Weight loss Back Burner

Well...my weight loss journey has been pushed to the back burner. I won't be trying to lose weight for a while. I did quit smoking finally, but only because...

I'M PREGNANT!

We're so excited!

Eating healthy and getting some exercise in is still a priority, but I won't be seeing the scale go down for a while. And that is totally OK with me.

My husband and I decided to start trying about 3 months ago and I went off the pill. I honestly expected it to take about 9 months up to a year maybe. But I was late, so Monday I got up and took a test. I couldn't believe it. I tried to wake up my husband to tell him, but he didn't want to get out of bed. So I gently coaxed him saying that he had to get up and take the kids to school this morning and that I would take one with me. It took him a few minutes, but then his eyes popped open and he grinned and said "Really?" He was so sweet! I'm a little nervous telling everyone so early, but we decided to go ahead and tell our families and last night we told the kids not knowing what to expect. We were at the dinner table and my husband told the kids to put their hands out in front of them and close their eyes because we had a surprise for them. We each put a pacifier in their hands and told them to open their eyes. Our daughter figured it out immediately and started screaming "You're pregnant, aren't you? You're pregnant? Really? My mom's gonna have a baby! Woohoo!" And then proceeded to jump up and down all over the kitchen. I really didn't get to see our son's initial reaction because of our daughter's crazy reaction, but they both were really excited. Then for the rest of the night, we got asked 10 million questions. When I went to make sure the kids were ready for bed and had brushed their teeth, I found our son with a Bible and a notepad in his lap, making a list of baby names for us from the Bible. How sweet! Then when I went to check on them before I went to bed at 11, I found our son sitting up in the bed with his Bible trying to finish his list. How cute! And so very sweet!

My first doctor's appointment is February 11th, which just also happens to be our first anniversary! How crazy!

Life is good!

Everyone have a great weekend!

Friday...are you really here? Or am I dreaming?

I pretty much suck at it all...

But I know this, and am really trying to get better. And to quote my favorite childhood cartoon - "knowing is half the battle!" G.I.Joe!

I haven't lost any weight. Christmas cookies, Christmas dinners, sweets, snacks...I have shoved it all in my face, only to regret it the next morning when the scale screams at me. And it is SOOOO screaming at me...ugh!

I'm a complete mess. Really...

And I've decided with Christmas shopping, kids and last minute school stuff, work, and the fact we haven't even finished decorating for Christmas, and crazy relatives not wanting to work with us on splitting our time for Christmas between our other family members, that I am not going to be able to work on me until the new year. Which by the way is slowly sucking the life out of me and making me not want to even have Christmas, but that's a whole 'nother ball of wax and probably best if not discussed on a public forum. And I seriously can't handle another "poo" storm if the parties involved read my blog and get offended. So...I'll have to keep the cork on that one.

So, instead of screaming, crying, or burning Christmas trees in protest, I will just work on the plan for me starting New Years Day.

1. I will quit smoking officially on January 1st. Period. I'm done. I've cut back and even quit 3 times I think this year, but I will throw away all cigarettes, lighters, ashtrays, whatever and be done. I hate smoking. The whole situation is ridiculous and I know it. I hate not being able to breathe, hate not being able to walk up the stairs and not be winded, I hate the smell, I hate the taste, and for some reason unbeknownst to me, I still do it. So. I am setting a date and sticking to it. And if any of you catch me smoking, just shoot me and put me out of my misery. Seriously. If I'm smoking, I'm already killing myself, just shoot me and make it quicker.

2. I will drink more water. I am going to get back on this train and not get off. I will wean myself off caffeine if it kills me. Diet Coke, we are getting a divorce. For real. No more. Can't do it. I am sick and tired of feeling like absolute crap if I don't drink caffeine and soda is so horribly bad for your body. So. You gotta go. And the water will help me in so many ways...make me feel full longer, make my skin look better, and help my body function.

3. I will watch what I eat. They say " you are what you eat". So that complete explains why I feel like crap all the time. I eat crap. Chips, chocolate, you name it. Everything you consider bad for you is probably currently in my diet. No more. Done. It will help me feel better and help me battle the weight that I can't wait to get off.

