OK, so I lost 40 pounds (and have successfully kept it off for two months thankyouverymuch). Clothes shopping should now be a happy occasion, yes? Well, not so much. See, nothing fits. Or rather, very few things fit. Specifically, pants. After weeks and weeks of trying on countless pairs of jeans and pants, I managed to find two pairs of jeans. The happy part is that I like them a lot. However two pairs of jeans and an ancient pair of yoga pants will not see me through the winter.
So, today I set out with a mission. I. WOULD. FIND. PANTS. THAT. FIT. Don't mess with a woman on a mission. She will be successful! And...I was! I scored four pairs of pants. Go, me! The store websites won't let me swipe the images, so I'll have to link. Sorry.
These from Banana Republic http://bananarepublic.gap.com/browse/product.do?cid=26496&vid=1&pid=762409 in new trench. Need hemmed, but I love them! Yay for on sale (marked down another 10% in the store).
From Talbots:
These in a brown color not on the website: http://www.talbots.com/online/browse/product_details.jsp?id=prdi25055&rootCategory=cat70010&catId=cat1030039&sortKey=Default§ion=Regular&conceptIdUnderSale=cat70010
These are the most incredible feeling pants ever. I think I could live in them. Which is a good thing because they cost a fortune. More than I normally spend, but hey, I was on a mission! Bought the dark green color http://http://www.talbots.com/online/browse/product_details.jsp?id=prdi25273&rootCategory=cat70010&catId=cat1030039&sortKey=Default§ion=Regular&conceptIdUnderSale=cat70010
And finally, I found black dress slacks on the sale rack that don't seem to be on the website.
I had to post because this is such a victory for me. I was on a mission and didn't get derailed! Only the Banana Republic pants need hemmed, so the others are ready to wear. I have pants!!!!!! Celebrate with me!
Showing posts with label health. Show all posts
Showing posts with label health. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Drive-by Post
Today is Perfectionist Child's 8th grade graduation. It's a big deal because she's been at this school for 11 years - since she was three!! And, she has been selected to give the graduation speech (yes, proud mom moment). Pictures and such will follow, hopefully tomorrow. I am hoping to get a decent video of her speech and figure out how to upload to flickr so I can share. That may be beyond my expertise, but we will see. Meanwhile, today is all about PC.
My other piece of news for the day is that I am officially in ALL of my skinny clothes! Weight loss is just a tad over 21 pounds by the unofficial scale. Clearly, I'm doing OK with the dinner meal thing. Mostly, I think the new gym is just really whipping my sorry butt into better shape.
On the stitching front, Hanging Gardens continues to hum along. I'm down to the specialty stitches in the three remaining corner ornaments and then on to beading. I *think* I will be dancin' by the weekend.
My other piece of news for the day is that I am officially in ALL of my skinny clothes! Weight loss is just a tad over 21 pounds by the unofficial scale. Clearly, I'm doing OK with the dinner meal thing. Mostly, I think the new gym is just really whipping my sorry butt into better shape.
On the stitching front, Hanging Gardens continues to hum along. I'm down to the specialty stitches in the three remaining corner ornaments and then on to beading. I *think* I will be dancin' by the weekend.
Friday, May 21, 2010
I ate food and it didn't kill me
LOL. I finished my six full weeks on the liquid diet with my doctor. Lost 19 pounds officially. Go me. So, I now get to eat real food for dinner. I am quaking in my boots. I can eat either a lean protein (chicken, fish or turkey which can be grilled, broiled, or baked) and two vegetables, one of which must be a dark green veggie OR I can eat a bottomless spinach, mixed greens or romaine salad with fresh veggies and the lean protein on it. White carbs are to be completely avoided at this point. Sounds easy, right? Yeah well, when I asked "how much is a portion?" I got nothing but a smile from the doc. See, her theory is that when she's all done with me and turns me completely loose, I won't be weighing and measuring anything. So, she doesn't want me to start out doing that. Instead, I am supposed to alternate bites of everything and stop eating when I first begin to feel full - no matter how much is still on my plate. For someone raised in the "you better clean your plate because there are starving children in Africa" generation, this is no small thing. I did pretty well last night even though I went out to eat with the ladies from my old investment club. I ordered a small mixed greens salad, trout (broiled), and steamed asparagus. I brought home a little more than half of the trout and half of the asparagus, which with another veggie will make dinner for tonight, too.
Intellectually I know this is the right way for me to progress even though I have another 20-25 pounds to lose. But I am so afraid of reversing my good progress. I just want to be healthy and feel good about how I look again.
