Trunk-or-Treat

Well my headache is gone, so it was probably related to the caffeine. I never thought I was hooked on caffeine or coffee, but apparently my body felt it. I don't think I'll start drinking it again, but I hate the lack of energy I feel without it. And the fact that coffee helped keep me "regular".

Tonight is the night that Noah was supposed to go to that sleepover birthday party. His friend Michael came over instead, since I chose not to let him go to the party, and Michael is spending the night here. Of course Jerry is working, so I'm here with the three boys by myself!  They're being a little rambunctious, but not bad!

Tonight was Trunk-or-Treating for Halloween at the church (kids get to trick-or-treat from car trunks--sounds creepier than it is). I took all three boys, and it was FREEZING. Right when we left, it started hailing!  My mom and dad were there handing out candy, and my dad was dressed in a homemade Sponge Bob costume. Surprisingly, it turned out pretty good!

Eli was some sort of creepy pirate, and Noah a transformer

My dad was finishing the costume literally right up until he left. I went for a quick 3-mile run at 4:00 (Jerry had to leave for work at 4:30, so I had to get home to watch the kids), and I ran past my parents' house. My dad was in the driveway spray painting the costume, and he had to leave at 5:00. Might as well wait 'til the last minute, huh?!

Today's running stats

Before I left, I decided that I would allow myself to have two items there--whether it was popcorn and a piece of candy, or a doughnut and cider, or two pieces of candy--whatever! When I was there, I decided to have a cinnamon doughnut and a piece of candy. My mom was handing out Peanut Butter Snickers (YUM!) so I took one of those home with me, and I ate the doughnut there.

All I could think about was candy going home and getting warm.  I was freezing! The kids were shivering too, and as soon as we got home, I put on my fleece pajamas. Now I'm warm and cozy...

Ahhhh, fleece!

Oh, I also noticed when I got home, that I had a big blob of mascara under my right eye, and of course no one told me!  I didn't realize that the mascara I bought on clearance for $1 was NOT waterproof until the first time I cried while I wore it.  So today, the rain didn't help much.

So I decided to torture myself check to see what type of plane I'll be flying in on Tuesday. I had never heard of it, so I asked my brother. It's a plane that has only THREE seats in each row! There is a seat on one side, then an aisle, and then two seats on the other side. There are only like 13 rows in the whole plane. Could it BE any more claustrophobic?!  Why do I do this to myself? Ignorance is bliss!

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What is it?

We had this THING sitting on our kitchen counter for a few weeks. My dad gave it to my kids and told them it was an apple he picked from their new apple tree. It's not an apple. It's about the size of a cantaloupe, but it's shaped like an apple, and it has the coloring of a watermelon.

My dad was just teasing the kids about the apple, but they believed him. This morning, I told Jerry to go throw it out in the trash outside, but the kids threw a fit. They wanted to eat it, because they were sure it was an apple. I said it was a very under-ripe watermelon, because it was hard and too small to be a ripe watermelon. Jerry thought it was a pumpkin of some sort.

Naturally, we decided to cut it open and find out. I got my biggest kitchen knife, and pressed down to slice it open--and it didn't even leave a dent. Jerry gave it a try and couldn't cut into it either. So what does one do in that situation? Take it outside and slam it on the ground to break it open, of course!

First, the before pic:

I just woke up, so don't judge how I look!

Jerry did the honors of throwing it on the ground. We heard a thump, and then it rolled. It barely split the skin!

After the first slam on the ground

He chucked it harder this time, and a sprinkling of seeds came out!

The seeds looked unfamiliar to all of us

I was still convinced it was a watermelon that just hadn't grown. I figured the seeds blacken as the watermelon gets riper. Then Jerry threw it again, and finally, it split open...

I was sticking with my guess, and Jerry was just dumbfounded. We gave up, and just threw it in the woods. All of this before the kids even got ready for school!  When my dad came over to walk the kids to the bus stop (he likes to do that in the mornings), we told him the story, and he laughed and told us it was a gourd that my mom picked up at the farmer's market. I have no idea what people do with those things!

