Category: Life Happens

Posted on by — 6 Comments

Taking Care of ME

I came to an important realization this week.

I wrote earlier that I was going to forgive myself for not making the second round of Power 90 happen with our summer schedule.  I was all proud of myself that I wasn’t beating myself up about that “failure” and just moving on.  Which is good and progress -in a way.

I also said I was going to do an old Billy Blanks Tae Bo workout with Princess.  I finally did, yesterday.  I know a lot of people love Billy Blanks, and I do personally connect with him while he’s instructing.  But he confuses the HELL out of me.  He doesn’t mirror, and I’m so mixed up between doing what he’s doing (which is backwards) and listening to what he says (argh, right not left) and getting my weight shifted to the other leg, etc. etc. that I’m totally lost and confused.  Princess was worse off because at least I had Power 90’s modest tae bo to build on.  We were only trying the foundation – beginning – too, so it wasn’t like a workout or anything.  I didn’t even break a sweat.

Now pause there.  I didn’t break a sweat.  I said that like a bad thing, didn’t I?

I kept thinking and thinking and today when it got close to my lunch, I said to myself, “Self, you really need to try and do Power 90 again.  You feel better.  Remember?”

I do remember.  I love how I feel when I’m working out consistently.  I loooove muscles in my arms.  I love seeing the shape of my abs in my tummy instead of just flubber.  I’ve still got sooo much to lose, and while I haven’t been exercising, it’s the same old story.  Up 2 pounds, down 2.4, up 3, down 1.6, etc.  Today I was up 2.  Not bad after a lazy weekend that led to pizza.  The real deal – pepperoni, my favorite.

I got to thinking about other things too.  How when I workout, I take better care of myself.  It’s the small things.  Like taking a shower.  This might be TMI, but I don’t always take a shower every single day.  Why bother?  I work from home for the Evil Day Job.  No one’s going to know if I washed my hair today or if I threw it in a pony tail.  No one’s going to care if I’m in sweats or jeans or a suit for that matter.

But I know.  I know how I feel when my hair is grungy and I’m wearing my “fat” pants.  I sure don’t feel good about myself.

Not getting in a daily shower is the first sign I’m not taking care of myself.  I don’t wear my cute (tight) clothes as much.  Maybe I don’t wear my favorite Clarks, settling for tennis shoes instead.  Not even my workout tennis shoes…  I don’t lotion up my feet that tend to get dry and rough.  Maybe one day I’m just so tired and stressed out that I don’t feel like cooking.  The kids want pizza anyway…

And that lack of care continues to spread like a cancer in my life, making me feel more depressed and tired.  The more depressed I am, the less care I take.  The less care I take, the less likely it is that I’ll eat healthy and exercise, continuing the vicious circle.  When someone needs to lose well over 100 pounds to get to a healthy weight, then it should be pretty obvious that I haven’t taken very good care of myself for years.

The countless arguments I might throw at myself don’t matter in the end.  It doesn’t matter if we’re busy, if I have to do xyz for the EDJ before this date, or if Lady Blackmyre is beating me up, or Sig won’t cooperate, or I got a bad review, or I have a release out, or…  The list will always be a mile long about why I don’t have time to exercise.

Do I really not have time to take care of myself?

No one else is going to do it for me.  I have too many other people depending on me to take care of them.  I can’t push my own care to the wayside, because someday, it will catch up to me.

I feel better when I exercise.  I eat better.  I sleep better.  I’m more productive in general.  I can solve half the (story)world’s problems in the shower, so why wouldn’t I make sure I get a shower each day?  It seems pretty ridiculous, doesn’t it?

So I am going to try Power 90 again.  Starting today.  And if I miss a day here and there, that’s okay.  I have to keep trying.  I have to keep finding little ways to take care of myself.  Getting in my exercise is the first step.

And who knows, maybe I’ll finally figure out Sig’s problems in the shower.

Posted on by — 5 Comments

Weight Watcher Update

It’s taken weeks and weeks and weeks, but I *finally* hit 80 (actually 81) pounds gone since Jan. 2011!

