my little orange headband..

well it really is more orange'ish then red in real life.. i got it off of LLBean the other day when i had to get my husband some work shoes.. thought i'd throw something in the order for me too! ;)

it's going to be my workout staple.. and i'm not really sure why ..but here are some rambling thoughts.. and this could be so ridiculous that you un-follow me from this little blog..but just chalk it up to a bit of c-r-a-z-y..

-i thought to myself that i never remember who's at the gym or what their wearing for that matter..but i wondered to myself that if i wore this headband every time ..someone might notice my weight changing or my hard work/dedication to working out..

-plus it keeps the sweat out of my eyes!

is that silly? ah well ..it's cute at least..i love polka dots!

and speaking of the gym.. i'm not sure if i posted this or not..but i ended up finishing 8 out of 10 miles last week.. my step-dad couldn't go on Sunday and I skipped as well..didn't feel all that great about it..but didn't dwell on it either and we were back at it last night..

this week i'm going for more calories/higher intensity on the elliptical and not miles.. just to switch it up a bit.. it really felt like i was walking in quicksand on that thing last night.. and haven't had a sweat like that ..in ..um.. my whole life..

yesterday i got my Jillian M's 30 day shred and gave it a shot this a.m .. well..it was more of a 20ish min shred for me.. level 1 kicked my butt..and i need to get some hand weights.. wowza.. i hope doing this for a few days in a row will make it easier! PHEW..

and now that my T.O.M has packed her bags for this month.. i've lost a bit of lbs .. which is always a perk..

1.) Here's a pic from yesterday.. and I was pretty excited about this .. being all under the 220's and such..

2.) fast forward to this a.m ..and i'm in the 215's?? did i give birth last night and not know it?? i'm not going to ask to many questions ..just taking that number and running..

maybe getting down to an even 200 will be in my reach for surgery day after all..can't wait to get my big date this friday!! :)

i'll post a quick update after my 11a.m apointment ..

wake up call..

took some more "before" pictures.. and wow.. it was upsetting and necessary at the same time..

this past month ..more than anytime in the six months of nutrition visits.. i've really examined how i've left myself get to this point and some of my troubling eating habits..

-i definitely eat when i'm happy ..i'm not a sad/depressed eater

-i'm fast! i've been paying more attention at the dinner table (we've eaten at the table for almost a year and this is something that we'll continue to stick to) and i always finish way before my husband and start making my way for a 2nd helping as he's finishing up.

-i gulp down whatever i'm drinking to almost push my food down faster as i'm eating..what am i rushing for? why must i gulp? it's not like i'm starving..

-eating lunch might help with this whole eating fast/gulping down my dinner..and i've started to eat some lean cuisine meals for lunch..and that's helped..

-it's so hard to get in my 80ish oz of water a day ..no matter how i jazz it up! vitamin water zero's have been popular this week and last..but it's still a struggle..

some things i've done that i'm proud of .. saying no to ice cream .. twice! my husband and his sister & her fiance like to come over at least one a week and we almost always got dairy queen. this week i've said no twice and had a skinny cow instead.. and that wasn't hard to do. surprisingly.

i've stopped eating anything my son doesn't finish..and stopped the "one for me and one for you" mentality!

i tried weight watchers (again).. because i was so determined to get the 18lbs off to start my surgery at an even 200..but that's not working out so well.. i seem to over think food on those days and feel hungry when i'm really not.

so it's been an up and down week..

and here's a vain question..

the belly pooch/fupa(spelling?) that hangs over my lady area.. has that gotten smaller for anyone that's out there in bloggy land..? i feel like it's going to hang out there forever ..and it's the one thing that i'm the saddest about..so ..just curious..


i'll share these before pics (well..some of them) when i have some comparison pics!

BYOC and other thoughts..

1.) If you could change your first name- what would it be?