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I feel like I was so unproductive all day, and the time went by too fast. I went grocery shopping this morning, and then I was sorting through old pictures and scanning them to my computer, which took forever. I cleaned a little and did a load of laundry. And suddenly, it's almost time for the kids to get home.

I was sore this morning when I woke up (from the classes I did with Jessica yesterday), so I decided not to run today. And it was FREEZING outside--literally, because the grass was all frozen and there was frost all over everything. My car door even stuck a little when I opened it.

I don't like this for two reasons: 1) I'm flying in an airplane in a few days, and I am terrified of the thought of frost on the airplane or the runway (even though they "deice the plane" it's scary); and 2) Because I feel like we just barely got to Fall, and now the weather is winter-like outside. It's not even Halloween and my kids wore winter coats to school today.

Remember how I said I had a bad headache when I was running a couple of days ago? Well, it never went away. The past two days, I seriously was in so much pain that I was just lying on the couch every spare moment I had. Then Jerry mentioned yesterday that maybe it's caffeine withdrawal--and it made so much sense!

I've ALWAYS had two cups of coffee in the mornings, and a few days ago, I quit altogether. Coffee makes me jittery, and I was so nervous and anxious as it was, that I figured I should quit coffee until all this stress goes away. So I haven't had any since. *Cue headache* Today, I still have a faint headache, but nothing like it was the past two days. It kind of makes me not want to start drinking coffee again!

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Oh my muscles!

I don't know how I got suckered into it, but my friend Jessica sent me a text last night asking if I wanted to go with her to the YMCA today for her classes. She LOVES her fitness classes, and I've never done one before. She had a guest pass, so despite my excuses why I didn't want to go, she talked me into it.

I was super nervous (as per usual, lately!), but I remembered how I wanted to try new things in my second year of maintenance; so I tried not to think too much about it. The first class was Body Sculpt, which is strength training with body weight and with a couple of dumbbells. It reminded me a lot of Jillian's DVDs.

I didn't have trouble following along, but it was HARD. Put me on a treadmill, and I can run 8 miles, easy--but ask me to hold plank for a minute?! Forget it. It seemed like I had to stop and rest during every exercise while everyone else was doing great. I really need to get consistent with strength training; I know how important it is, I just always forget about it!

The next class was Turbo Kick. Maybe I'm just completely aerobicized-challenged, but I found it nearly impossible to keep up with the instructor. Every time I started to catch on, she changed up the moves again. I was totally lost, and I probably stood looking dumb for the majority of the class.

It was an hour-long class, but after 30 minutes, I told Jessica I was heading next door to the cardio room to run on the dreadmill  ;)  I ran a couple of miles while watching The Doctors, but I had no earphones, so it wasn't very entertaining.

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Some of you were asking how I managed to lose 5 pounds last week. Keep in mind that I was still a little puffy from my Arizona trip--if you count my weight loss based on my PRE-Arizona weight, I only lost 3.5 pounds. And I still hate to get too deep into all this, because I've only been successfully doing what I'm doing for 10 days.

I still think that for someone who is just starting to lose weight, it's super important to measure and weigh your food and to count calories. Doing that builds discipline, teaches you portion control, tames your hunger, etc. But I've always wanted to be one of those people that can just eat NORMALLY--not measure, count calories, or obsess about food; also that doesn't binge or constantly think about eating.

I've tried intuitive eating exactly 897 times in the past, and I always end up obsessing about food, and telling myself I'm hungry when I'm not, undereating because I feel like I should, etc. So for the past 10 days, I wouldn't say I've been practicing "intuitive eating"... but I've been focusing on NOT thinking about food. I eat my baked oatmeal for breakfast, soup or eggs or something like that for lunch, possibly a Larabar for a snack, dinner like usual, then a dessert/treat at night.

But the key is that I haven't been over-thinking all this. I'm actually trying my best NOT to think. It's hard to describe. I don't estimate my calories, but if I had to, it would probably be about 1,700 per day?  Which is probably why I've been able to refrain from bingeing--when my calories get too low, I tend to binge.