This past stretch was frustrating but I hung in there.  It wasn’t all the scale’s fault.  We’ve had so many “special” event dinners, both at restaurants and home.  Sometimes I’m not tempted, but other times I can’t help but order a burger instead of yet another salad.  I’ve been up as much as 4+ pounds from my last low weight, and it would take weeks to get that extra weight off.

I admit my tracking hasn’t been as faithful either, but I am working at it.  I definitely do better if I track every single day, even if I don’t eat the best.  It’s easier to get right on track again the next meal.

Power 90 has been a bust.  Sigh.  With our summer schedule, it’s just been impossible to get into a regular routine.  Kids are sleeping in late and staying up horribly late at night, making it difficult for us to sleep well.  They’re in and out to their various activities at all hours of the day and it never fails that I need to run someone to a friend’s house for a trip on my lunch… instead of working out.

So I’m going to forgive myself for failing to get Power 90 going right now.  I’ll try again once the kids are back to school this fall.  In the meantime, I’m going to continue doing my pushups as often as I can, and I’ll fit in whatever activities I can with the kids.  Princess wants to start doing Tae Bo, and since I have some Billy Blanks tapes, I’ll do them with her.  It’ll be a nice change of pace, and she needs the exercise as much as I do.

With today’s weigh in, I lost another point, which is making me nervous!  It’s harder and harder to stay within my daily range, especially if I don’t have exercise points to fill in the gaps.  That’s another reason my already slow weight losses have fallen to a molasses creep.  I really think the only reason I finally lost to a new low this past week is that I underate several days just because we were busy.  I can’t do that every day, nor should I.  So I’ve definitely got to get regular exercise built back into my routine, somehow, even if I don’t have a routine!

New foods or techniques:  we’ve been hitting the farmer’s market at least every other weekend and stocking up on things like cabbage, peppers, and zucchini.  Then instead of eating pasta, That Man and I use the sauteed veggies as the base.  Sometimes I’ll use a half of cup of pasta (2 pts) mixed with the veggies so I still get that mouth feel of pasta without as many points.  This even worked well with my “fancy spaghetti” that Littlest Monster requested for her birthday.  (Shhh, don’t tell anyone, but I used turkey italian sausage and 93% lean ground beef to help cut some of the fat.)

So now just about every single night, I take my smaller iron skillet (10″) and cook just veggies in a little olive oil in addition to the main dish.  Sometimes I season it with just salt — other times I use curry and turmeric (makes it a nice bright yellow).  Princess will sometimes eat it, but usually it’s just That Man and me.  Although I sneaked green peppers into everyone’s main dish last night — a weekly favorite this summer that we call “noodle bowls” with soba noodles (only 3 pts per cup), lean beef stirfry with broccoli and whatever other veggies I can trick the kids into eating — and no one complained!

Posted on by — 4 Comments

Power 90 Round 2

I decided I’d better post this and make it public before I wimp out.

I’m going to do another round of Power 90, this time all at level 3/4.  Today was day 4 for me.  I only managed a handful of exercise days in May, so I decided I’d better get my fanny in gear and make a commitment.  This gives me a deadline of about the time the monsters head back to school this fall.

I’m a little behind where I was before RT but not bad at all.  I can still get through the cardio portion without having to stop, but I can’t quite do as many pushups.  Hopefully that’ll come back after a week or two.  I’ll probably need to move up in weights sometime in the first 30 days, but I’m not sure when.  I guess I’ll play it by ear.

I’m not traditionally very prolific in the dog days of summer, so I’m hoping the exercise commitment won’t interfere with heavy-duty writing.  I’m nearly finished with the first draft of Lady Blackmyre – just one more scene.  I could have finished it this evening after work, but we had two neighbor kids over and it was raining.  Five kids in the house.  Yeah, wasn’t happening.

Then I’ll have some edits I want to do on another story so I can decide what to do with it, and then I’ll grind through a second draft of Blackmyre so I can get it submitted in the next month or so.  I need to finish plotting Lord Regret’s story too.  Hopefully I can continue exercise while managing all my To-Dos.

