w/apricot jam & jalapenos on 6 small slices of baguette
-3 sugar snap peas

DINNER
-a few tortilla chips
-chile relleno w/steak
-small amount of refried beans
-small amount of rice