I can honestly say I'd never change my name .. I love it.. it fits me and I don't know a lot of other ladies with the name "Kristen".. well .. that is until I started blogging and it seems to be a pretty popular name in our circle of blogs!? :0) And that's great.. more Kristen's (however you spell it) the better!!


2.) Why are man hole covers round?

This seems like a simple question with a simple answer .. but is it? Did you know that Microsoft used this as a job-interview question..just look it up on Wikipedia!


3.) What's one of your biggest pet peeves?

Oh I don't even know if I have enough space to type them all ..Here's the top three that I'm thinking of right now ..

-people that cut in line! in traffic or at a store ect..
-nose picking in public (like when you look over at someone driving and they are digging for gold)
-people that forget to put on deodorant (like the man working out next to me at the gym last night ..wwoooooweee stink-o)


4.) If you could be a car- What would it be?

a 1950's hot rod.. because they are vintage ..classic.. full of style.. unique ..been around the block..and really pretty to look at ..



5.) What's the biggest thing you learned from a blog this week or which blog spoke to you the most this week off the top of your head?

On Wednesday I read "I think I'm BEAUTIFUL" by Mary over at:

www.bandmeimready.blogspot.com

Top Five Reasons this week has been GREAT!!

1.) I got approved for Lap-Band surgery

2.) Had a 4/23 Pre-OP date ..which got moved up to 4/2

3.) Went to the GYM two other times since Sunday ..and only have 4 miles left in my 10 mile goal I set for myself this week.

4.) I realized how much I love how I feel after working out..My energy has been up this week and my overall mood has been up too .. which even my husband has noticed..

5.) My husband booked us a weekend away in Newport Rhode Island for our five year anniversary and that's so very romantic of him ..

Happy Friday!!

Post Whore today..#3

Third post..oh jeeezus! :)

but it's important.. really really important..


ready for it...



my pre-op appointment has been moved from 4/23 .. to ...wait for it ... it's really good...


4/2!!!



that's in almost a week from this week ..well you know what i mean.. a week from friday!!

it's practically shaving three weeks off what i was originally quoted for a pre-op date!?



c-r-a-z-y..




thank you to the stranger that had to cancel his/her appointment and let me have it..


**happy dance** **happy dance**




okay. that's it for today.. i swear!

just a little something..

so instead of treating myself with a snack .. after getting the 'thumbs up' ..the 'green light' ..the 'go ahead' ..

i bought myself a workout video. *saaay whaaat???!!!*

i've been looking at this for awhile and after reading some great reviews and talking to some other mommy people that use it (and love it) ..i thought it's worth a try..

i've completed 4 out of 10 miles in this weeks personal gym challenge .. and i'm feeling great!! i even beat my sunday time by a little under five min .. and that's all i'm looking for ..not a specific time to do two miles.. but to shave a little off the time.. each time..

and now that i've gotten over my lacking self confidence to actually get to the gym.. i've hit another hurdle .. and that's working out on the 'machines' ..after i do my cardio ..i'll usually go to the little room off to the side and stretch out and do some crunches .. then go do a few laps on the muscle machines..work my legs/arms/ect ect..

but these machines are right in front of the ellipticals and treadmills.. and it makes me feel like i'm on stage..

so for now .. i'll go and do my miles ..and my stretches/ab work ..and then on my 'rest days' from the gym.. i'll have these videos to turn to..

i'd really like to shoot for at least 30min a day..


so give it to me jillian michael's ..

OOOHYEAHBABY!!

Just hanging out this a.m...watching the Today show.. and my surgeons office # comes up on the screen..? Strange? I hope everything is okay.. so I pick it up on the second ring ..

Me: "Hello?"

Receptionist at Surgeons office:
"Hi this is --- can I speak to Kristen?"

Me: "This is her"

Receptionist: "Good morning.. I'd like to set up a time for your Pre-Op appointment"

Me: "Oh? I thought we had to wait to hear back from the insurance before we could set that date up?"

Receptionist: "Yes that's correct, but they called yesterday and said that you were approved.."