ALSO, and this is probably a major factor, I've been super stressed and anxious lately. I'm a nervous wreck about flying, Dr. Oz, my surgery, PAYING FOR my surgery... and all of that makes my stomach feel a little sick, at all times. With the exception of the money issue, these are GOOD things to be nervous about--but I'll still be relieved when it's over.

And speaking of Dr. Oz, I'm not going to be blogging about my experience until after the show airs--but I promise I will tell you the date as soon as I know it! 

So sorry, but I actually don't have any pictures to post today! I'll try harder tomorrow :)

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I blew it

Just joking. I think it's safe to say I'm going to New York on Tuesday!!

I had a very long conversation with one of the Dr. Oz show producers this morning--she said she was "writing" this particular show, so she asked me a lot of questions about everything--my weight loss, my life before and after, my family, etc. I think I did pretty well--a lot of the questions are second nature to me, because blog readers ask me that kind of stuff a lot. But I said a few things that probably sounded really stupid, and THAT will be the thing they'll want me to say again on the air ;)

I even cried. Who gets emotional while doing a phone interview? Um, this girl, apparently. She asked me about how my life has changed from the weight loss, and the example that popped into my head was teaching Eli to ride a two-wheeler. I told her how my sister had to teach Noah to ride a two-wheeler because I was too fat to run up and down the street with him; and when it was Eli's turn, I was able to do that. And for some reason, I got emotional when talking about it.

So anyway, she said I would fly to NY on Tuesday night, and the show is filmed on Wednesday morning, and then I'll go home after that. Probably less than 24 hours total!  She didn't mention bringing anybody with me, so I think I'll be going alone. And that's actually kind of a relief to me. I think I'd be nervous having someone I know there. I wish Jerry could go, but he HAS to work.

A lot of you asked if I was going to mention my blog. I had no plans of doing that--I guess because when you first look at my blog, it's probably very overwhelming with TONS of information. I didn't want them to take a look and think, "Wow, look at this freak!" so I almost made it through the conversation without a word about the blog. But then she asked me if I feel I've inspired anyone with my weight loss--the ONLY way to answer that was to talk about my blog.  And I talked about Sparkpeople, of course.

So that is as much as I know right now. I'm still hesitant to tell all my friends, JUST IN CASE they change their minds.  Just as I was typing this, I got a call from the travel coordinator from Dr. Oz, and she took my info to book my flights  :)   (That smiley face is because I'm happy it's actually happening, NOT because I have to fly again!)

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Now, for my weigh-in this morning... I know this news doesn't hold a candle to the Dr. Oz news, but I LOST 5 POUNDS THIS WEEK!

I lost 5 pounds this week!

Body fat: 25% (Down 1.1% from last week) Also, BMI is normal again!!

Waist measurement: 27.75 inches (down 1.25 inches from last week!)

Needless to say, I'm super happy about this week's stats!

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Anyway, sorry to keep you in suspense about Dr. Oz ;)  I had so much energy after I got off the phone, that I HAD to go for a run! I put Eminem on the iPod, cranked up the volume, and ran super fast--until I burned out after a couple of miles and had to run a slooow pace the rest of the six-mile run, haha. I felt dehydrated and had a bad headache afterward.

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Goodness gracious!

Where in the heck did all of you come from?!  ;)  I was SHOCKED at how many readers came out of the woodwork on my last entry. But reading your comments and e-mails honestly moved me to tears. You gave me way too much credit, but it seemed that the ongoing theme is that you like that I am very honest and upfront about the good AND bad parts of weight loss/maintenance; also that you like the fact that I eat foods I love and skip the foods I don't :)

Okay, I was just going to write about how I don't think the show was going to call me back, but as I was typing that first paragraph, guess who called?!  She asked me if she could call me tomorrow morning for a "more lengthy interview" over the phone--so she's going to call me at 9:00, after my kids are at school. I hope I pass! ;)  I'm going to jot down a few notes so that I don't forget the stuff I want to mention.

