Shopping - Ugh

Note to self: do not ever, ever again go bathing suit shopping when TOM is visiting. It will make you feel like you have gained back every pound that you have lost, and then some.

Ugh.

I finally found one that did not make me completely nauseated, but it was not easy.

I was also looking for a dress for my upcoming cruise and Chicago. Epic fail. Why is everything sleeveless? I tried Ross, Marshall's, Kohl's, Steinmart, Target, and a few others. I almost bought a dress that was just meh - but I decided it was frumpy (see pic).



On top of it, I walked out of Steinmart and my car wouldn't start. Dead battery. Scott had to come rescue me.

Sorry to sound all negative. Just needed to vent. And if anyone wants to send me some good vibes for dress shopping, I'm going to try again next weekend.

Work Break Room

First of all, thank you for all of the suggestions on what to do at lunchtime.

Bec made the awesome suggestion of going to a library. Duh, why didn't I think of that?! There is a library less than 2 miles from my office and I can bring something to eat in the car then go in and read magazines or listen to audiobooks and knit - that would be a great way to spend my break. I wouldn't have to spend money on coffee like I would if I went to hang out at the place that rhymes with Barschmucks and I wouldn't be tempted by the treats at the place that rhymes with Funkin' Gonuts.

I'm going to look in to joining the gym near the office.

And so you can see the break room and what I am dealing with...this is a video I took tonight. The guys I work with are being dorky (and so am I) but they are awesome. They make my job bearable. Today was Mike's last day, so there was cake, as usual. (I may have had some. And I may feel like crap because of it. Ahem.) So yeah, you can see that this is part break room and part someone's office. The rumor is that we're moving to a new facility in a few months, and then we will have a real break room. I hope.

Bloodwork

I got my bloodwork results from the doctor today. Everything is normal! :-)

Blood glucose: 78
Cholesterol: 190
Vitamin D: On the low side of normal, but still normal.

I am very pleased, and so is my doctor.

My Biggest Struggle

My biggest struggle in my weight loss journey has been weekday lunches. I eat out almost every day. Here are my reasons excuses...

We don't have a real break room at work. We have a room in which there is a microwave, a toaster oven, and a refrigerator. However, it is also someone's office. Also, there are often people meeting at the table in there. Not a good place to eat, read, or relax, which is what I like to do at lunch.

We have a mandatory lunch break, in that my day is 8 hours plus an hour for lunch. If you're good at math, you'd know that is a 9 hour day. Plus a 45 minute commute - each way. If I could just come in for 8 hours and eat at my desk, I'd be thrilled. But no, the shifts are 9 hours. Period. I asked if I could do an 8-hour day and skip the lunch break, and I was told no.

If I eat at my desk, people try to talk to me. I don't want to talk to people during my break. I don't want to get asked work questions. I don't want to chat about work related things. I don't want to be asked to jump in the phone queue because it's busy and there are customers waiting.

In the winter, it's great because I can open the windows in my car and eat in there, then go for a walk. In the summer in south Florida? Forget it. Ick. Then I have to sit in my own funk all afternoon. For the same reason, I can't go eat in a park.

I live 45 minutes from the office. It is flat-out impossible for me to go home on my break. I wish that was a possibility. I would relax or watch TV or work out.

Sometimes I run errands or shop on my lunch break. But then I spend too much money just "browsing".

I usually choose healthy things for lunch. (Sometimes I don't. Today I had bean enchiladas at Tijuana Flats...had a coupon and went out with my friend John.) My usual places are Panera (soup and salad for around 350 calories - I skip the bread...most days), Subway (I can't eat the bread there anymore so I get a salad with tuna or turkey on it), Muscle Maker Grill (grilled chicken nuggets and a side salad), Moe's (burrito bowl...no tortilla, rice, or chips). Healthy choices or not, eating out nearly every day is a bad habit to be in. I need to somehow get back to my old habit of leftovers, Lean Cuisines, and stuff like that.

That's easy in the winter. Not so easy in the summer. I'm trapped in the air conditioning.

The only thing I have come up with is to join a gym near my office. My gym contract is up for renewal in September and I am thinking about joining the large chain gym that has locations near work AND home so I could go to either.

If anyone has any suggestions, I'd love to hear them.

Triple Take

Yesterday I went to the primary care doctor for my yearly physical. She did a triple take as she walked in the room and said that for a moment she wasn't quite sure who I was. That was very cool. :-)

Blood pressure was picture perfect (116/68, I think she said, but my blood pressure has always been good - I'm lucky about that) and everything else looks fine. She was VERY impressed with the results of my sleep study and that my apnea is completely resolved. I haven't gotten my bloodwork results, but I'm interested to see if my vitamin D improved. I also showed her my floppy loose skin so we can start the documentation and referral process for plastic surgery. I'm not at all hopeful that insurance will cover anything, but it doesn't hurt to try.