On a positive note, I started at a new to me gym this week since mine is still closed from the flooding. Getting back into weight training is kicking my butt. Which is a good thing. I went four days this week, which is good for me because I hurt so much. I'm considering doing a body pump class with a friend of mine next week. I'm a little intimidated by it though.
Interestingly, though I've lost 19 pounds and lots of inches everywhere, I still have not gone down a full clothing size yet. I started out in size 12's - admittedly snug size 12's. But I cannot yet get into all of my size 10's that I wore a few short years ago. I can wear some, but not all. Size 8's are still laughing at me tauntingly. Someone on one of my stitching boards posted about being able to lose two pounds and be in a smaller size while someone else she knew had to lose like 15 pounds to decrease clothing size. I guess this goes in the category of things that make you scratch your head. For me, the biggest size changing issue is my waist measurement. I lose weight there last. So, while I am wearing small and medium tops, my bottom can't quite keep up. Clearly, you don't lose weight evenly throughout your body. Weird, huh?
Well, those size 8's can laugh all they want. I'll be wearing them at some point in the not too distant future. My dream is to be comfortable in size 6's, but honestly, I could be content to be a size 8 for the rest of my natural life, provided my body fat percentage is in the healthy range. That's really the key. I want to be healthy again.
Intellectually I know this is the right way for me to progress even though I have another 20-25 pounds to lose. But I am so afraid of reversing my good progress. I just want to be healthy and feel good about how I look again.
On a positive note, I started at a new to me gym this week since mine is still closed from the flooding. Getting back into weight training is kicking my butt. Which is a good thing. I went four days this week, which is good for me because I hurt so much. I'm considering doing a body pump class with a friend of mine next week. I'm a little intimidated by it though.
Interestingly, though I've lost 19 pounds and lots of inches everywhere, I still have not gone down a full clothing size yet. I started out in size 12's - admittedly snug size 12's. But I cannot yet get into all of my size 10's that I wore a few short years ago. I can wear some, but not all. Size 8's are still laughing at me tauntingly. Someone on one of my stitching boards posted about being able to lose two pounds and be in a smaller size while someone else she knew had to lose like 15 pounds to decrease clothing size. I guess this goes in the category of things that make you scratch your head. For me, the biggest size changing issue is my waist measurement. I lose weight there last. So, while I am wearing small and medium tops, my bottom can't quite keep up. Clearly, you don't lose weight evenly throughout your body. Weird, huh?
Well, those size 8's can laugh all they want. I'll be wearing them at some point in the not too distant future. My dream is to be comfortable in size 6's, but honestly, I could be content to be a size 8 for the rest of my natural life, provided my body fat percentage is in the healthy range. That's really the key. I want to be healthy again.
Saturday, May 8, 2010
I lived through the flood and I have internet
If you haven't heard, we had a 1,000 year flood in Nashville. In my area, we got almost 14 inches of rain in about 36 hours, which more than doubled the previous record rainfall for the same time period since they began keeping records sometime in the 1800's. Unbelievable. I won't recount all the tales and stories, but the devastation is pretty horrific. So many people have lost everything and have no flood insurance. In this area, you only get flood insurance if your home/business is in the 100 year flood plain.
My family was extremely lucky in all of this. No damage to our home or the homes of our mothers. The only casualty was my car. As I was crossing the front entrance to our subdivision on the first day of the rains (when we had no idea how bad it was/would be) my engine intake sucked water into the engine. The car stalled, and when we attempted to restart later, a rod bent. The engine block has to be replaced (MAJOR $$$). Insurance company is now deciding whether to repair my car (2006 Toyota Avalon) or total it. They've waffled so much on it this week, I really don't have a feel for what they'll do. Meanwhile, I have a rental car, so I'm good. We lost internet service Sunday - Thursday. I felt so cut off from the world! On the other hand, I was incredibly productive, which, I suppose, speaks to how much time I spend/waste on the computer. Anyway, I'm back and slowly catching up with all the things I do on the 'net.
I have a fair amount of survivor's guilt for getting off so easy when so many are suffering. DH and I have made financial contributions and helped where we can. Neither of us is able to physically able to help a great deal other than carting supplies around. We both have pretty extreme reactions to mold. If I'm sick, I'm no good to anyone. So, though I know why I can't do more, I still feel guilty about it.