I only need to lose a little over 16 pounds to hit my next major milestone.  Maybe this round of Power 90 will get me there!

Posted on by — 1 Comment

My Apologies

For the silence!  I’ve been so busy this month that my own blog has suffered.  I forget how stressful release month is.  Not just anxiously waiting on reviews to see how the book is getting accepted, but also the social media aspect.  I honestly don’t know that it helps sales, but I’ve done my best to keep my name and my books scattered about the blogosphere all month, hitting several new sites and hopefully making new friends.

Of course my old blog friends have been wonderfully intstrumental too, in reviewing and hosting guest posts and even sponsoring their own contests.  My huge thanks to every single one of you!

Life on the home front has been in turmoil as well.  That Man is starting a new career tomorrow, beginning with a five-week training course.  Until the training is done, we’re not sure where he’ll actually end up working, so it’s hard to prepare mentally.  We’re looking at the possibility of travel time, though, which will be a significant adjustment.  Lots of changes, some good and some difficult.  We’ll just have to see how it goes.

Meanwhile, Lady Blackmyre politely gave me a little time to get through Vicki’s release, but now she’s back and demanding resolution to her story.  I got up early this morning and worked through stage 1 of the big happy-ending smex scene.  Still have stage 2 and the finale to get through, but I’m closer!

Oh and I got a cool new idea that I’m building in Scrivener.  I’m stuck on names.  Names.  Names.  Gah, all the good ones are taken.  But I’m trying to get the mad rush of ideas down so I can start building it later this year.

After Lord Regret, of course.

Happy Memorial Day.  My thoughts and prayers are with all military families today.

Posted on by — 2 Comments

The Happy Birthday Edition

Don’t forget – today’s the last day to enter the Yours to Take Giveaway.

Yep, another year has come and gone and I’m another year older.  We celebrated at Mythos this weekend like we always do, but it was touched with sadness since the Joplin tornado last year.  Some areas are still unrecognizable, even though we lived there for over two years while attending Missouri Southern.  Our first apartment complex as a married couple is gone and I wouldn’t even stop for a second glance if I didn’t know the intersection where we used to live.  They’ve rebuilt a lot, but there are still mangled trees and empy lots that break my heart every time we go.

This will be an interesting year.  There’s several changes in the works on the home front that I can’t talk about yet that may or may not happen.  I’m also working on a secret project (that doesn’t involve a particular book, so don’t get your hopes up that I’m finally getting around to xyz!).  I’ll share more as I can.

In the meantime, I really haven’t been writing much.  As a result, Lady Blackmyre is about ready to take the whip to me.  I’ve got another two weeks of guest posts to finish and then I’ll return to her story as soon as I can.  I’m well into Act 3 so I’m very close to finishing the first draft.  It’s just a matter of working through some issues and finding “the end.”

Posted on by — 2 Comments

A Busy Mother’s Day

I meant to at least post here over the weekend to wish all the moms who might stop by Happy Mother’s Day, but I was too busy celebrating our Moms’ days to make it!

Saturday we celebrated with That Man’s parents at my BIL’s house.  The last time we were over at the lake, MIL took me in to show me the sad state of her closet.  So I was determined to buy her some clothes.  However, what I’d picked out from Catherine’s didn’t suit, so BB and I convinced her to jump in the car while we were waiting on the chickens to smoke (for dinner) and took her back to the store so she could pick out something she really did like.

She found a blouse and another shirt she plans to wear as a jacket, so that was a success!  Even if she complained about how picked over the store was and how they don’t sell the kinds of things she prefers any longer.  (I’ve had these pants for thirty years and I can’t find anything like them now!)

I made settler’s beans for that dinner, adding fresh garlic and using dijon honey mustard instead of regular (since I was out).  They definitely tasted a little different as a result, but everyone seemed to enjoy them.