4. I will find time for me to exercise. I tired of feeling like crap. Feeling like I look like crap because I can't stand the person staring back at me in the mirror. The only way I'm going to make any serious headway with losing weight is to exercise. And I will feel better and probably sleep better. And I am officially refusing to buy any clothes bigger than what I'm wearing now. I have a closet full of clothes that I could wear if I'd just get of my butt and exercise.

So, I guess you could say these are my New Years Resolutions. In reality they are my Life Resolutions. I started on this path quite some time ago, but feel like I've just run into road block after road block. But that's life! I'm not stopping tho, I'm just going to have to get creative and either find a way around or cut down my own darn path or plow through the road block with a vengeance. Either way, I'm going to win. This journey is about me and how I feel about me and what I want to get out of my life. And I'm not where I want to be, so it's time to make a change.

So here's to Changing Connie...

Friday....FINALLY!

I think I just may make it....

I think I can...
I think I can...

I think I am almost over the worst sinus infection the planet has ever seen. Like, seriously. Most of those days if I didn't just want to die from not being able to breathe, I wanted to die from the humiliation of coughing so hard and violently that I had a hard time controlling my bladder...if I started a coughing fit, it was a race to the bathroom to try and make it to the pot before I wet myself...horrible and humiliating. Short of full-blown pneumonia, the sickest I've ever been. I'm going on my fourth week of this mess. Been to the doctor twice, 2 shots, 2 rounds of antibiotics, and endless nose sprays, sinus rinses, vapor rubs and steams...but I'm slowly rejoining the land of the living.

Meanwhile...

Christmas is coming! Christmas is coming!

I so seriously need to get it in gear. Hubby and I are going to attempt to do all of our Christmas shopping tonight and in the morning and be done with it. I pray we are successful. Honestly, it's the hardest part for me...trying to figure out what to get everyone. I really am for the most part a very thoughtful person, so I want my gift to be thoughtful and meaningful and something the person would actually enjoy. I seriously need to get my crap together next year, and start with a list in January and knock it off a little each month. But if you know me at all, you know that such things are procrastinated in my world and that's why we end up fighting the crazies 2 weeks before Christmas. I guess it could be worse...I could wait til Christmas eve, but I know me... and me and crowds...not so pretty. I don't like being touched by strangers, bumped accidentally, or cramped up together standing in line. I'd probably wind up in a looney bin somewhere.

I need to get my butt in gear on the "Changing Connie" front too. My goals and determination went out the door with the "KILL HER" sinus infection. I did cut the smoking back down, but my will had nothing to do with it. The fact I couldn't already breathe totally did. But...no weight loss...no exercise...I haven't even been to church in the last 2 weeks. Need a serious kick in the butt and pick me up. Hopefully I'll get back in the game Monday. If not feeling better soon, I may need to turn my "Changing Connie" goals into New Year's resolutions.


Everyone have a great weekend!

Persistence and Patience

Stepped on the scale Sunday, scared to death to see the damage I had done with my "no holds barred" eating. Excitingly enough, I had only gained back the 3 lbs I had just lost the week before. Whew! I can do that again, no problem!

Got on the scale this morning...already back down 2 lbs. Only 1 more to get back my pre-Thanksgiving weight! WOOHOO! Holla!

Now back to losing the other 83 pounds I want to lose. But...everything in moderation. Small goals. My first goal is to lose 20 lbs. And I'm already down 2. Then to get back under 200. I could actually wear some of the clothes in my closet I've been desperately hanging onto if I can do that! It would be like having a whole new wardrobe!

I've been thinking a whole lot about persistence and patience lately.

 * I was born with persistence, it's a natural God-given ability of mine. If I set my mind on doing something, you'd have to kill me to make me stop. Serious talk. No joke. So why can I not apply that persistence to losing weight? Love of food? Laziness? I have seriously got to figure this out so I can get in the right mindset.

 * Patience on the other hand, has alluded me my whole entire life. And it may have something to do with me giving up so easily. I have no patience. Whatsoever. At all. Patience, oh Patience, where are you?