Me: "Whaaaaat! NO way" <----- could of handled that a little bit smoother :)

Receptionist: "Congratulations..now he's pretty booked up so his first appointment isn't until April 23 at 1pm .."

Me: "I'll take it".."But if something opens up between now and then, no matter what time/day I'll take that too" :)

Receptionist: "Okay great, I'll add you to the cancellation list..and give you a call if anyone cancels."

Me: "Thanks so much"

Receptionist: "No problem have a great day"

OOOH I SO WILL!!!!!! BEST DAY EVER!!

No more worrying/stressing/over thinking the hoop that's called insurance..

YIPEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!


okay.. carry on with your Tuesday!

Skinny Cow and other thoughts..

Ice Cream.. something I never really liked before meeting my husband.. I was a big fan of Orange Sorbet ..and then after meeting my husband ..it was a slow love affair with the cold creamy goodness.

After running around with my darling boy all day .. when he's upstairs for the night..all tucked in and having sweet dreams.. I'm indulging in sweet yummy ice cream..

THIS MUST STOP!!

I know I'll be able to have ice cream after the band.. but that's so extremely counter-productive..I'm starting to make a slow change to low fat or fro-yo ..and today while food shopping I came across this little box of gems!

It's 100cal/2grams of fat/3grams of protein.. and that comes out to be 2 weight watchers points.. all in all ..not to bad of a treat.

Had one tonight ..you know... to test it out for you all ;) And it wasss sooooo yummmyyy!! Creamy (not icy) and a light caramel flavor with a little drizzel of chocolate.. ahh.. so good!

So if your a lover of all things Ice Cream like me .. Try these.. the other flavor is "White Mint" but I'm not going to try those out..I'm not a huge Mint fan..so you'll just have to try those out for yourself if it sounds yummy to you!!

And the other things/thoughts..

With surgery almost (wishing/hoping) a month away .. I really want to do my part and get down as much as I can before the liquid diet and then hope for a nice loss during that time too. I was ambitious a while ago and really wanted to do Weight Watchers full time ..and it was just to far out/away. My revised "plan" is to do Weight Watchers during the week and not count points on the weekends.

I made sure to buy some Weight Watchers appropriate foods this week while food shopping and will work hard to get all that water in! :)

My exersise plan this week is Ten Miles!

Today I did 2 miles on the eliptical in 42mins .. I feel great/happy/upbeat when I come home from the gym and have 8 more miles to go before next Sunday. .I plan on going to the gym tommarow night with my step-dad and then skip Tuesday for a rest..

I hope everyone *well at least in the north east* got to get out and enjoy this weather.. I love this time of year and it's so nice to let my little dude "out" of the house and run off some of his extra engery.

I love brown boxes!!

I love getting packages in the mail and it's the best when they contain some tools to help me track my weight loss! Of course I had to go right to the bathroom and strip down and measure myself and weigh myself (though I weighed myself with my clothes on)..I think I measured all the right things.. if I missed something let me know!

Measurements:

Weight: 221.4

Neck: 14.5in

Left arm: 14.5in

Left calf: 17in

Waist (around the belly button): 45in

Bust: 41in

Hips: 51in

And just for fun..10 on Tuesday..

1. Here's a pic from Fall 2008.. it's not the best quality ..one of my cousins "tagged" me in this photo and put it up on facebook.. I made it "private" because of the drinking of our shooters! I'm the one in the middle..

I don't remember what I weighed in #'s ..but I remember that I was working out 2-3 times a week and loving the gym!! Semi-watching what I ate ..and not feeling to shabby.. It's so funny how I looked at this picture and thought "O.M.Geeeeesh" ..and now i'll be happy to get back there.. I bet it's like 20ish lbs away..