We got home around 7 PM Saturday night and decided to go see the last showing of The Avengers on the grand screen in 3D.  It cost an extra $4 per ticket (with a family of 5, that definitely took a bite out of the wallet) but wow, it was so awesome, it was worth it.  We didn’t get home until midnight, though.

Sunday we were up to get ready and drive to my mom’s (Granny’s).  Unfortunately, the day started with Littlest spilling Fruit Loops and milk all over my micro-suede sofa.  *cries*  We stopped at Sam’s Club on the way to get the traditional turtle cheesecake I always take.  However, they didn’t have any.  :twisted:  I finally settled on an assortment but it just wasn’t the same as that sinful turtle cheesecake.

Granny made spaghetti and toasted bread that was a huge hit.  I promised to wash up all her dishes since she wasn’t supposed to cook on her special day.  We made about half a dozen pots of Caribou Coffee and visited all afternoon with my beloved sister.  Oh, and we celebrated early birthdays too (mine is next week and Littlest Monster’s is in June), and Molly brought a bottle of bubbly to help celebrate Vicki’s release.  That’s the first time we’ve celebrated with my mom, so that was cool.

On the way out the door, Middle found a turtle and begged to keep it.  She’s been driving me nuts about wanting a pet turtle.  Unbeknownst to her, Papa (my dad) had also captured two turtles for her, which we picked up on the way home.  We also found another turtle in the gravel road on the way over.

So now we have 4 turtles.  *headdesk*

We visited with Papa for awhile, said hello to his horses, and looked at some land.  It needs a lot of work but the price is within the realm of possibility.  Some magic would still need to happen but we do have options to make my country dream a reality in the next year or so.  Of course Princess objects wholeheartedly.  Sigh.  She doesn’t want to move anywhere and lose her friends, least of all to the country.  She might start talking like a hick and wearing big sparkly belt buckles.  *headdesk again*

We made it home about 8 PM last night to frantically get baths done and everyone to bed.  I haven’t done laundry.  I haven’t gone grocery shopping.  The house is a mess.  The monsters are in the last week of school and still have reading assignments to do.  Lord help me, one last week of school.  Then I’ll be herding monsters out to all their various summer activities to keep them out of the house so we can work.

I’ll come back later with a roundup list of links where I’m giving away copies of Yours to Take and some new reviews.

Wishing you a belated Happy Mother’s Day – and a non-grumpy Monday!

Posted on by — 5 Comments

Weight Watchers: 75 lbs gone

Okay, it was actually 77.8!  Yes, I had a huge loss this week – almost 5 lbs.  1.4 of that was a gain from RT.  The rest is probably from being sick since I got home.  But I’ll take it!

I’ve only been able to exercise twice since I returned from Chicago.  I did Power 90 sweat once, and I walked the dog just a little another day.  My sinuses have just been too bad to do much at all.  Even thinking hurts my skull, let alone trying to suck in enough wind to work out.  Hopefully I can get back to it next week.

On a sad note, my favorite jeans (that I just bought at Christmas) are now so big I can slip them off my hips without unbuttoning or unzipping.  I mean, oh, yay, more shopping!

 

Posted on by — 3 Comments

Weight Watchers: 5 Small Things You Can Do Now

It’s not official until tomorrow, but I’m pretty sure I’ll be earning a 75-lb star tomorrow!  Woot!!

I admit that most of my weight loss attempts in the past resulted in failure.  I’d come out of the gate a hardcore dieter determined to succeed, but then I’d have a birthday party or something went wrong with dinner and all my careful plans would go flying out the window.

It’s easy to have the mentality, “Oh, well, I messed up big time.  Might as well enjoy myself for the rest of the day.”  The problem with this thinking is that “day” turns into “week” and “month” all too easily.  It’s hard to get back up on that wagon!  In fact, I’m pretty sure I’ve been run over by that wagon quite a few times.

I didn’t think small changes would actually work–surely they wouldn’t make enough of an impact on the scale.  I was too impatient.  I wanted to lose as much weight as I could, as fast as humanly possible.  But that’s just not reasonable.  Life happens.  Kids get sick.  Work blows up.  Family members need help or, Lord forbid, pass away, leaving you to deal with grief and emotional loss.  How do you get through all the things life throws at you and still find time to lose weight?