Mini Chicken Parm Lunch

I made something kind of fun, tasty, and bandster-friendly for lunch today. I heated up 4 baked, whole grain breaded chicken nuggets - I used these:
I topped each one with a teaspoon of tomato sauce and a sprinkle of reduced fat Italian blend cheese. Popped it under the broiler for a few seconds until the cheese got bubbly.

Quite tasty for a super-quick, protein packed lunch!

BOOBS Take Second City by Storm

Attention BOOBS who want to go to the Second City comedy show - I have the following people on my list as wanting to attend - please let me know if I am missing anyone. And if you want to join us, it is definitely not too late. The more the merrier!

Stephanie M.
Stephanie J.
Maria
Ronnie
Jen S.
Lynda
Julie
Brandi
Amanda
Stacey
Beth Ann
Erica
Karin
Pamela
Jessica
Deb

The show that we will be seeing is called "South Side of Heaven" and tickets are $27. There is no drink minimum. If you want to read about the show, you can find the info here:

http://www.secondcity.com/performances/detail/541/

I emailed the Second City group sales person and asked, "How will we make reservations and pay? Can everyone pay in advance separately or will I need to collect the money and pay altogether?" She answered:

"Unfortunately, I am unable to accept separate payments for group orders. You will have to go through the Box Office. The first person that orders tickets will receive a group number. Each additional guest simply needs to mention that same group number when ordering (via telephone only) and they will be added to your group party. We will not hold tickets until they are paid for in full. Let me clarify- we will hold tickets for the first person who calls- once the next person calls, we will hold their tickets and so on. The only foreseeable problem is if you have procrastinators in your party that wait until the last minute to order- we do tend to sell out quickly."

So... I will place the first order and get the group number in the next few days, and then I will email everyone who is on the list with that group number so you can buy your tickets. Please don't procrastinate so that we can all get tickets! If anyone has any objections to this plan or you would prefer to pay me and have me buy your ticket directly, please let me know so we can make arrangements for that in the next few days.

Can't wait!

Flappages

I need to start saving my pennies for plastic surgery. I think I look pretty decent. Normal even. As long as I keep my arms down.


Except for...



The scary, scary flappages. Also known as the batwings.

I don't care so much about the floppy stomach or the thighs, but the arms really bug me.

New Food Finds - July 2011

I haven't done one of these lately, so I wanted to share with you what has been on my plate lately.

Jennie-O Hot Italian Turkey Sausage

This is my new go-to food that I have been eating several times a week. It's perfectly portioned - each 4 ounce sausage contains 160 calories, no carbs, and 17 grams of protein. They're spicy and savory and really tasty. To prepare them, I parboil them for 5 minutes, then throw them on the grill for a few minutes per side until cooked through. It does have a casing, which I remove after cooking.

These are delicious eaten as-is, or sliced and tossed with grilled onions and peppers, or chopped and tossed with spaghetti squash, tomato sauce and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.

Al Fresco Apple Maple Chicken Sausage

I've been on a real sausage-y kick lately because this is my breakfast food find. Most breakfast sausages contain nitrates and preservatives and all kinds of other crap, including MSG, to which I am allergic. The ingredients are all real food:

INGREDIENTS: SKINLESS CHICKEN MEAT,PURE MAPLE SYRUP,EVAPORATED CANE JUICE,DRIED APPLES(UNSULFURED),CONTAINS 2% OR LESS: SALT,LEMON JUICE,SPICES.

These, my friends, are unbelievably delicious. They make a couple of other varieties (wild blueberry and country sausage) but these are my favorite. They are sweet and meaty and very satisfying. I will have 2 as my whole breakfast, or 1 with an egg or a whole wheat waffle. They are skinless and have no casing, so they're easy to eat.

Each link has 60 calories, 4 grams of carbs, and 6 grams of protein.

Kettle Cuisine Chili

Kettle Cuisine is a new brand I just discovered. I had the Angus Steak chili for dinner one night when I wasn't feeling too well and didn't want a big dinner and let me tell you - it was fantastic. Great flavor, excellent texture, and a perfect bandster-sized meal portion. It wasn't spicy - I did need to add hot sauce - but it was extremely flavorful and I can definitely see this making a frequent appearance in my shopping cart. I also bought the Three Bean Chili variety but haven't had a chance to try it yet. I looooove soup but am not a fan of canned soup (too salty and too many chemicals) so this was a great find for me to keep on hand for extra tight days. (I found this stuff at Whole Foods, by the way.)

The 10 ounce portion contains 250 calories, 21 grams of carbs (but 8 of those are fiber), and 22 grams of protein.

Bon appetit!

Recipe: Pumpkin Pie Protein Shake

(I need to remember this...a protein shake, even a really delicious protein shake, does not keep me satisfied for breakfast. I should only drink protein shakes as a snack after a hard workout. It's been two hours since breakfast, I am hungry, and lunchtime is 4 hours away. Ah well...it tasted really good.)