2. I'm having some self esteem issues that are making it hard for me to go to the gym.. I know..lame.. but that's what I'm dealing with right now. I'd really love to go at night time (after little dude goes to bed) ..but this is me/hubby's hangout time ..and that's important too.. Now that it's getting nice/warm out ..maybe I could go early in the a.m .. I just never "feel" like it in the afternoon ..and it's a vicious cycle of feeling mad at myself for not wanting to go/sad that I didn't make myself go.. and around and around we go..

3. I'd also love to start on the weight loss..even though I'm still waiting on my insurance ect.. I need to get on some sort of schedule/track to get out of this "waa waa is me" mode. I'm planning on getting my scale and tape measure and putting down all my numbers to paper. Keeping track and writing down food/water for the day. I don't want to start a "pre-pre" diet before I get the official word.. I think that would make it harder on myself ..and I'm trying to be realistic at the same time.

4. I need to go out and buy a new sports bra/sneakers ASAP!! I have two and one is loose and I knock myself out while walking fast/jogging..and one is so tight that I have red rings around my sides after I work out.. not good..

5. I really feel like I've been avoiding social situations recently ..and have to really make myself get up and go out to do things sometimes..My clothes haven't been fitting right and I'm not going to buy larger clothes to buy smaller ones in a little bit (or so I hope)..

6. The sun has finally come out.. and since it's been multiple days since seeing it.. it was a nice change today! :0) I even put on flipflops like a crazy lady today. 60 degrees = feels like summer!

7. I'm starting a Zumba class on Thursday for six weeks!! Maybe that will give me some sort of boost to get my bum back to the gym..

8. I had two XXX Vitamin Zero's today.. mm mmm good!!

9. My mom is taking the little dude for the day on Saturday ..a whole day..kid free... other mom's out there and bloggy land ..high five for that!!

10. Looking forward to watching "Parenthood" on T.V tonight.. that show is pretty cute..have you watched it yet? Check it out!


NightNight!

March 2010 "aka" before pics!!

just a quick post.

just trying to document.document.document!! ..

i want lots of pictures to show myself even the smallest of achievements..

ps.

i'm stalking the ups man (for my scale and body tape measure) almost as much as i'm stalking my insurance company.. good thing for them.. i gave them a break today.. oh but i'll be back to calling them tomorrow!!

a few snapshots..

My son loves to play with my iphone.. he thinks it's the coolest thing in the world and I've bought a few preschool games for him to play on there. The new favorite thing to do.. is take pics! Makes a photography lovin mamma so proud. Here's a great snap shot of our living room ..



then I was scrolling through all the other 52,000 pics he took and found this one.. one cute hubby and one beached whale! ACK!!! Not cool.. and it would have been deleted in a hot second if I wasn't trying to save it for a 'before' pic...and not like deleting the picture would make me feel better.. it's there.. and it really needs to change..

all of my paperwork got submitted to insurance on Thursday 3/11 .. I was so upset about the 'dog' (see post on Thursday) ..that I didn't even mention that part.. I've put in two phone calls to the insurance company,.. to just check the status.. my husband thinks I've lost my mind..

patience.. it's a funny thing.. i feel like I had so much of it while going through the hoops, the six months, the appointments.. and now that I'm so close .. so very very close.. I just want it so bad!

so I'll keep my blog peeps posted as soon as I hear something..





oh and .. i tried another go at the whole protien shake thingy ..and it was great in a low-fat cup of hot chocolate.. it was really filling..

Shopping on Amazon..

1.) MyoTape: 6$

I know (from reading blogs and lapbandtalk.com) that it's really important to take your measurements and track those numbers along with your weight number.. and I wanted something that would be easy to do ..without always asking my hubby to help. Somethings a girl just wants to do on her own.

2.) EatSmart Digital Bathroom scale: 28$

I have a crappy crapper of a scale right now ..and it's not even digital.. it weighs be a whopping ten lbs less than I really am.. how crazy is that. It's not fun to weigh yourself ..get all happy happy and then step on the scale at the nutritionist and gain 10lbs!?