Make small changes that you can live with every single day.  Here are five things I’m doing right now that help me stay on track.  I might not always be 100% on plan, but these small deficits do add up on my calorie balance sheet over time!

1. No seconds.  I eat exactly what I want, but I take as small a portion as possible that will still satisfy me and I do. not. go. back.  No matter how good it is.  Whether it’s cheesecake or Mom’s heavy mashed potatoes at Christmas.  No seconds!

2. Measure out a serving.  Measuring cups and a digital scale are my friends.  If I sit down with an open bag of chips, they’re disappearing.  I simply cannot keep my mind around how many I’ve eaten, and with the bag right there, it’s easier to keep reaching in “just one more time.”

If I’m going to indulge in a potential binge-inducing diet buster, I make myself measure out exactly one portion and I put the bag away in the pantry.  The kids have learned that Mom is NOT happy if they get a snack after school and leave the open bag out on the counter.  I can’t help but nibble…  So the rule is measure, then put away.  Out of sight, out of mind.  Combined with the first step, this keeps me from eating the entire bag.

3.  Use a smaller plate.  I have a few smaller plates that I always pull out for lunch and often for dinner too.  I can fill that plate up with a huge salad and feel like a king.  It looks like a lot of food because it’s right up to the edges of the plate.  It might be a mental game with myself, but it really does help me control portions.

4. FAT is not the devil.  In fact, some healthy fats can help you absorb more nutrients!  If you put a little real butter or olive oil on your vegetables, you will absorb more of the nutrients because many of them are fat soluable.  Fat is important in your diet — it’s crucial for healthy hair and skin.

Even more, fat helps with satiety.  Have you ever sat down to eat a healthy vegetarian meal and left the table feeling… unsatisfied?   I can eat a mountain of veggies, beans, and brown rice, but not feel like I’m full.  It’s because there wasn’t any fat in the food.  A little rich butter, olive oil, or coconut oil does wonders for making your food taste and feel decadent.  aka satisfying!  Even Weight Watchers recommends 2-3 servings of healthy oil every single day.

PSA:  Avoid margarine at all costs.  Please.  Man-made fats are HORRIBLE for your body.  Even Smart Balance or any of those “healthy” or “light” butters are completely processed and loaded with chemicals and preservatives.  It’s so much healthier to eat a tiny bit of REAL butter and enjoy the taste!

5. Indulge.  Yes, I said it — do not cut out all your favorite foods.  Because eventually, you’re going to succumb and feel horrible about slipping.  Then that diet wagon might just conk you in the head and you’ll find yourself walking along down a dusty dirty road in a mile-deep rut.

It’s important to feel satisfied and happy while eating healthier.  Find things that taste decadent and wonderful to you and ENJOY THEM at least once a week or so.  My go-to favorite:  Dove dark chocolate.  I can nibble on one little square (1 pt) with a cup of coffee and feel like I’ve died and gone to heaven.

What little things have you tried in the past that helped you lose weight successfully?

Posted on by — 1 Comment

Power 90 Update: After 90 Days

I made it!  I didn’t miss a single day in March (although I did miss starting April out perfectly – this was a very busy weekend and I was just too exhausted to workout last night).  The entire month of March I worked out at level 3/4.  It was tough, sometimes so tough I was afraid I wouldn’t make it, but I did.

I’ve never completed such an exercise program before.  I’ve never worked out 90 days consistently before.  Even if I didn’t have very good results on the scale or in measurements, that alone would be a victory.

However, I saw pretty awesome results!

March 1- 31 results, followed by (totals) since Jan 1st:

  • Lost 5.4 pounds (12.6 pounds)
  • Bust 0  (-3)
  • Waist  -1 inch (-4)
  • Arms  0  (-.5) each (doesn’t even come close to showing how rock-hard my arms are getting!)
  • Hips  -1  (-5)
  • Thighs -1 inch (-4) each

Amazing – I lost a total of 21 inches in 90 days!