On to some happier thoughts (I'm not insensitive. I just can't dwell on bad stuff for too long or I become very depressed). My weight loss is going well. The doc said I was her only patient on Thursday who had actually lost weight during our disaster. I've officially lost more than 15 pounds! I am pretty much in to my skinny clothes, which is a good feeling. I'm not yet up for new clothes shopping as I am really concerned about keeping it off. I have another week and a half of the pure liquid diet and then will begin the transition to real food. The thought of real food scares me to death. But it looks like I am on track to be down 20 pounds by the time I transition, which was my goal.
I do have stitching stuff to share. Hanging Gardens is coming along very well, and I got a stash order in the mail today that I'd been waiting on for about a month. No pics today. Maybe tomorrow when I have more time. Sorry. Oh, and I finish-finished my Chatelaine Smalls Exchange project!!! Of course, I can't show pictures until the actual exchange takes place in June. I used a new-to-me finishing technique I found on the internet. It worked pretty well. There are a few things I would do differently next time. But overall, I'm pleased with how it turned out. It would be something I'd be happy to receive, so I hope it's future recipient will feel the same.
My family was extremely lucky in all of this. No damage to our home or the homes of our mothers. The only casualty was my car. As I was crossing the front entrance to our subdivision on the first day of the rains (when we had no idea how bad it was/would be) my engine intake sucked water into the engine. The car stalled, and when we attempted to restart later, a rod bent. The engine block has to be replaced (MAJOR $$$). Insurance company is now deciding whether to repair my car (2006 Toyota Avalon) or total it. They've waffled so much on it this week, I really don't have a feel for what they'll do. Meanwhile, I have a rental car, so I'm good. We lost internet service Sunday - Thursday. I felt so cut off from the world! On the other hand, I was incredibly productive, which, I suppose, speaks to how much time I spend/waste on the computer. Anyway, I'm back and slowly catching up with all the things I do on the 'net.
I have a fair amount of survivor's guilt for getting off so easy when so many are suffering. DH and I have made financial contributions and helped where we can. Neither of us is able to physically able to help a great deal other than carting supplies around. We both have pretty extreme reactions to mold. If I'm sick, I'm no good to anyone. So, though I know why I can't do more, I still feel guilty about it.
On to some happier thoughts (I'm not insensitive. I just can't dwell on bad stuff for too long or I become very depressed). My weight loss is going well. The doc said I was her only patient on Thursday who had actually lost weight during our disaster. I've officially lost more than 15 pounds! I am pretty much in to my skinny clothes, which is a good feeling. I'm not yet up for new clothes shopping as I am really concerned about keeping it off. I have another week and a half of the pure liquid diet and then will begin the transition to real food. The thought of real food scares me to death. But it looks like I am on track to be down 20 pounds by the time I transition, which was my goal.
I do have stitching stuff to share. Hanging Gardens is coming along very well, and I got a stash order in the mail today that I'd been waiting on for about a month. No pics today. Maybe tomorrow when I have more time. Sorry. Oh, and I finish-finished my Chatelaine Smalls Exchange project!!! Of course, I can't show pictures until the actual exchange takes place in June. I used a new-to-me finishing technique I found on the internet. It worked pretty well. There are a few things I would do differently next time. But overall, I'm pleased with how it turned out. It would be something I'd be happy to receive, so I hope it's future recipient will feel the same.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
I Have ANKLES!!
Who knew?!?! They are even pointy! Ha! I can resume wearing cute shoes. And, I once again have something to shop for that doesn't make me cringe for fear of rejection. :-)
Offical weight loss at today's appointment was 3.5 pounds for the week, for a total of 12.5 pounds!!!!! It finally feels real. This doctor is my hero.
Sorry for the drive-by post, but I'm off to the dentist with Diva!
Offical weight loss at today's appointment was 3.5 pounds for the week, for a total of 12.5 pounds!!!!! It finally feels real. This doctor is my hero.
Sorry for the drive-by post, but I'm off to the dentist with Diva!
Friday, April 23, 2010
Stitching Update April 22
Thought you might like to see what three wise men actually look like since I know it's an image from fantasy. :-D Click to biggify and see whole image.
I'm about a third of the way finished with this and still enjoying the stitch! I'm finished with it for this month though. I stitched a bit on Hanging Gardens the other night, but no real progress to show. So, that will be a pic for another post.
Today, my friend W came over to play (I don't use real names without permission in the blog). W assisted in the very important task of selecting fabric for the design I am stitching for the Chatelaine Exchange. I think we did a good job! No photo as it is a surprise exchange.