Renee asked if I wanted to meet for coffee today, but my nerves were so edgy because I was expecting the phone call that I ordered chamomile tea instead--it was delicious! I didn't get home until almost 1:00, so I wanted something super quick for lunch. I made a chocolate-cherry-almond shake, and I had forgotten how much I LOVE that shake.

I cut way back on dairy a while ago--maybe in May?--and that included giving up the whey protein powder. I tried other protein powders (brown rice, egg protein, etc) and they don't taste good. Today I just decided to go for it and use the whey. Hopefully my face doesn't break out terribly now, right before the whole Dr. Oz thing. The reason I was cutting back on dairy was because I think that is what was causing my breakouts.

My plastic surgeon wants me to have tons of protein, starting now until long after my surgery. She said it will speed up my healing time. I'm following her instructions to the tee, so I am trying to fit in protein when I can. Having protein shakes reminds me of when I broke my jaw and could only have liquids for weeks!

Tomorrow is my Wednesday Weigh-In. I haven't binged at ALL this week, so I'm curious to see what the scale says. I haven't counted calories at all either. I took my own advice and ate how I want to eat for the rest of my life--not counting and obsessing, not bingeing, just eating normally. But like I said, one day at a time... I don't want to jinx anything!

I made a loaf of homemade bread today, and it was fantastic! We made sandwiches for dinner. Jerry had grilled PB&J, and I had a grilled cheese. I could live off of warm homemade bread, but I stuck with just the sandwich!

I'm pretty proud that it actually turned out! I'm not a great baker.

I adore Havarti cheese!

Well, I'll write again tomorrow with my weigh-in AND to write about how the phone interview goes. Hopefully it goes well!

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THE DR. OZ SHOW CALLED!

THE DR. OZ SHOW CALLED ME!!  The associate producer called and talked to me over the phone. She said she LOVED the idea of my having an "after" pic to go along with my "before" pic with Dr. Oz. She asked me some questions about my weight loss, and then said she wanted to go talk to such-and-such about me and would get back with me tomorrow.

About 5 minutes later, my phone rang again and it was her--she said such-and-such LOVED the idea as well, and she asked if I would be available to fly to New York on Tuesday, Nov. 1st to tape a show on Wednesday!! (I'm excited right now, can you tell?!)

She said what she was thinking was to keep it a surprise to Dr. Oz--not tell him my story or that I have a before pic with him--and they would show my picture with him, and then I would walk out "looking fabulous" (her words, not mine, lol).

She wanted to know what tips I have to give viewers, and I told her I would think about it and e-mail her. I wanted to come up with something fresh and not something that everyone has heard a thousand times before. Are there any tips I've shared on my blog that have really struck a chord with you? Something that you don't read in every diet book or magazine?

Let me explain quickly how Dr. Oz changed my life--because I'm sure this will come up on the show! We've all read tons of diet books and magazines, tried all the weight loss programs, etc. They tell you what to do and you do it, right? Until you don't want to anymore, and you gain the weight back. Well, when I read Dr. Oz's book YOU: The Owner's Manual (this was before he had his own show), it sparked something NEW in me.

He explained all of the WHY'S. WHY you should exercise, and what it's actually doing inside your cells. WHY you should eat leafy greens, and what they are doing in your body. That was the reason I started to eat a little less sugar and a little more veggies. I still only ate foods that I liked--I never ate crap I didn't want!--but I tried to make healthier choices. Over time, it became more natural to me.

Okay, so please help me think of a unique tip--if there was something you've read on my blog that inspired you, NOW is the time to share! ;)

Remember, this Dr. Oz show thing isn't 100% for SURE until I have a plane ticket reserved in my name. But it sounded very promising, so I'll let you know as soon as I do!

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Twilight nerd

True to my word, I did not run today. I spent the day catching up on housework instead. That's even less fun than running!

My surgery is three weeks from tomorrow--I cannot even describe how excited I am! Sometimes I feel extremely nervous, but at the moment, I'm about 99% excited and 1% nervous. We'll see how that changes as it gets closer to the surgery date.

