Not the worst complaint to have...

So, I know it is one of those complaints that you hear and roll your eyes but...

I absolutely hate how weight is coming off of me. Places I don't want to lose the fat just yet is going faster than expected, and places that I would love to see no fat on are keeping a tight hold.

The weight seems to be coming off the quickest in my boobs. I don't want that! I like my boobs! However, it doesn't seem to want to come off my arms at all. All I want is to be able to look decent in a sleeveless shirt - is that too much to ask!?!

At this rate I'm going to be a fat-armed little boobed woman. With fat thighs. And little ankles.  That is just not appealing at all. ;)

I believe the little 6 year old draws me best...

Half a Year Gone...

So I hear on the radio Sunday that half of the year is already gone! That is craziness. Time, I suppose, to reflect on where I was, where I am, and where I'm going (realistically).

Where I was:
At the beginning of this year, on January 1st, I was 317 pounds.

Where I am:
Currently, 1/2 the year gone, I am 282 pounds (35 pounds down.)

Where I am going: (Realistically)
If I stick to what I've done for the year, logic supports in another 1/2 year I will be down to 247 pounds. Honestly, I would be pretty happy with that. To go from 335 pounds to 247 pounds would be amazing. But, that would defeat the purpose of a goal. I know I can hit 247, right? The purpose of a goal is to challenge yourself. But then again, I want to actually be able to meet the goal, haha.

Anyway, long story short, I am aiming for 235. That would be a grand total of 100 pounds, and a yearly total of 82 pounds. Can you believe 1/2 the year is gone?

Weigh In Monday!

Today's Weight:   282.1

It's been such an off-month with vacations and what-not, I'm glad to be back on schedule. It puts my mind at ease. No more vacation until the end of the year!

So, I'm not sure if it is a result of the new health care changes or what, but my company is enacting some massive medical coverage changes. Some are good, some are bad. The part that did interest me was the reductions in cost if you are the following:

Non-smoker ($16/off your medical coverage per paycheck)
Get a physical/gyno appointment within the year ($50 off your $500 deductible)
Take an exam on the companies website ($50 off your $500 deductible)

And here is the biggie that I am not sure I will qualify for...
3/5 of the following ($16/off your medical coverage per paycheck):

1. 35" or less waist circumference for women (I think I might have been that last when I was 12. :))
2. 150 or less Triglycerides
3. >50 HDL cholesterol
4. 130/85 or lower blood pressure
5. 100 or less fasting glucose

Now, 3/5 can be achieved even if you are on medication, as long as you qualify. I haven't had a physical in YEARS. I've scheduled my first for August. That way, hopefully by next year I will be able to work on something if it's an issue. I have to hit 2-5 because I just don't believe in that 35" or less waist, haha! :)

Almond Milk

The other day, a Facebook friend posted the following message, "Chocolate Almond Milk. YUMMY!" which started my thoughts about Almond Milk. Then, in a Cooking Light magazine, I saw an advertisement for Almond Milk. Almond milk is one of the most nutritionally valuable milk substitutes available today. It is high in a number of vitamins and minerals, including vitamin E, manganese, magnesium, phosphorous, potassium, selenium, iron, fiber, zinc and calcium. Almond milk is low in calories, at only 40 calories per eight ounce serving, and low in fat. It contains only three grams of fat per eight ounce serving. Almond milk is lactose, gluten, casein and cholesterol free; it's also free of saturated fats. (According to the advertisement.)

Wow - this stuff sounds GREAT! At the next trip to the grocery, I pick up some YUMMY almond milk. No sooner had I gotten home and put up the groceries, I grabbed the almond milk and poured me a huge glass.

I took a drink, made a sour face, and said, "This stuff tastes like ALMONDS!"

Husband gives me a strange look and says, "Well, yeah. It is made of almonds. What did you think it tasted like?"

"Um, milk!"

He just rolled his eyes. :)

Routine

I am back from vacation! It was a nice vacation, it only rained once on the beach. I maintained my weight, no gain or loss, and for that I am grateful.

I am (self-diagnosed) a little OCD, and near the end of the week I was getting ansy to be back home, to be back to my routine. I love my routine. A few days of being away from it is OK, but after a while I yearn to be back home, even if I'm on a tropical paradise.

I eat better when I'm on my routine. This week at the beach wasn't bad, I would have my carnation instant breakfast in the morning, a tuna fish sandwich at lunch, and then I would splurge on dinner, but it usually consisted of seafood.

Sunday, being Father's Day, I let hubby pick out what we did. Our kids are at their grandparents this week, so it was an entire day of what he wanted to do. You just can't imagine what happend to me, being without kids and off my routine. I went nuts.