W is my hero right now. I may be a clueless wonder. I had no idea you could switch a dryer door to hinge on the other side! W "fixed" my dryer and completely changed my life. It may make me completely pitiful to confess that I almost want to do a load of laundry right now, just to have my dryer open on the correct side. It's really the little things that make me happy.
Oh, and yes, I did have a doctor's appointment yesterday. After two weeks on the liquid diet, I have lost a total of 9.5 pounds. My home scale shows 9.8, but I am not quibbling over three tenths of a pound! I am so thrilled with my progress. The doc did explain that my weight loss will slow some as I lose weight because as you lose weight it takes fewer calories to maintain the new, lower weight. I can handle that. At least the scale is finally going in the right direction! I've gone from clothes that were a tad snug to clothes that are a bit loose. Another 3-5 pounds should see me back in my "skinny" clothes. At least, that's what I'm hoping. Thanks everyone who has been cheering me on. I really appreciate the support!
I'm about a third of the way finished with this and still enjoying the stitch! I'm finished with it for this month though. I stitched a bit on Hanging Gardens the other night, but no real progress to show. So, that will be a pic for another post.
Today, my friend W came over to play (I don't use real names without permission in the blog). W assisted in the very important task of selecting fabric for the design I am stitching for the Chatelaine Exchange. I think we did a good job! No photo as it is a surprise exchange.
W is my hero right now. I may be a clueless wonder. I had no idea you could switch a dryer door to hinge on the other side! W "fixed" my dryer and completely changed my life. It may make me completely pitiful to confess that I almost want to do a load of laundry right now, just to have my dryer open on the correct side. It's really the little things that make me happy.
Oh, and yes, I did have a doctor's appointment yesterday. After two weeks on the liquid diet, I have lost a total of 9.5 pounds. My home scale shows 9.8, but I am not quibbling over three tenths of a pound! I am so thrilled with my progress. The doc did explain that my weight loss will slow some as I lose weight because as you lose weight it takes fewer calories to maintain the new, lower weight. I can handle that. At least the scale is finally going in the right direction! I've gone from clothes that were a tad snug to clothes that are a bit loose. Another 3-5 pounds should see me back in my "skinny" clothes. At least, that's what I'm hoping. Thanks everyone who has been cheering me on. I really appreciate the support!
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Procrastination and Diet Adventures
I'm experiencing motivational difficulties today. It's almost lunchtime, and I've successfully avoided my to-do list in its entirety. But, I'm running out of procrastination ideas, so you get a meaningless blog post! Don't you feel lucky?
If I were a better blogger, you'd get an updated photo of NSTR, which is looking wonderful, if I do say so myself. Another day or two of typical stitching time, and I will have the second major page completed! The chart is organized so that four of the eight pages have about 75% of the stitching, while the other four pages contain border and some stray stars in the sky. So finishing this page will put me at more than a third complete! I will post a pic when I finish this rotation. Promise.
If I were a more creative blogger, you'd get some lovely spring pictures from my yard. However, that would mean I have to dig out the camera and go outdoors. We have an air quality warning today for excessive pollen. It's such a wonderful thing to live in the Great Basin in the South during allergy season (not). So, in the interest of not wanting to inhale more than my fair share of the pollen in the air, I will remain indoors until I must provide Perfectionist Child with chauffeur services this afternoon.
I'm still nursing battle wounds from the latest round of teenage hormones in my house. Some days I wonder why I bother speaking to Diva. There is nothing that could come out of my mouth that would result in a happy outcome no matter how hard I try. Last night's explosion stared with, "Goodnight. I love you." Kid you not. Thankfully, Perfectionist Child is not similarly full of hormones - today. Tomorrow who knows. It's kinda like spinning the roulette wheel - you never know which personality you will get at any given moment. Times two.
In further randomness and trivia, I started a new weight loss program four days ago. For those who haven't heard the very boring and whiney story of the last four years, allow me to summarize: Yours truly has been on virtually every "healthy" eating plan known to mankind and exercises quite faithfully, yet cannot lose weight. Rather, the reverse seems to occur. I swear I absorb calories from the air. Been to a bajillion doctors/medical professionals all of whom know less about metabolism/weight loss/etc. than do I. So, after really not doing anything special the past few months (but continuing to exercise faithfully and trying to eat relatively healthy meals), I decided to begin researching the less-than-healthy weight loss alternatives.
