Tuesday, July 25, 2006

a post from myspace

So I've neglected most any type of keeping in touch for a little while and thought perhaps I should just give the rundown of what's been going on the last couple of months around here....
 Once Upon a Family- kept me incredibly busy through mid-July as I was trying for a major goal...I am now an Honorary Founder and also on the Advisory Council.  That means my opinion will matter and make a difference in the company.  Pretty cool to me anyhow.  Next week I will be attending their big 'family reunion' in Chicago.  I'm really looking forward to this as it will be great informational seminars and workshops.  Also, the keynote speakers will be Linda and Richard Eyre, who are amazing.  Then, to top it all off, I get to have a spa day for making founder. 
Traveling has kept me pretty crazy busy as well.  We went to San Diego as a family at the beginning of June and that was a blast!  Then we had a weekend in Beaver, UT for DH's family reunion...the next weekend was camping in Parowan, UT for my family reunion.  Thankfully, the kids were good and we all had a pretty good time.  Now, this weekend I am going back to San Diego with my sister and our best friends to see Wicked.  It'll be a quick, one-night trip but I'm sure it'll be tons of fun.
Between the work (not to mention DH being busy with a/c--thank goodness he quit the 2nd job- valet) and the traveling we've had plenty at home to keep us busy as well...My Grandpa (my mom's dad) passed away shortly before Mother's Day.  The following week I found out I was pregnant.  It kept me wiped out for quite a while...thankfully I feel much better these days (I'm now 14weeks along).  In the 3 weeks after that my best friend had a baby as did my sister-in-law.  Then June found my Grandpa (my mom's stepdad) in the hospital with heart troubles.   I was with my aunt on July 14th when we took him off of the ventilator and said goodbye.  I've had enough of hospitals and funerals.  His funeral was a week ago and it was our 5th one this year.  I had an uncle staying with me for the past week and have been busy trying to help clear out my grandpa's house and take care of business.  There's not much left to my mom's family anymore. 
As I mentioned, I'm 14 weeks along.  I have an appointment with a perinatologist this week because apparently there may be something wrong with the baby.  Something to do with my hypothyroidism.  We'll see.  At least I get an in-depth ultrasound and that may be cool.  I'm happy to be feeling better but I'm having a hard time with all this gaining weight back business.  I know it's for good reason but it's pretty hard mentally to gain back weight and grow back out of clothes that you worked so hard for.  It's especially hard that I can see it so much in my face already...a place I was pretty happy to have it gone from.  I asked the dr how much I should gain and he said 35-40lbs.  My jaw dropped.  That's almost all the weight I just lost!!!  I'm just going to eat the best I can and exercise and then go from there.  All the stress we've been under hasn't helped much so I'm really making an effort to elminate some things and slow things down.  I just feel like I've been treading water the last little while and will never be caught up on things.  Now I've decided that's okay.  I'm just living life day to day.

Thursday, May 4, 2006

off my chest

It frustrates me sometimes how certain people suddenly seem to treat me differently now that they think I look so 'hot' (their own words).  This is especially frustrating when they are family and you want to say "I'm the same person I was 45 pounds ago and I deserved this respect then!".  (and then you wonder what else they're thinking since you still have 20 pounds left to lose) But that's another rant and I'm keeping this one short....

Wednesday, March 29, 2006

ns board post

I posted this on the Nutrisystem board today and wanted to share it here so that I would remember it....
Hey everyone...I just wanted to share how excited I am that my goal is in sight for me.  I've been here since Oct. 11th and have now lost 45 lbs!  My goal is just 20 (well 20.4) pounds away.  I'm just pretty excited because literally every day I have someone commenting to me and that's always kind of fun.  If you haven't taken your measurements then I encourage you to do so NOW!!! It just makes this journey so much more FUN.  I only measure my bust-waist-hips each week but I do have measurements from everything from before.  Check out my then and nows (just cuz it's kinda fun!):

BMI: 34.97...27.96!
BF % (according to my scale anyway): 42%...36.5%
arms: L=13.63 R=14.44  now BOTH are 12 (minus 4.07 total for the arms!)
thighs: L=26.25  R=26.13  now BOTH are 22! (minus 8.38 total for the thighs!!!)
calves: L=16.13 R=16.75  now both 14.5 (minus 3.88 for the calves)
chest: 45...38 (minus 7 inches!)
waist: 39...32.15 (minus 6.85 inches!)
hips: 48....39.5 (minus 8.5 inches!)
butt: 47.38....40  (minus 7.38 inches!)

for a grand total of:  45.71 inches!!! Wow! that's just over an inch per pound.  See how cool?  Go take your measurements now!  I've gotten rid of almost 20% of me just in weight.
Have a great day!

=)
Heather
205.4/160.4/140 

Tuesday, March 7, 2006

mental health is important too.