Sunday Food:
Breakfast: Carnation Instant Breakfast (Ok, that's a good start.)
Lunch: Tuna Steak w/ Veggies (Hibachi style, no rice...wow, I've got this!)
Snack: a KING SIZE Kit-Kat at the movies (justified by my earlier good choices)
Snack: (wtf another snack?) A small M&M Blizzard after the movies (What?!)
Dinner: While leaving DQ, saw MCD's and had to have a 10 piece chicken nugget w/ fries. LOL.

I just absolutely lost it, haha.

Alas, one day might not pack the weight on, but it was still like, "Where did this train start to derail?!"
Ah well, back at work today - back on routine today - and eating like a sane person.

End of my Non-Challenge!

So today is the last day for my challenge to myself, and since I won't be anywhere near a scale for the next 8 days, I weighed this morning.

Today's weight:  283.6

I am so very happy with the results from the last two weeks, I'm glad I sucked it up and just DID it. The plan, obviously, is just to keep right up with what I am doing. It is working.

I am off to da beach! tonight, but I do have some posting capabilities. I just don't know if I'll get around to it. ;)

Have a great next week!

I should be a crab fisherman.

Mike Rowe is sexah!

I love (emphasis on love) Deadliest Catch on A&E. It is probably one of the only reality shows that I think may have a hint of reality to it. (Not to mention Mike Rowe a la Dirty Jobs is the narrator, and I think he’s dreamy.) Last night, they aired a special after the regular show about the greenhorns of DC. In case you aren’t familiar with the term, a greenhorn is basically a newbie. For this example, it is the crab fisherman hired for the very first time on a fishing boat.

These greenhorns are put through things worse than boot camp or prison, in my opinion. The crab fishing season is in the fall (king crab) and winter (opie season), so as you can imagine in the Bering Sea in Alaska, it’s flippin’ cold. They work up to 48 hours with as little as 4 hours of sleep. They lift 80 pounds of bait up to 110 times a day. Now that’s what I call a work out!

It is true that misery loves company; since the greenhorns aren’t veteran fisherman yet, they don’t get the full pay that the veterans do. All of them get paid based on the amount of crab they pull in, however the greenhorns get paid less than the veterans. On average, the greenhorns make $22/hour after lifting 80 pounds over 100 times a day.

I have seen one woman on deck during the many seasons of DC that have aired. Supposedly it is bad luck to have a woman on deck, but also I doubt there are many women out there that could handle the upper body strength requirement for the job.

It is a great show! It makes you feel like a lazy bum for the lack of exercise compared to them. A great motivator! ;)



A greenhorn who didn't make it.


 

Calorie Restiction Society

Did you know there was a Calorie Restriction Society out there? I didn’t. It really is interesting reading if you find the time. In a nutshell, the CRS is:

• A calorie restricted diet that is based on scientific evidence that, when introduced gradually to a CR diet, mice lived longer and were healthier.
• In general, reducing gradually your calorie intake to 25% less than what is suggested for your body weight/height.
• It is suggested you reduce the calories gradually, taking up to a year, because other studies have shown that if you slash them quickly, you actually lessen your life span.

Pretty interesting read, I found it via Yahoo!. Obviously, the amount of calories you should consume changes as the weight drops, but I should currently be taking in 2145 calories per day.

For some reason that just doesn’t sound like the extreme restriction I was expecting. Maybe that is just because I’m fat right now. ;) If I were at my goal weight, I would need to be taking in 1629 per day.

Anyway, just an interesting read I thought!

1 Week Down, 1 To Go

Oh yes, one week is already gone in my not-so-much-of-a-summer-challenge! Depsite all the crap that's been going on around the house, I am happy to report this moring I was 286! This is craziness, people. Eat the right amount, exercise regularly, and drink water and you DO lose weight! Mind boggling, I tell you.

I hope you all have a great weekend, I am off to become a hermit in my house since the temperature is heading up near 100 this weekend. That is just nasty, people.

So, Interestingly Enough...

Obviously, I've been MIA for a bit.

Husband managed to get not only a bladder infection and UTI infection, but also a prostate infection! (poor guy) After spending a bit of the weekend at the ER, we have been on the road to recovery for the past couple of days. I've been running my butt off (literally, haha) trying to take care of him & the kids.

He's still recovering, but I think we are on the road to recovery. Crappy part is, we leave for the beach in 9 days, and his antibiotics he's on is "sun sensitive". We are debating as to whether that means to stay out of the sun completely, or make sure to use SPF 50 sunblock. Anyone know?

I checked the scales this morning, the first time since I've started my challenge and everything went haywire, and it does read 287! Of course, that would mean I would have to lose 2 pounds by tomorrow to make it 5 pounds for the week....