So just a few tools to help keep track of my progress on this weight loss journey!

Happy Friday everyone!!

you would never guess..

what this picture has to do with physical exercise..but .. here's a quick story..

since i was feeling so happy about wrapping up my appointments and nutrition appointments..i thought it would be great to celebrate..and my first thought was..

"ooh a nice big chocolate milkshake"

and if i could have shot myself a dirty look.. i so would have! ..what the heck! celebrate all the hoop jumping for insurance and celebrating with a milkshake?!!! i don't even drink milkshakes.

so my second thought was a nice sweat session at the gym ..felt like rocking out my ipod tunes..so it was a date.

then..

i drove my sister to work.. and on the way home..i passed a dog curled up on the side of the road.. (alive,..just looked like he was relaxin)

i pulled onto a side street where i looked for my local police # and tried to get a hold of the dog warden..no such luck..couldn't even leave a message..ugh, that's frustrating. so i do a u-turn and drive past the dog again and park on a side street.

i was nervous about approaching a strange dog..but ..at that point I couldn't help it..but then he saw me coming and ran out into the traffic.

ugh!

so I ran out into the traffic and waved everyone to stop.. and then I started jogging after the dog..every time I got close..he sped up.. this went on for a little over a mile..

ugh!!

i was crying and running and then quick walking..i was so bummed that i couldn't help this poor dog. and i'm not even that big of a dog person. so while i was trying to stop my calves and feet from falling off..i stopped for a few secs and snapped this pic on my iphone..

so my plans of going to the gym were now shot..but i did get some activity in ..and that's okay..

the end..

of all my appointments!!

everything is done.done.done.done!! .. now I can just sit back and wait to hear back from my insurance..

this journey started with a phone call late summer to find out when the next seminar was ..and my six months of nutrition visits started in October!

it's a great day!!!

Inspire Protein Drink (Dutch Choc Cake)

put the 4oz of water in the freezer (next to the ice cream)

inside the bag of powder (the blue is the scoop)

pretty big size for a scoop

mmm ..protein powder! smells yummy!

looking inside

*shake* shake* shake*

needed a red straw to complete the look..

oh.. um.. that was okay.. needed a dash of splenda to make it more enjoyable..

Okay.. My taste test is complete! I decided to make this as my breakfast and had this around 7:30a.m ..

It was okay. I don't have anything else to compare it to ..but after reading everyone raving about it.. thought it was going to be much better.

I mixed it with the 4oz of water ..and could imagine it tasting better if it was to be mixed with milk ..

After taking a few sips I decided to add a packet of splenda ..and it made the taste a bit better..

The good part is that I'm just starting to get hungry and it's 11:30 a.m.. which isn't to shabby after just having that 4oz of drink at 7:30 and nothing else..

Got a package in the mail today..

A little package of Protein Powder!! Whooo!! Exciting stuff I know .. I've heard nothing but great things about this "brand" and thought it would be smart to try before I'm locked into a 11 days worth of drinking something for my meals.

I'm excited about the amount of protein and the small amount of calories! Two things I was mainly looking for in a protein drink. It comes with 14 servings ..so 14 "meals" and I thought I could spare 1-2 of those 'meals' as a try out..

I was going to get the sample package (I think it came with five servings??) but I ended up getting the 14 serving package because with shipping .. it made more money sense to get the bigger one. The total (with shipping) came to 30$ and I thought that was kinda expensive..but my husband reminded me that it was going to replace my meals for over a week ..and the cost wasn't a big deal..

I'll give you a review in the a.m .. I'm going to try to make one for breakfast ..and just add ice cold water ..maybe the next 'try' i'll use crushed ice .. stay tuned for these exciting happenings!

ps- Sorry to all my new 'followers' .. I haven't been a great blogger last week.. this cold that everyone in my house got.. really kicked my bootie.. I'm feeling so much better this week and have been dropping by blogs & leaving some bloggy love... (( hugs )) to our band community!