The Lost Weeks

Today's Beginning Weight: After breakfast, with clothes on - 250.3
Spanx Size: E
Phase 2

I was doing so well. Then my school schedule kicked my butt. The last two weeks have been hectic, to say the least. I pack my food for the day with the best intentions, but most days I don't have a break to eat.

Take last Thursday, for example. On Thursdays, I begin work at the library at 8:00 a.m. I leave the library to attend my first class at 9:30. That class ends at 10:45. My next class begins at 11:00. I leave that class at 12:15 and rush back to the library so that the employee at the main circulation desk can have a lunch. I have to be back in class at 1:00, so I leave at 12:55, race to the bathroom (generally my first bathroom break since the morning began; this has solved my Spanx correction time issue), and sit down in my chair just as Dr. Brown begins her lecture.

I usually eat my lunch while I cover the circulation desk, but Thursday, I hadn't had my snack, so I decided to eat that, instead. However, it got really busy at the desk and I ended up eating a few blueberries and a slice of turkey sandwich meat. After class, I rushed to the store to pick up winter storm necessities, then picked up my kids. It was close to 4:00 when I got home. I sat down for a few minutes, then got up to fix dinner. There was never a lunch on Thursday.

Most of my diet failures have consisted of just not having the time to eat the necessary meals. (Though there were a couple of meals that consisted of pizza, and I did make a stop one day for frozen custard.) All of the sitting is making me retain large amounts of water in my legs. I weighed myself yesterday - even though it was the afternoon, I had slept half of the day away, and my legs were extremely swollen - and I weighed in at 253.4. So not as bad as I feared, but not losing anything more, either.

My birthday is Monday. The library is serving up Strawberry Shortcake for my birthday. I figured that was a safe birthday cake. Matt is taking me to dinner at either Bella Peppers or Red Onion. I guess we'll have to wait and see how well I behave on Monday.

End of Phase 1

Today's Starting Weight: 248.2

Weight at the Beginning of Phase 1: 261.2

Total Weight Lost: 13 pounds

Spanx Size: E

End of Phase 1: TODAY!!!

Being that I am at the end of Phase 1 and tomorrow begins a new love affair with fruit, I ventured out to Walmart after work tonight for blueberries & raspberries. Now, before you judge my choice of market, please understand there are only about four stores in Joplin from which to buy produce. Most times, Walmart is the way to go for fruit. Today they were having some major fruit issues, though. The entire banana stand was empty save for a make-shift sign reading, We are temporarily out of stock. Most of the strawberries were more green than red, and the cherries were carelessly, and, I dare say, a bit abusively, shoved into their place.

However, I got really excited when I saw the crate of blueberries. Pint upon pint were stacked. I giggled a little too insanely and a little too loudly (a girl gave me a funny look and quickly walked away) and started anxiously chewing on my fingernail. It was like waiting to be kissed for the first time - I'm not even kidding.

I picked up a pint to inspect, and was disappointed to find smooshed, wrinkled blueberries on the bottom. That just would not do. I picked up another pint and found mold. I chose another carton that looked fine, but when I opened the lid to inspect further, I found a huge mold growth hiding under the label. Carton by carton, pint by pint, I inspected and found mold.

The problem with this is if one blueberry has mold, you can bet your life's earnings the rest will have mold tomorrow and safely win that bet. There were probably forty cartons of blueberries. I inspected them all; and they all had mold. When I asked the produce kid what the probability was of there being mold-free blueberries hidden somewhere in the back, he gave me the same look as the fleeting girl and said, "Ma'am, we don't hide blueberries in the back." First of all, when did I become a Ma'am, and second of all, why don't you hide blueberries in the back? It's not that insane of an idea. I would. You know... so the customers would buy the older blueberries first, of course.

So tomorrow was going to be celebrated with a bowl of mixed raspberries and blueberries. Walmart was devoid of raspberries and only carried molded blueberries. And by the time I had finished searching the crate of blueberries, I was too tired to begin my search at another store. I guess my celebratory fruit will have to be served another day.

Saturday - The Lost Day

Today's Starting Weight: 247.6
Spanx Size: E
End of Phase 1: 1 day

So with one day left of Phase 1, I totally screwed up. I woke up late & left for work without eating breakfast. I substituted celery & string cheese for breakfast; had the same for snack with a serving of nuts. By the time I got home from work, way past my normal lunch time, I was starving. And dreaming of Chinese food. So we got Chinese food. And it was good, but I was exhausted after I ate it. No, really. Exhausted.

I took a two hour nap after lunch and woke up in pain. My arms hurt, my body felt heavy, my head felt hazy. I seriously felt like I had a hangover - at least what I imagine a hangover to feel like. And to further the suck, I didn't work out today and I know I will have gained weight when I wake up tomorrow. Suck. Suck. Suck. Suck. Suck.

I guess you could say food has been a drug for me. And I just spent two weeks detoxing from crap, only to give in to my first strong desire. But I am impressed with and made happy by my body's response. It's nice to see that my previous perseverance was beneficial. Here's hoping for a return of willpower in time for the new week.

Soup, Balls, & Ducks

Today's Starting Weight: 248.6

Spanx Size: E

End of Phase 1: 2 days

When I started Phase 1, I was sure I was going to blow my diet early. I thought I wouldn't get through Phase 1 without caving in to many of the foods I was to avoid. In the first four days, I didn't think Phase 1 would ever end. But with the end in sight, I don't feel like I've missed out on much. My cravings for bad foods, including take-out & sweets, are gone. I decided to taste Jif PB today and compare it to the all natural PB I've been eating. It was so sickly sweet, it didn't even taste like peanuts to me. When it was really cold out, I did long for some of my homemade chix noodle or cream of potato soup; but really, who wouldn't? I'm a fantastic cook and those are two of my best dishes! Instead of craving junk, today I got excited about sauteed asparagus & red bell peppers.

I opened my SBD handbook today to check out what I was allowed for Phase 2. Unfortunately, though not surprisingly, I won't be enjoying my potato soup anytime soon unless I can figure out a way to make it with sweet potatoes. And I need to find an alternative to egg noodles for my chix noodle soup, but other than the exclusion of sticky and Jasmin rice, there's not too much I'll be missing out on. My only concern is the careful measurements of certain vegetables and grains. We'll see how the transition goes.

Today I began integrating a six pound medicine ball into my workout. I like it. It's soft and cushy, so the pain sneaks up on you rather than being outright obvious. I continued with my abdominal curls, criss-crossy things, and added two more exercises to further kick my butt. Then I did this duck waddle move that Jillian from The Biggest Loser taught Ellen last week.

To get a glance at three workout moves from Jillian, check out this clip on youtube at www.youtube.com/watch?v+0CVJ1n4aLO . Happy waddling!

HUZZAH!

Today's Starting Weight: 250.0
Spanx Size: E
End of Phase 1: 4 days

I have now lost 11.2 pounds - most of which I assume consists of my dignity, having posted my weight on the Internet. But, all the same, I feel very rock star.

Yesterday I began using an exercise ball. I did fifteen abdominal curls and fifteen of these cross-crunch things. I have immediate results: my abs are super pissed. I tried to do a repeat of these exercises this morning and thought I was going to die. Every curl sent spasms through my stomach. I can honestly say - those exercise ball thingies work.

Today I have begun working out the logistics of my diet once school starts up again. I bought some fruit-to-go cups and grilled chicken bites from Schwan's today. That should help make the meal preparation a little smoother. But do you know how much earlier I'm going to have to get up each morning? I mean, I really like my sleep. Right now, I think early mornings are going to be my kryptonite.