After lots of research, I found an OB/GYN locally who has recently started a women's wellness component to her practice. After meeting with her, we decided I would commit to a six-week liquid diet plan. The plan consists of four specially-formulated shakes and a protein bar each day, plus 32 oz of water. I still get to drink my coffee with my low fat creamer, and I can drink diet drinks as long as they are not carbonated. I did have to give up my wine with dinner (and, well, any other time the teenage hormones might drive me to drink). Let me say that this doc seems to understand a great many things about women's health that no one else I have seen in the last four years has even come close to, which is why I decided to give it a shot.
I've lost almost six pounds in four days. I know that a good bit of that is water weight. But, I'm seeing a number on the scale that I haven't seen in almost a year (before I started on the beta blockers). That has me pretty motivated and excited at the moment. The idea, should it come to fruition, is to lose about 25 pounds, maintain that for six to nine months, and then resume the liquid diet to lose the approximately 20 additional pounds I need to lose (for a total weight loss of 45-ish pounds). The number of pounds is my estimation. This doctor is much more concerned with body fat percentage versus pounds, so that's the number she's concentrating on. Oh, and she *hates* BMI as an indicator of pretty much anything. Love her.
I expect the weight loss to slow down after I hit about the 10 day mark. Supposedly to to three pounds per week is considered more normal at that point. Still, that's more movement downward than my scale has seen in a long time. We shall see what happens!
If I were a better blogger, you'd get an updated photo of NSTR, which is looking wonderful, if I do say so myself. Another day or two of typical stitching time, and I will have the second major page completed! The chart is organized so that four of the eight pages have about 75% of the stitching, while the other four pages contain border and some stray stars in the sky. So finishing this page will put me at more than a third complete! I will post a pic when I finish this rotation. Promise.
If I were a more creative blogger, you'd get some lovely spring pictures from my yard. However, that would mean I have to dig out the camera and go outdoors. We have an air quality warning today for excessive pollen. It's such a wonderful thing to live in the Great Basin in the South during allergy season (not). So, in the interest of not wanting to inhale more than my fair share of the pollen in the air, I will remain indoors until I must provide Perfectionist Child with chauffeur services this afternoon.
I'm still nursing battle wounds from the latest round of teenage hormones in my house. Some days I wonder why I bother speaking to Diva. There is nothing that could come out of my mouth that would result in a happy outcome no matter how hard I try. Last night's explosion stared with, "Goodnight. I love you." Kid you not. Thankfully, Perfectionist Child is not similarly full of hormones - today. Tomorrow who knows. It's kinda like spinning the roulette wheel - you never know which personality you will get at any given moment. Times two.
In further randomness and trivia, I started a new weight loss program four days ago. For those who haven't heard the very boring and whiney story of the last four years, allow me to summarize: Yours truly has been on virtually every "healthy" eating plan known to mankind and exercises quite faithfully, yet cannot lose weight. Rather, the reverse seems to occur. I swear I absorb calories from the air. Been to a bajillion doctors/medical professionals all of whom know less about metabolism/weight loss/etc. than do I. So, after really not doing anything special the past few months (but continuing to exercise faithfully and trying to eat relatively healthy meals), I decided to begin researching the less-than-healthy weight loss alternatives.
After lots of research, I found an OB/GYN locally who has recently started a women's wellness component to her practice. After meeting with her, we decided I would commit to a six-week liquid diet plan. The plan consists of four specially-formulated shakes and a protein bar each day, plus 32 oz of water. I still get to drink my coffee with my low fat creamer, and I can drink diet drinks as long as they are not carbonated. I did have to give up my wine with dinner (and, well, any other time the teenage hormones might drive me to drink). Let me say that this doc seems to understand a great many things about women's health that no one else I have seen in the last four years has even come close to, which is why I decided to give it a shot.
I've lost almost six pounds in four days. I know that a good bit of that is water weight. But, I'm seeing a number on the scale that I haven't seen in almost a year (before I started on the beta blockers). That has me pretty motivated and excited at the moment. The idea, should it come to fruition, is to lose about 25 pounds, maintain that for six to nine months, and then resume the liquid diet to lose the approximately 20 additional pounds I need to lose (for a total weight loss of 45-ish pounds). The number of pounds is my estimation. This doctor is much more concerned with body fat percentage versus pounds, so that's the number she's concentrating on. Oh, and she *hates* BMI as an indicator of pretty much anything. Love her.
I expect the weight loss to slow down after I hit about the 10 day mark. Supposedly to to three pounds per week is considered more normal at that point. Still, that's more movement downward than my scale has seen in a long time. We shall see what happens!
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