I am so much stronger.  In one routine of sculpt/strength, I’m able to do a total of 71 pushups (from my knees).  Compare that to when I started Power 90 – I could only do 15-20 total.  I’m doing the dips now (with my legs under me to help, but I couldn’t do them at all before).  In the cardio portion, I’m able to make it all the way through level 3/4 without having to pause to catch my breath (I do bring my arms down to rest occasionally, but I keep going!).  I occasionally do more of the high impact jumping jacks and cross hops, versus absolutely none at the beginning.  I can do almost all 200 ab crunches — the last two sets of 20 are touch and go but I can almost do it.

Since starting Weight Watchers over one year ago, I’ve gone down from a 24W or 26W to 14W-16W/XL in dresses.  From that first pair of 24W jeans I bought (which were probably at least 2 sizes smaller than I would have worn — if I’d even tried to wear jeans), I’ve gone down to 18W and I have a pair of 16W that I can zip (I just can’t sit in comfortably!)  In tops I’ve gone down from 2x or even 3x to an XL.

Here’s the funniest measurement:  I’ve gone from a 10/11W (wide) shoe to a 9W.  Who thought my feet would lose weight too?  I’ve even returned a pair of 9W that were too big!

My exercise goals for April are mixed.  Since I’m going to Chicago for RT, I think I’ll take that week off except for walking.  I am going to take my exercise clothes and tennis shoes, and if I get the opportunity to do some cardio, I’ll be prepared.  I’ve never been to this kind of conference before so I’m not sure if I’ll actually have time to work out or not.  At the worst, I’ll take the week off since completing Power 90 and I’ll start up from scratch Monday, April 16 (I’m taking that day off from the Evil Day Job to recover).

I plan to do Power 90 through April 10th, the day I leave for Chicago.  That’ll get me another full 6 days of training in, even though I missed yesterday.  However, I might switch things up a bit and do some Walk It Out or other cardio routines just to keep things exciting.  Since my workouts will be interrupted (or at least not “routine”) thanks to the trip, I’m going to use the opportunity to try some new things.

Once I’m back, I plan to get right back on the Power 90 horse through the end of the month.  At this point, I’m going to stick with Power 90 through May and then see if I think I’m ready for P90X.  Who knows – I might ask for it for my birthday!

Posted on by — 2 Comments

Blonzy, Blonzy!

At least I think that’s the word…

We went to see The Foreigner last night at Stone’s Throw Dinner Theatre in Carthage, MO.  My beloved sister played the hilarious Froggie.  If you don’t know the story, Froggie brings her friend to a little country lodge in Georgia.  He’s very shy and depressed and doesn’t want to talk to anyone, so she tells everyone he’s a “foreigner” who doesn’t understand any English.  Very quickly he finds himself overhearing very embarrassing, personal information – and soon learns that something foul is going on at the lodge as the owner is about to lose her property.  Can he overcome his shyness – and the lie that he doesn’t understand English – and find a way to help them?

We had sooo much fun.  The monsters were getting a little bored at the very beginning because it started just a little slow, but very soon they were totally absorbed.  Middle couldn’t help but reenact some of Charlie’s dancing moves at Intermission.  Luckily she didn’t knock anything over.

I used the opportunity to wear my main RT dress complete with heels and jewelry.  I was a little overdressed, but Sis gave me the thumbs up (and she also brought me another dress that fits, so I have 4 now, yay!).  I’m so relieved that I was able to replace my heels that suddenly became too big!  I’m a big fan of Clark’s shoes now – I wore heels from 4:30 – midnight (first time in a decade or more) except for slipping them off in the car on the way home (1.5 hour drive) and had no foot pain.

Sadly my Spanx hose didn’t survive (the first time I wore them too, grrrrr!).  Middle snagged her shoe buckle on my shin and ripped a huge hole in them.  She’s dangerous to sit by (you get kicked at least a dozen times).

So I’m a little more prepared for RT but more shopping is in order!