So I've decided that it is high time I kicked myself into gear.

I will not let FOOD beat me!

I will not let LAZINESS control my life!

I will one day look into the mirror and find myself looking back at me again!

So Operation Changing Connie is a GO! We are back on a mission.

Today - working on getting back in the habit of drinking my water and counting calories. And hopefully find some time to throw some exercise in there.

Happy Losing!

And the Leibster Award goes to.....

I got nominated for an award today! Woohoo!!!

I want to thank the one who nominated me: Samantha Griffin 

Apparently there are rules:
1) If you were nominated, post 11 things about yourselves.
2) Then answer the 11 questions the person who nominated you created.
3) Create 11 more question to ask the bloggers you decided to nominate.
4) Choose 11 bloggers to nominate with less than 200 followers.
5) Make sure and let these people know you nominated them! No tag backs, so don't nominate someone who nominated you.

11 Things about Me:
1) I met my husband on eHarmony. Best thing that ever happened to me!
2) I have an obsession with roses. I have 5 tattoos and all have roses in them.
3) I have way too much education - 3 Associates of Applied Technology, 3 Technical Certificates of Credit, and 3 Diplomas - all in computer-related stuff from a technical college. Then I decided to go back and get a Bachelor's Degree in Computer Information Systems. Oh....and I have 3 computer certifications : A+, Net +, and Microsoft Excel. (Basically, I'm a certified computer nerd)
4) I love to cross stitch, I just never have time anymore.
5) I was a bartender for almost 15 years. Til I got it together and finished school. Miss the busyness and constantly meeting people, but not the hours.
6) I've been on 2 mission trips. One to the Bahamas and one to Honduras. Best life changing experiences in my life! I recommend that everyone have that experience.
7) I play the Oboe and can piddle on the piano. My daughter took piano lessons from the same lady that taught me and is playing my oboe in band at school. (proud mama here!)
8) I have a ridiculously silly sense of humor.
9) I am allergic to ketchup. Like seriously, life-threatening, drive to the hospital, anaphylactic shock allergic. So I have to get creative with condiments.
10) I love to read. I have a book with me at all times, unfortunately I'm so busy I've been carrying around the same book for about 2 months now.
11) I hate to cook but love to bake. I mean HATE to cook! But I do it anyway because I have a husband and kids and somebody's got to feed them, and Ima guessing that somebody happens to be me most of the time since I get home before my husband and he picks up the kids.

11 questions from the person who nominated me:
1. Are you an early bird or night owl? NIGHT OWL - which sucks because I have to be at work at 7am.
2. Where would you like to travel to? (anywhere in the world and any time period!) Ireland - now (as in right now)
3.  What book as a child did you love the most? Nancy Drew books (the inner child in me likes to play the interactive Nancy Drew computer games.
4. What do you struggle with? (meant to be a broad question) My weight - but I've found an awesome group of ladies at Mama Laughlin's Fit Camp on Facebook and I religiously read her blog: Mama Laughlin.
5. If you had three more days to live, what would be the first thing you did? Gather all my friends and family and share what time I had left with them.
6. Do you talk on the phone or text more? Text
7. What was the address to the first email account you ever made? cmthrift@hotmail.com - still have it, but rarely check it.
8. When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up? What do you want to be now? I wanted to be a dancer/school teacher/momma. Now I want to be RICH and a world traveler.
9. What are you currently obsessed with? Pinterest
10. Are you: team Edward,  team Jacob, or team I don't care? Team I don't really care.
11. When was the last time you read a great book? What was it? 2 months ago - Karen Kingsbury 
 Forever Faithful Trigology.

 


 11 questions for the people I nominate:
1) Are you a coffee or tea kinda gal?
2) Have you ever left the continent you were born on?
3) Which fairytale is your favorite and why?
4) Who inspires you?
5) Describe yourself in 3 words.
6) How old were you when you had your "first" kiss?
7) What food do you absolutely refuse to eat?
8) What beauty product can you not live without?
9) What is one thing that you swore you would never do...and did?
10) What is your biggest pet peeve?
11) If you could only eat one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be?