Speaking of the surgery date, I'm SO BUMMED that I have to miss out on a much anticipated event on November 19th. My friend Rachael has a Twilight premier party every time one of the new Twilight movies comes out. It's a really big deal among my friends, and I love to go.

First we go to the movie together and then we go to the party afterward. Rachael keeps the theme with the movie--last time it was a "graduation party" where she set up a tent in the yard and had a graduation cake, and all that. You may remember the outfit I wore:

Very festive, no? ;)  And the atmosphere:

Notice the 'forks' in the cake! :)

Anyways, Rachael hand-delivered the invitations for the Breaking Dawn party recently, and I had already made my surgery appointment. Check this out!

Not sure if you can read it, but it's a WEDDING INVITATION for Bella and Edward!!! How fun is that?!! I so badly want to change my surgery date, but you know how much of a pain in the ass it was to get the date that I have, so I can't. And there is no way I'll be able to go anywhere just 5 days out from surgery.

Renee tried to make me feel better by saying that there is no drinking in the church hall, so there won't be wine involved... lol. But I'm still super sad to miss out.

I've been trying to come up with a list of things I'm going to need in the couple of weeks after surgery. I bought my compression garments that the doctor had me order, and I bought a mattress protector for my bed (I don't want to get blood and yucky stuff on my mattress). My mom has a walker that my dad used after his knee surgery, so I'm sure that will come in very handy. I really need to read the message boards and make a list.

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Might as well run 8 miles

So I didn't end up dressing up in costume for Winers last night, but I at least wore a Halloween shirt (and black and orange striped socks, but you couldn't see them under my jeans). Renee was hosting, and she did a bonfire; the wine theme was Michigan wines.

I'm wearing the green "BOO" shirt, in case you can't tell

The first three wines I tasted were SO SWEET that I ended up giving mine to someone else. There was pinot noir that I liked, but it wasn't anything to write home about. Over all, I think there is a reason that Michigan is known for its fudge and not its wine. But the atmosphere was perfect and the conversation was just what I needed on a Friday night. It was fun! But I still ended up going home at 10:30 because I was so tired.

I have NOT been sleeping well for weeks now. It's driving me crazy! I thought it was because I was stressed about going to Arizona, but now that I'm home, I'm still not sleeping. Last night, Jerry was home, so I took a couple of Xanax and that knocked me out until morning. I didn't wake even once during the night, which never happens. I actually slept until 8:30 this morning.

I made one of my favorite meals for dinner yesterday--Mexican Lentils & Rice--but I had a whole bunch of bell peppers in the fridge, so I decided to stuff the lentils and rice in the peppers. Of course I topped it with some cheddar cheese and stuck it under the broiler for a minute. It was delicious!! If I hadn't been so flustered about responding to the Dr. Oz Show e-mail, I would have thought to top it with guacamole and sour cream.

I steamed the peppers for a couple of minutes before stuffing them, because I like soft peppers.

My kids are spending the night at my parents' house, and Jerry is working, so I have the evening to myself... and you know how I spent it? Running. Who the hell goes for a run when they have a Saturday night alone?! I wasn't even planning on running today, but it was GORGEOUS outside--no wind, about 54 degrees, and all the leaves are in their prime color-change right now. I just had to do it.

Since it was for pure enjoyment, I went very slowly and took in the scenery. I figured I'd just run 3 miles. Then after 3, I thought, "Well, a couple more won't hurt."  After 6 miles, I thought, "I might as well run until the sun goes down."  (It was almost sunset anyway). So I ended up running 8 miles. Tomorrow, I will rest for sure :)

I've been kind of obsessed with peach tea lately. I add 4 drops of the vanilla NuStevia liquid, and it's perfect. I tried adding a packet of the NuStevia stuff, but it was waaay too sweet. I have no clue what to do with all the other NuNaturals stuff I got--I have a bazillion recipes that they sent me, but it's kind of overwhelming.