1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder
3/4 cup skim milk
1/4 cup canned pureed pumpkin
1 packet Splenda
Generous sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice
Handful of ice cubes

Toss everything in the blender and blend until well combined.

Delicious.

An Inspiration: Sheryl a.k.a. Bitchcakes

Sheryl, also known as Bitchcakes, was featured as the Weight Watchers Success Story. I've known Sheryl for awhile - we were both members of a sort-of book club for an author that we both love - and I had the pleasure of getting to know her.

Sheryl's blog has been an inspiration to so many people, including me. I love reading about her fitness adventures. She went from being out of shape and completely inactive to riding hundreds of miles on her adorable, pink Hello Kitty bicycle (in heels!) and training for the NYC marathon.

My favorite piece of advice from Sheryl is:

Nothing is "hard". Everything is just "new" if you haven't done it before. Give it a try!

When I thought about trying Zumba, those words were in my head.

When I considered going to Body Pump for the first time, those words were in my head.

When I first had the idea to maybe, possibly think about doing the Disney Princess half marathon this coming spring, I thought about this and then asked Sheryl what kind of compression running tights I should try to keep my floppy extra skin in check when I run.

I really love that Sheryl isn't perfect. I have read many blogs where the writer doesn't ever have anything negative to say. When they screw up, they disappear. Sheryl has had some pretty major and very public setbacks. She is totally honest with her readers and herself, deals with it, and moves on. This is the biggest thing that inspires me about Sheryl. She doesn't always stick to her plan 100%, but she never, never, never gives up.

We may not be losing the weight the same way (she didn't have surgery), but for all the reasons above, Sheryl is an inspiration to me and I adore her.

This is us in 2008. I was pretty close to my highest weight here.


Awwww. :-)


Being silly...

Weekly Weigh In: 194.4

I'm going to post my weigh in on Sundays since I'm not weighing every day anymore.

I'm at 194.4 this week. Down from 198 last week. That's 3.6 pounds.

Wow. I'm glad I got in on this challenge. I haven't lost that much in a week (except right after a fill) in over a year.

I'm off to Body Pump.

Sisterhood: Size 18 Petite Jeans - Last Call

Since I have some new followers, I figured I'd post this once more before they go to the donation pile...



I have two pairs of size 18 petite jeans from Old Navy, one light and one dark, that I can't wear anymore because I was told they're so big on me that they look "rather clownish" (and that is a direct quote from my darling husband). They are pictured above on the day I bought them because I was so thrilled that I could finally fit into a size that started with a "1". They're pretty special to me, but they're too big for me and I promised myself that I wouldn't hold on to any of my fat clothes, except for the one pair of jeans and one shirt that I wore to the hospital on the day of my surgery.

If anyone wants them, let me know.

BOOBS Back to Basics Challenge - Day 4

I think this BOOBS Back to Basics Challenge is just what I needed to get re-motivated to get back to kicking ass and stop coasting along at losing 1-2 pounds per month. I've been tracking my food every day (something I haven't done consistently in quite awhile). Today I ate 1204 calories, 80 grams of carbs, 13 grams of fiber, and 115 grams of protein. Not bad. Not bad at all.

I have a walking date with my friend Vicky for tomorrow night and I have been getting some great workouts in at the gym.

I have not stepped foot on the scale since Sunday. I'm only going to weigh once per week for the duration of the challenge.

I have not made it every time I have made a bold statement of a specific weight goal...but I'm trying again. I would like to weigh 181 when I go to Chicago for BOOBS. That gives me approximately 12 weeks to lose 17 pounds. That will put me at exactly 100 pounds down.

And don't forget that I have a 4-day cruise in there.

I am a slow loser but I want this and I will work my butt off (literally) to get there.

Gotein Winner

I used a random number generator to choose a number between 1 and 7 to determine the winner of the Gotein giveaway. The number chosen was "6" and therefore our winner is...

ANDREA!!!

Andrea, email me your address to bandlady (at) stealyourface (dot) com and I'll get your package shipped right out. Congratulations!

Gotein Taste Test and Giveaway

I tried Gotein, Protein to Go today...check out the Vlog I did to see if I liked it and also to find out about the giveaway I am hosting.




Comments need to be posted by Tuesday, July 5 at 11:59 PM. I will draw and announce the winner on Wednesday morning, July 6.

Back to Basics

I decided to join the BOOBS Back to Basics Challenge. Click the image below if you want to join too. I need a good kick in the butt because I'm a slooooooooooow loser and I have TWO mini-vacations coming up (including a cruise next month...generally not good for weight loss) and I'd like to drop a few pounds before that.

Bariatric Buddies

My beautiful friend Alexandra had gastric bypass a couple of days ago. She's doing great and I went to visit her tonight. I think the bariatric wing is one of the happiest places in the hospital - along with the maternity ward. And that makes sense, because surgery is almost a re-birth, right?