My 11 nominations: 
(I tried to find people who hadn't been nominated yet, if for some reason I've re-nominated you, my bad!)

Yvonne Feld

Victoria Grenham

Tiffany Nielson

Silvia Harrington

Susan Bergman

Stephanie Collins 

Shawna Dominguez

Savannah Holloman

Sara Phillips

Sandra Ward

Patricia Riley





 


 






 

 


 

     
  

 



 
 

Small victory, more excuses...

I am down 3 lbs! That's a big "YAY ME!"

I'm not anywhere near where I need to be. But I think that this time I have a pretty good excuse, but still...it's an excuse.

I've been fighting a sinus infection (I'm thinking the plague) for two weeks now. I can NOT get rid of this crap. Well...one day last week, I wasn't feeling good, felt really light-headed, felt like my heart was racing, was really shaky feeling. I was struggling, big time. Then that afternoon, my right arm started going numb and I couldn't feel my last 2 fingers at all. A manager overheard me telling my officemate that I wasn't feeling good and that my arm just went numb, and I was promptly escorted into someone's car and on the way to the hospital. CT scan, EKG, and blood work, and still not 100% positive what is wrong with me other than I'm NOT having a heart attack and I did NOT have a stroke. Great!

Turns out the racing heart and shakiness was some Sudafed I took to try and breathe with this confounded sinus infection. And apparently I have a pinched nerve in my neck that is causing the numbness in my arm. So I'm completely off meds right now as a personal decision. My body needs to figure this out and fight it off. And I haven't been able to see my chiropractor yet, so my arm is still going numb periodically. He is booked up with the holiday and I can't get an appt.

Good news: I'm surviving and I'm fine. And even though I may want to stick a fire house up my nose to clean out my sinuses. And I haven't exercised, but I've lost. Because I've been watching what I eat. Little worried about Thursday and being able to NOT to gain all 3 lbs back and then some. We will probably end up having lunch at one place and dinner at another. The food possibilities are endless and SCARY to me. Even if I cave, I just have to remember...everything in moderation.

I want to say CONGRATULATIONS to Mama Laughlin on her half marathon this past weekend! She is truly an inspiration. I just read her blog and have tears streaming down my face. She is AMAZING! Such an inspiration. To have an injury and push through like that...incredible. She is part of the reason, I finally started my journey of change. If she can push like that, then so can I.

Here's to all those who are on a journey of their own!

Have a Happy Thanksgiving! 

Small Success

I did pretty well yesterday.

I've had a slight problem with Caramel Bugles lately. Seriously. They are so freaking good. The salty/sweet combination basically just melts in your mouth. I had gotten into the habit when I was having a bad day to run to the store at lunch and indulge my habit. It was seriously getting out of control.

But yesterday...I did not go to the store. No Bugles for me. And, to top that, I did not buy a Diet Coke. This is BIG, as in HUGE! Me and Diet Coke have been partners in crime for some time. And although I've tried to break up with it several times, it just keeps coming back, haunting me.

So huge victory for me yesterday. No Bugles. No Diet Coke. I did drink 2 cups of coffee and then had nothing but water at work. I accidentally forgot my breakfast yesterday, but didn't indulge in anything from the vending machine. I managed not to starve to death before lunch, and just had what I brought: midget pickles, a low-fat mozzarella cheese stick, and a turkey sandwich. Not bad, if I do say so myself.

After work, I ran home and changed and drove to the track down the street from our house. I only had 25 minutes, but managed to walk 4 laps around the track before I had to leave and go get the kiddie-poos. I just wish I knew the measurement of the track so I would know how far I walked. It seems like it is longer than a quarter-mile track, but not really sure. I've been really tempted to see if I could fit my car in there to measure...hehe. But I probably shouldn't do that.

Got up this morning and down 1 pound. Not much, but not too shabby either. Only 9 more to go to meet my mini-goal of losing 10 pounds by December.

Supposed to meet my cousin and start C25K today. We'll see how that turns out.