Excerpted from Crazybusy by Edward M. Hallowell, M.D. and quoted in Real Simple magazine:

"The best reason to take your time is that this time is the only time you'll ever have.  You must take it, or it will be taken from you.  It is telling that the phrase "taking your time" is synonymous with slowing down.  If we want to live life fully, we do best to slow down.  I don't suggest that we turn back the clock, trying to retrieve a bygone era when life was slower.  We couldn't even if we wanted to.  But I don't believe we should want to.  We should revel in our electronically supercharged, unbounded world.  But, to make the most out of this new world, to avoid feeling overbooked, overstretched, and about to snap, to make modern life become better than life has ever been, a person must learn how to do what matters most first.  Otherwise, you will bulldoze over life's best moments.  You won't notice the little charms that adorn each day, nor will you ever transform the mundane into the extraordinary."

Thursday, March 2, 2006

interesting.

From this month's Real Simple magazine- figure that everything is in quotes: (I REALLY recommend reading the full article)
1. Thin people favor bulky foods (i.e. high water content, lots of fiber, low in cals but satiating)
2. Thin people watch portion sizes ("to keep an eye on what they eat without being obsessive, many focus on filling their plates with mostly fruits, vegetables, and lean protein")
3. Thin people can put themselves first  <--- rang home to me!!
"For five years, Anne Fletcher, a registered dietitian and the author of Thin for Life, worked in an obesity clinic. 'So often the women I saw were people who refused to take time for themselves,' she recalls, 'Their whole lives were spent giving giving, giving--which women tend to do anyway, but it was really to a faulty.  Sometimes you need to put yourself first.'  Thin women prioritize eating right, exercising regularly, and reducing stress-- all of which are conducive to staying slim.  Fletcher confesses to missing the occasional Little League game to work out but contends that such behavior shouldn't induce guilt.  Rather, it's about taking care of yourself. 'When people take the reins, they realize that the solution to weight control is inside them, they realize that the solution to weight control is inside them, not in some magic potion or fad diet that their mother or sister is on."
4. Thin people have thin parents (genetics and good examples)
5. Thin people don't skip meals
6. Thin people limit their options
7. Thin people live in Colorado (this state has the highest percentage of people at a normal weight)
8. Thin people don't sit still
9. Thin people weigh themselves (not obsessively but at least a couple times a week)
10. Thin people don't skip breakfast
11. Thin people enjoy their food ("'Naturally thin people enjoy their food every bit as much as overweight people do..In fact, many enjoy it more, because they eat without self-reproach.'  Feelings of guilt, or believing that everyone is watching what you're eating (and thinking you shouldn't be having that hot-fudge sundae) interfere with enjoyment. 'Thin people are selective gourmets...Our bodies have a budget, like our checkbook.  We should 'spend' on what we eat selectively, not compulsively'"
12. Thin people practice early intervention
13. Thin people do what works:   "The biggest difference between the permanently thin and everyone else might very well be this: Those who don't  gain (or regain) have come up with effective, specific, and often personal ways to keep their weight in check...'Thin people get out of the mind-set of being 'good' or 'bad', it's about doing what works'...when good habits are integrated into your life, something shifts.  There's no need to count calories, agonize over an order of fries, track miles walked, or (worst of all) talk endlessly about what you're eating and not eating.  For the thin, feeling strong, healthy, and yes, slim are powerful rewards--and their chief motivation to continue...'More than 90 percent of those who have mastered weight maintenance feel like they're not dieting.  It becomes a way of life."

Wednesday, March 1, 2006

update.

I have officially FINALLY lost 40+ pounds!! YAY. Apparently this is the magic number because so many people are suddenly saying things to me. My sister-in-law (who lives just down the street) said that she really didn't recognize me at church on Sunday. She thought it was someone else sitting with DH. And a lot of friends and family have asked me for more information, wanting to maybe sign up for Nutrisystem. One of my best friends just started doing it with her own food. And NS just started selling some of their lunch bars and desserts at Albertsons and I'm SOO excited!!!

The last few months have been difficult as far as weight loss goes. Times have been stressful and I haven't been vigilant in keeping track of everything and being 100%. Also, I got into the size I expected to be at my goal so a part of me felt like I was where I wanted to be and so I acted like I was on maintenance. But I guess the good news is that I did actually maintain. But now I'm back on top of things and I will be at goal by the beginning of summer- check out my ticker on my page.

Why have things been stressful? Well, I had 2 funerals in the last month. The first was my mother-in-law's mother. That was in Arizona. It was sad because I knew the two of them were close and her dad died when she was 12. I've already lost one parent...I can't imagine losing the second. The second was my best friend's dad. That was just a couple weeks ago. It's been a lot harder than I expected. It's been an eye opening experience too as I've realized how much I would turn to food when upset before. But it's also great too because I have seen how far I've come and food is no longer an emotional thing. I can find other outlets.