I haven't heard anything back from my e-mail reply to the Dr. Oz Show. I'm taking that as a bad sign. I just wish Dr. Oz himself could see my story and pictures, because I know he'd want to meet me again. He was SUPER NICE in-person, and very genuine when I talked to him. Unfortunately, he will probably never know how important a role he has played in my health!  (I learned SO MUCH in his book "YOU: The Owner's Manual"--everyone knows you should eat vegetables and exercise, but his book explained all the WHY's).

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The Reveal

It's freezing outside today! I spent the morning cutting up some jeans, and I was hunched over for a couple of hours. When I stood up, I could barely straighten my back. I'm thinking that is just a preview of what is to come after my body lift! I was really stiff, so I decided to go for a run outside. I wore pants and a t-shirt, but my arms were so cold that I was shivering for the first mile and a half. The wind was blowing right in my face, and I decided to cut the run short--I was thinking of doing 5 miles, but ended up at 3.35.

I know today isn't a weigh-in day for me, but when I got on the scale this morning, I was 147.5! That is the lowest it's been in at least a month. Wednesday, I was 150.5. I always seem to jinx myself when I talk about my diet on my blog, but weight loss is really the major point of my blog, so I probably should talk about it.

I haven't been counting! When I got home from Arizona, I felt so much relief that I didn't have to worry about fitting into that bridesmaid's dress, that I decided to relax a little. I wasn't consciously trying to eat "intuitively" or "only healthy foods" or anything like that. I wasn't really consciously trying to do ANYTHING.

THIS, right now, is the way I want to live the rest of my life (as far as food and exercise go). Not obsessing, not overthinking, not counting every little calorie--just living like a normal person.  This obviously isn't a "new" revelation to me--I'm just going to take it one day at a time for now ;)

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Ohmygoodnessgracious, I just got an e-mail from the Dr. Oz show! They asked for before and after photos. They are filming a weight loss show next week. How cool would it be to FINALLY get my "after" photo with Dr. Oz?! (They haven't chosen me yet, so don't get excited or anything! It looks like it was sent to all people that wrote the show as a weight loss success story).

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So many ideas!

Wow, thanks for all the great suggestions yesterday about making/saving some money for my surgery! I had to get a loan for the surgery, but I want to pay it off ASAP, and I love some of the suggestions you have. I really like the idea of making something to sell--and while I was running on the dreadmill today, I had an idea of what to make. I even made a few of them today. I decided to skip using Etsy for now, simply because the thing I made has everything to do with my blog! I'll post a page with the details tomorrow, after I figure out how to use PayPal  ;)

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It's been raining non-stop here for two days. I'm bummed, because I LOVE Fall weather in Michigan (as long as it's not raining!) and I want to go outside. Yesterday, I skipped my run altogether. Today, I didn't want to skip another run, so I ran on the dreadmill. I did 5 miles at 6.0 mph with a few intervals at 7.0 (always a 1% incline).

I watched the show Revenge while I was running. Are any of you into that show? It's one of those shows that I don't really feel like watching, so it sits on the DVR, but then when I get around to watching it, I'm totally hooked. The way this show is set up makes it nearly impossible to have a second season, however. Not sure what the plan is for that!

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Tomorrow is my monthly Winers meeting. It's at Renee's house, and I'm supposed to wear a Halloween costume. Last year I was Little Red Riding Hood, but unless I come up with a costume tomorrow morning, I won't be dressing up this year. I just don't want to spend money on something I'm going to wear once. I could always wear the Little Red Riding Hood costume again, but that's no fun either  :( 

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Estelle (my really ugly cat) cracks me up! I told you how she loves to hide in places and then jump out and scare the shit out of me... well yesterday, Jerry found her in the craziest place yet!

Can you spot her?

I have no idea how she managed it, but she was hiding out on top of the hangers in the closet, between the hooks and the wall--literally LYING DOWN ON the hangers. I can't believe she didn't fall. She thought she was so cool when she noticed us looking, too.

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I wish I had more to write about today, but I honestly don't. I really need to catch up on my Google Reader--the trip to Arizona made me get soooo far behind!

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